Page 104 of Heart of the Cursed
An evil grin crossed his face seconds before she heard movement in the woods surrounding them. Selene didn’t need to look to know that her father had brought back up. She should have known he wouldn’t be alone. After all, it was the type of thing a male like him would do.
Her father chose that moment to make his move. He leapt forward and grabbed for the book. Selene acted on instinct and sent a warning blast of magic towards him. Caught off guard, he didn’t have time to defend himself. Before his fingers made contact with the book, he was thrown back, the force sending him several feet away.
“I warned you,” she said when he got to his feet.
“If that’s the best you’ve got, it’s going to be easier than I thought,” he goaded.
“Trust me, that isn’t the best I’ve got,” she mocked.
For the first time in her life, she honestly believed those words. The magic coursing through her veins, had her body thrumming. In that moment in time, she felt like she could take on the world and win.
A few days ago, using that much magic would have drained her. In fact, she had used less than that when she blasted Arun and sent him skidding across the bunker, and it had drained her completely. Now? It barely touched the surface.
“He’s trying to distract you,” Arun whispered. “Do the spell.”
“What about you?” she whispered back.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “We’ll take care of daddy-dearest and anyone else that tries to get near you.”
That’s when she noticed the rest of their group had spread out around her in a protective circle. They faced outward, ready and waiting to defend her.
She nodded nervously. “Okay.”
He winked at her. “Everything will be okay. Just concentrate on the spell.”
Selene finally looked away from Kolvar.
“Ah, I see,” her father sneered. “Setting your little lapdog on me now.”
“I’m not a lapdog,” Arun growled.
“Sorry, I forgot,” he smirked. “That’s your friend over there, isn’t it?”
Dain growled at him, showing his sharp canines in the process.
“You’ve made your decision clear, daughter,” her father said. “So be it.”
Selene didn’t bother looking up from the book, but she did lift her hand to give her father the one finger wave.
She heard him snapped his fingers and then all hell broke loose. Within seconds, the small clearing had turned into a war zone. She knew someone was going to attack them in an attempt to stop her, but she hadn’t expected the attack to come from her own father.
Selene had to stop herself from running to Arun to help him and the others fight. She knew that was exactly what her father and those with him were hoping she would do. She hadn’t made it this far just to do something so stupid.
So, as much as it pained her to do it, she had to block out everything around her and concentrate on the spell. It was the only way to put an end to all the fighting. It was the only way to save her people. But why did it have to come at such a high cost?
Not only did she have to block out the fighting around her, but she also had to block out the pain from her breaking heart.
.
