Just another thing to add to the list for the day I drive my dagger into his heart.
Chapter 10
Kane
In my entire existence, I can't remember a temptation that I haven't been able to walk away from if I genuinely wanted to.
I have never been so drawn to one person in my life. Briar catches me off guard, her beauty, and my attraction to her almost drowning me. Her lips hover so close that I can feel the wetness of them slide across mine. I have no protection from her at this moment. I cannot pull away, no matter how much I want to, or how much I think I need to. I never want to pull away from her.
In my mind, I'm screaming at myself. If I kiss her, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop. I'm at a point where I am not even sure I can stop now. In fact, I'm releasing that hold I have over myself. Her fingers press harder against my face as her lips part. I brace myself, knowing that I have to have some sort of restraint as she still is human after all. But before I can taste the sweetness of her lips, Drogaem's voice echoes loudly.
"Kane!"
Briar gasps and stumbles backward, gripping her chest. I can see it in her eyes. Drogaem is summoning her, right along with me. "Is he pulling you?"
Her eyes shift downward, and she scrunches her brow. "No. In fact, he's pushing me. I think he's just trying to find you. He doesn't want me to come. He's been keeping me here in this room as much as he possibly can."
I grab her wrist and pull her back toward me, her worried eyes melting into a wanting stare. My head dives down, and I press my lips to her neck, feeling the pull of my fangs as I taste the salty trail of her skin. It takes everything in me not to bite her, not to give her that extra push of passion that my venom is capable of. I am confident that there is no being in all the realms that could keep me from taking her.
"Kane!" Drogaem bellows again.
This time, Briar's knees buckle, and I catch her before she can hit the ground. She gasps for air and claws at her chest. "He's using me. He's using me to get to you."
I pick her up and lay her on the bed, kissing her forehead. When I stand up, my eyes narrow, and I growl loudly, letting it echo. Our time is over, and my torture with Drogaem is about to begin. I want to rip his throat out, but in reality, I know I'm not strong enough yet to fight him. It would be a mistake. Nonetheless, breaking the connection with Briar enrages me.
I stomp toward the door and turn back, looking at her on the bed. Whatever Drogaem is doing to her has eased. I give her a nod. "I'll be okay. Rest. I'll see you soon."
Or at least I hope that I will.
* * *
Briar
My disconnect from Kane is almost as painful as whatever it was that Drogaem was doing to me to get his attention.
It felt as if he were reaching in my chest and twisting my heart. Things were getting out of hand, and it made me angry to watch my beloved walk away. I turn over on my back and rest my hands on my stomach, staring up at the ceiling. I try not to think about anything, to allow myself as much silence as I possibly can get. It has become easy to revel in the silence of the castle since there isn't really anyone left.
But the silence I'm looking for, it's centered within myself. Maybe if I try to connect to my powers instead of trying to summon them, they will come more freely and easily to me. When I use them, I feel like there is some kind of push and pull relationship. It's as if my emotions are battling against the light when they should be working with it.
For what seems like hours, I lay there, keeping my focus on the churning energy within me. I imagine myself aligning with the power, dropping my shields and armor, my layered emotional walls, and letting it sink further into me. As I do, I can hear the songs that my sisters used to sing when we were younger. I can hear their hums and their whistles, their laughter, and their teasing. The chorus of the songs play through my mind as I dance with my powers.
I can feel a connection beginning to knit, a closer relationship than just knowing it's there but fighting against it. The energy within me feels as if it's beginning to build stronger and stronger, and the heat is almost searing. This time though, unlike outside of Drogaem's tomb, there is no pain. I'm not tortured by the light as I was then. It's hard for me to release as my fears keep me clinging to a sense of control when, in reality, there really isn't any at all.
Opening my eyes, I watch as orbs of light rise from my skin and begin to dance across the ceiling above me. They look like fireflies, fairies dancing in the fields. They move in a circular cyclonic motion, filtering into one fixed position right above my chest. As each orb releases from my body and connects to the next, the light grows brighter and brighter. I begin to think that I can possibly control it, work with it. I raise my hands, but before I can do anything else, the sounds of Kane's screams echo through my room.
The air collapses from my lungs, and all the orbs drop right
