Dangerous Diabolical: Book 1 (Iridescent) ✔️

Chapter 8 - Gone haunting

Leofstan already looked as if he'd be expiring where he sat, and now with a growing wariness that if he did, it might cause him to accidentally kill me; I started to hold my breath each time he took too long to inhale. Working on the knowledge that embedded in my hand was an untapped link into more power and a potential death sentence, I mentally kicked myself for ever having tampered with it.

Worst of all, if he almost died first, but then killed me instead, how was I meant to eat him? If I were to try and pull his energy through the link would I manage to kill him first? He was having a hard time replenishing his magic stores to heal. Fidgeting on the spot it occurred that maybe if I snuck him a smidgeon to test that it was some kind of link, surely he wouldn't notice? Staring at my hand, I rubbed the gem.

Maybe, just maybe...

Biting my bottom lip I tried to emulate a gentle touch of a feather as I pushed in the softest trickle of magic. Sparing a glance, Leo didn't offer so much as a twitch. Drawing my knees into my chest I assumed it hadn't worked, so trying again I sent a stronger wave.

It was the weirdest sensation as I continued to leak power. Anything pushed into the gem just vanished. It didn't convert like when casting, and I couldn't find it again to pull it back.

Next to me, Leofstan's breathing finally eased as he fell into sleep. Remaining undisturbed I kept going, after all, if I did manage to get my reserves low enough again, maybe I'd figure out where I took my power from before Leofstan died and killed me instead. Closing my eyes, I concentrated.

A stone skittering across the floor jolted me up from a slouch, only to reveal a very sooty Grahame; blinking at him rapidly the world suddenly returned to spinning. My body felt drunk. My reserves weren't low, but they weren't exactly sparkly. Each leg tingled with pins and needles, hands a tremor of movement.

"Can you stand?" The vampire asked Leofstan. On cue, his eyelids fluttered open, cheeks were full of colour and the cracks on his lips were now scabbed. Cricking his neck, he rolled his shoulders causing the coat to slip slightly, revealing where injuries that had been actively bleeding before, were already in the slow process of healing. Stretching his long legs out, the calf which had been so visibly broken before now sat straighter.

"Your healing is becoming remarkable," Grahame remarked. "You're almost on my level." Shakily Leo stood, using the wall as a crutch, fighting to place the jacket around him properly. I also tried to stand and fared far worse. Black spots danced across my vision and my centre of gravity was unable to pinpoint space or time. With a groan, I held my head to check it wasn't spinning as fast as everything else. Only when I looked up did I meet Leofstans eyes staring into mine, and time seemed to fall out of sync.

He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. His heartbeat stuttered as he did not look away, his mouth beginning to quiver. We both came to an understanding at the same time, the jolt of realisation passing between us.

The magic he'd used to heal was mine.

We both reached for the link in the gem at the same time, but I was too slow. In that instant time pounded back into keeping with an explosion that seemed to exacerbate from the energy being stolen through my palm.

My knees collapsed unbidden as muscles seized. Entering full panic mode, my main priority was to stop the link. It was akin to trying to grasp liquid in a stream. Energy fled each muscle it powered, sending me sprawling across the floor.

"Oh." I softly gasped, unable to do anything else. No longer having the strength to attempt to summon magic. Leofstan's words echoed in my head; slavery may be worse. No wonder he'd been terrified that I'd done this on purpose to use his magic. He stood glowering down at me, face drawn and brows shadowed. Behind him darkness stretched infinitely as storm clouds gathered, the thundering of the sky shattering the silence.