Scornful Sadie (Dark Sorceress Trilogy Book 1) (23 page)

Aiden Rivers wasn’t my heart mate. That was obvious the first time I met him when my body didn’t react accordingly. It was solidified when I was away from him for years, and nothing happened. Aiden wasn’t meant to be with me, and I wasn’t meant to be with him.

My heart didn’t know this, though.

And while my mind did, I simply refused to accept it. Aiden made me happy, giddy even. Butterflies danced in my tummy when I saw him, his voice soothed me, his touch warmed me.

However, this would be goodbye. I wouldn’t come back from this. I knew I would die either way, from the Six destroying me, or me destroying the Six.

Aiden didn’t need to know, though. His ignorance on the issue was fine with me. I liked seeing him happy and smiling, his handsome face lit in a grin while his eyes danced and shone in the sunlight.

“Sade?” His voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“Yeah?” I said.

“We’re back,” he said regretfully. “We probably need to eat and go to sleep. You’ll need your rest tomorrow.”

I nodded. I’d definitely need energy for tomorrow.

“You’re gonna be ok,” he said gently. He cut the engine and took my hand. “I know you can do this.”

I didn’t believe him, but believed that he believed in me. “I need you to stay hidden away.”

“Can’t you give me a gun or something? Or a bow?”

“A bow and arrow?”

He grinned and nodded.

“When did you learn how to use one of those?”

“College,” he said cockily. “I took archery.”

“And that prepared you for shooting arrows at magical beings?”

He shrugged. “Close enough.”

I just covered my face with my hands, speechless.

He peeled my fingers away and guided my chin toward him. “Sade, I’m serious. I don’t want you putting another spell on me to knock me out. You can’t do that to me again.”

He was referring to when we fought Devlin five years ago. He’d wanted to come and I’d been determined to not let it happen, so I’d put him to sleep for a few hours. I didn’t agree to his request, but I did think about it.

“I know you think I can’t handle these things, but Sade, I can. I may not be brimming with power to the point I glow, like some people, but it’s in there somewhere. And I have other ways to help. If you’d just let me.”

“Aiden,” I choked out, fighting the tears welling in my eyes. “I couldn’t live with myself if you died because I didn’t protect you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” he promised.

“You don’t know that.”

“You don’t know something will,” he countered. “We’ll figure out something, but please, promise me you won’t spell me. Or charm me. Or curse me. Any of that.”

I nodded. “No magic on you.”

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “Let’s go get food now. I’m so hungry!”

We exited the car, and I waved it away. He gasped as he watched it dissipate. “Sade! I can’t keep it?”

Giggling, I raced toward the castle. “It’s at Grandma’s!”

He chased after me. His long legs made him faster and he caught me from behind. Spinning me around, he hooked his finger under my chin and lifted my face. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” I sighed.

He softly kissed me under the fading sunlight. Lust exploded within me and I wanted him more than ever before.

All the power I’d taken in was messing with my emotions.

Pushing him away, I panted. “You gotta stay away from me.”

His eyes widened. “You ok?’

“Too much power makes my emotions go into overdrive. No kissing until I say so,” I instructed.

“Aww,” he whined. “Come on.”

“No,” I said sternly. “If any of this escaped, it could seriously hurt you.”

He outright pouted, making me want to take his bottom lip between my lips and suck and bite the soft skin. 
Oh my gosh.
Turning away, I flicked my hand and the doors swung open. Sashaying in, I ignored the stunned looks of the people in the room and headed straight to the kitchen.

I whipped up a magical meal in seconds, duplicating another for Aiden. As soon as I sat at the table, I tore into my food, devouring every last crumb. Aiden watched in amazement, picking at his food because he was so distracted.

“What?” I asked when I’d finished.

“I’ve never seen you eat so much,” he admitted. “This power surge thing is messing with you.”

I nodded in agreement. “No kidding. You gotta sleep somewhere else tonight.”

“No!” he said instantly.

“Ok,” I said. “I’ll sleep in the room with Mel and Tessi.”

Before he could argue, I jumped up, kissed him one last time, and transported myself to their room. Sealing the door, I turned to see my shocked friends watching me.

“Sleepover!” I grinned.

They smiled, but I saw the tension and apprehension in their expressions. I spent the next two hours explaining everything that had happened to them both, and let Tessi in on my plan. Neither was happy with my decision, but they didn’t fight me on it.

The only thing to worry about now was what to do about Aiden tomorrow. Keeping him safe was vital.

Sleep didn’t come easy. I tossed and turned, fighting the urge to break something, and the desire to join Aiden in the bed he lay in. The overload of emotions that came with the immense amount of power I now held was overwhelming and frightening.

What if I couldn’t control myself when the Six came?

I snuck from Tessi and Mel’s room before dawn to go outside and stroll the grounds. I didn’t expect him to show up so early, to be waiting for me.

A tall man, looking to be in his forties with salt and pepper hair stood by the fountain watching me. His beady, dark eyes followed my every movement, and I just knew it was Bram.

“You came early,” I observed. The power within me stirred at the sight of him. I was ready to fight.

“I see you’ve accepted who you are,” he smiled. “Now reveal your deepest secret and we can get this over with.”

Shaking my head, I stepped closer. “I don’t want to do that.”

“You have to,” he growled. Another sorcerer appeared behind him and I heard a scream from somewhere within the castle.

“What are you doing?”

“They will pay for your defiance,” he grumbled. His words caused the earth to move and shake beneath my feet, sending me flying back.

Anger took over. I held both hands at my sides, feeling the power circulating, and sent the energy at them. They both flew through the air, their bodies thumping as they fell to the ground. Grinning in satisfaction, I turned to run inside and help.

“Not so fast,” Bram said. He stood in front of me, looking not at all like I’d just thrown him a few hundred feet in the air.

Exhaling deeply, I felt my fingertips tingle and moved my hand. He countered the act, sending the surge of power into the side of the castle, breaking off a large chunk of the brick.

“Grandma is gonna be so pissed,” I mumbled.

He moved fast, sending a wave of energy over me, but I stood my ground and used my own powers to counteract it. This went on for longer than I would have liked, while I continued to hear screaming and shouting inside.

“You want to save them, Sadie Tabors?” he taunted.

I growled. He was playing with me and I didn’t like it.

“You know what to do,” he continued. “Accept it, reveal it, admit it.”

I shook my head. “I won’t.”

He stomped his foot, sending a mini earthquake rumbling through the grounds and castle. “You will!” he bellowed.

Aggravated with his teasing, I transported myself inside and away from him. I saw disaster and devastation. Grandma, Lucas, and Mark were fighting one of the Six by the stairs, and a few bodies lay around the room.

One I recognized as Allison.

Pissed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. Reaching deep inside, I pulled out my power and flung it at the sorcerer they were fighting. He flew against the wall, falling in a heap at their feet. He didn’t move.

Grandma spun, eyes wide as she stared at me. “Sadie!”

Running to Allison, I attempted to heal her, but it was too late. She was gone.

Mark came up behind me, resting a hand on my shoulder. “She believed in you, Sadie. Don’t let her down.”

I nodded. “The others?” I pointed toward the other bodies.

“Gone,” he said sadly.

“Where’s Aiden?”

He looked around in uncertainty. “I don’t know. Most of us were still asleep.”

“I have to check on him,” I said urgently. I transported myself to the bedroom, but it was empty. The sinking in my gut told me Bram or one of his partners had already gotten to him.

Tessi came running in and sighed in relief when she saw me. “Thank God, Sadie. You have to come,” she urged. “They have Mel and Aiden.”

My fists clenched, I hurried behind her. We ran down the hall and to the room I’d shared with them the night before.

“They’re in there,” she whispered. “I came out to see what was going on and this man appeared with Aiden. He was knocked out. There was a big bump on his head, and he went in there, and I can’t get in.”

A feral growl rumbled in the back of my throat and I beat my fist on the door once. All the anger I felt flowed when I hit the wood, the power flooding around me and sent the door flying across the room.

I stepped inside, grabbing my dagger from my boot. “Who’s first?” I asked. No more messing around.

A man laughed from the corner. I saw Mel tied to a chair, and Aiden lay passed out with a large knot on his forehead. I glared at the man and stepped closer. “And which one are you?”

“Wolfe,” he said with a grin. “You sure are a pretty little thing.”

Ew. Was he hitting on me? “My looks won’t matter in a few.”

His eyes lazily looked me over, undressing me. My skin crawled in disgust, but I decided to use it to my advantage.

“So, Wolfe is it?” I said.

He nodded, giving a half smile and a wink. “Yeah, baby.”

Nothing could have made me angrier in that moment. “I’m Sadie,” I said, holding my hand out. “Nice to meet you.”

Tessi gasped behind me and I waved my hand behind me, silencing her. Wolfe looked surprised, raising his brow in delight. “Sadie Tabors, I know.”

He took my hand and I struck. Wrapping my power around him, I locked him in a magical cocoon and pushed him against the wall. Pressing my dagger to his neck, I let the blood trickle. His dark eyes grew wide as he gulped. “What are you doing?”

“I’m killing you. You hurt my friends,” I said. “You don’t get to survive that.”

“You can’t kill me,” he chuckled.

I pushed the dagger deeper, right against the vein. “I can’t? You sure about that?”

He looked scared now, his forehead breaking out in sweat. “Please.”