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Chapter 165
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Iridian Chapter 166
Even though I asked if they’d tag along, the first two days of training I endured alone.It was strange enough going through the motions without Adley by my side, not that I could blame her, but some small part of me had hoped my parents would find a way to accept the magic that thrummed in my veins.The voice of the bull whispered in my head, warning me they would never accept me—never love me for who and what I was. I was more determined than ever to prove it wrong. Acceptance wouldn’t come over night, I knew that.Just as I thought I had some semblance of control over myself, night fell and I slid into the once peaceful realm of dreams where nothing but horror and madness awaited me. It was in my dreams that it taunted and tortured me, wearing down my control until I felt disconnected from my body—an outsider possessing someone else’s form.As I opened my eyes each morning, I was already exhausted. Fighting a war at night and training during the day was wearing on me, and I knew it
Iridian Chapter 167
“You got a tattoo?!” Zack gasped loudly, interrupting my lengthy story about the game I’d barely won.I narrowed my eyes at him, unable to hold the expression for long when a cheesy grin broke out over his face. Mom’s eyes were burning holes into my back, as though she could see past the layer of clothing that covered my phoenix tattoo. For her sake, and that of my own life, I made sure to exclude the bloodier details of my victory.“Yes, and you know who gave it to me?” Lowering my voice, I forced the words between clenched teeth and tried not to be obvious as I tilted my head in Mom’s direction. Unable to pass up the opportunity to hear his stunned gasp a second time, I smirked and whispered, “…it was Gerald.”“Nuh uh.” He shook his head vehemently, drawing my attention to his messy hair.I had but a few seconds to admire how long it had grown during my time away before he launched into a slew of questions that left me struggling to keep up. Even with a headache and the echoes of pa
Iridian Chapter 168
I woke from the horrible nightmare with a start, my eyes instantly watering from the sunlight that scalded them. A rush of panic swallowed the scream in my throat but did nothing to stop the stomach clenching sensation that came when standing at a great height and staring at the ground far below. A cool morning breeze lapped at my face, chilling the sweat that clung to my rosy skin.How had I gotten out here?For several seconds I held still, staring at my feet as they hovered halfway over the balcony’s ledge. The stained-glass doors leading back into my suite were thrown wide open, but I had no recollection of having touched them in the first place.Half of me scrambled to find an explanation for my current whereabouts, while the other tried to make sense of the disturbing memory the White Bull had shown me.I’d long ago discovered Dain’s mishap and how the Bull had whispered in his ear until my mate was desperate enough to let him in, but I hadn’t known the full extent of the horror
Iridian Chapter 169
“Wonder where he gets that from.” He remarked, a smirk stealing his face.Turning my head even further, I spotted Zack off to the side of the room. He had ventured closer to the circular platform, but his attention wasn’t on the steep mountainside cliffs. Currently, it was on a large leather-bound book with golden thread wrapped around the spine. I couldn’t blame him for finding that one alluring. The sunlight hit the gold and made it shimmer, creating the same hues of yellow and orange that were on Apollo’s suit.I opened my mouth to warn him off the book when a muscular arm appeared from a patch of shadow. The shadow seemed to hover in mid air, and the hand attached to said arm snagged the back of Zack’s t-shirt and dragged him back a few feet.Zack didn’t seem surprised. In fact, the way he threw his head back and cackled before sprinting to another shelf gave me the notion that this had been going on for a few minutes now. Sure enough, I watched as he reached for another book and
Iridian Chapter 170
I was saved from training with Helios when he flagged me down and gave me news of Aidan. The guy I grew up with had finally awoken from the magically induced coma he’d been put into, and as I raced down the winding corridors with the remnants of my rage still weighing on my mind, all I could think about was that this was finally over.Aidan would see, he had to.For almost a full minute I stood in the doorway staring at him, tallying up the physical changes he’d gone through since we last saw one another.The most noticeable change was how he shifted from the build of a lanky teenager to that of a man, set with broad shoulders and a sharp jawline coated in dark stubble. It was the subtle changes I cared about, like the unnatural stillness in the way that he sat, propped against the plush pillows of his hospital bed. The Aidan I grew up with couldn’t sit still, not without tapping his foot or fidgeting with something in his hands. Right now, his eyes were glued to the wall of tall wind
Iridian Chapter 171
I expected another nightmare, another horrifying memory proving how hopeless my plea for help truly was.The White Bull hadn’t been lying when it said there was something different about me. Perhaps it was because of this “Champion of Light” nonsense, or the simple fact that I could conjure light stronger than the flame that burned through just about everything. All I knew was that even though Dain and Apollo fought against the White Bull, they were both taken over the moment it slipped into their heads. I could feel it stirring, urging me to do these horrible things, but I still had control. For now, anyway.The last thing I expected to see in this dream was a dazzling sky full of rich blues and purples, along with my flame-colored wolf waiting in the background.Rayna stood tall, her tail swishing in a gentle breeze that felt warm against my skin. A blackened forest stood behind her, with tree’s that kissed the stars dangling in the sky. Her eyes—our eyes, stared back at me, patien
Iridian Chapter 172
I’d been lost in my thoughts the entire walk back to my suite, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was in this alone—that this battle was one woven into the fabric of destiny, so much so that Ally had seen it herself, and had taken the necessary steps to try and ensure my success.She’d done so even at the cost of her own life.Dain’s voice was a distant melody in my ears, using its sweet notes to coax me from my thoughts. Once I felt his presence following me, I halted in my tracks and spun around. There was no cloud of impenetrable darkness, but the corridor behind me seemed to have dimmed enough to allow the shadows along each pillar to stand out.“I know you’re there, Dain. You’re not very good at hiding during the day.” I pointed out, shifting my weight, and crossing my arms over my chest. The silken nightgown I wore wrinkled from the movement.With a defeated smirk on his face, he emerged from one of the shadows the pillars made along the walls and dipped into a slight
Iridian Chapter 173
My lips formed the words, and the Bull released a sliver of sickening joy, which I was elated to feel shrivel and wither when a knock sounded at my door.“Ignore them.” Dain whispered, his voice a melody I wanted to memorize. “It’s just us here, darling.”“Rachel, you in there?” Mom’s muffled voice sounded from the other side of the room, just past the stained-glass doors that blurred her figure enough to the point where I couldn’t recognize her.Dain made a sound in the back of his throat, and his eyes closed though this time to conceal the whisper of pain in their depths. The step back he took gave me the chance I needed to regain control, and quickly I slammed the doors on the Bull and its heinous urges.I fought for a response, unable to let Dain drown in the sorrow my mom had unleashed.“She didn’t mean it, Dain. She—she speaks without thinking sometimes.”“Like someone else I know.” His smile was soft and sad, and instantly I regretted the harsh words I had hissed through my tee
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