My mouth goes dry and my heart clenches painfully in my chest. I have to admit the girl knows how to throw some pretty good punches. “And you’re just the rebound.”
Niyah’s eyes narrow and her hands curl into fists at her sides. She juts her chin toward the hall behind her. “Bastien forgot to tell you that if you need anything, our room is in the building next door. Top floor. This one is for men only.”
Our room? I feel decidedly lightheaded and am grateful I’m already leaning against the wall as her words echo endlessly through my ears.
I can feel electricity spark along my wrists, vining up to my elbows, but I ignore it. “Your room?”
For a moment, Niyah looks like she’s just popped a whole lemon into her mouth. “I haven’t moved in yet, but it’s just a matter of time. He’s been dying to have me with him, but he insisted on renovating the room first. Isn’t that thoughtful?”
“That sounds like Bastien. He always went above and beyond to make me happy.”
Niyah’s smile vanishes, only to be replaced by barely restrained anger. “You were the past. I’m his future. So hands off!”
I throw back my head, laughing. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea who you are threatening?”
A calculating smile returns to her glossed lips. “Of course. You’re the girl who nearly destroyed him. I’m just here to pick up the pieces.”
I see shadows before my eyes, feel the pulsating rhythm of energy coursing down my arms. I clamp my eyes closed and fight for control. “You need to leave now,” I growl.
Niyah laughs. “Why should I?”
My toes curl in my boots as the invisible arcs of energy ripple down the length of my body. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to throw you out… through that wall.”
Strands of coal-black hair begin to rise off my shoulders, but Niyah seems oblivious, lost in her jealousy. “You think just because you’re the prophecy girl that you can boss people around?” Her sneer alters her face enough to disguise her beauty. “You may have Kyan and Bastien wrapped around your finger, but I’m not fooled.”
“Niyah, I’m warning you,” I hiss as the floorboards beneath my feet begin to quake. The door beside me rattles in its frame, the handle jiggling as if someone were trying to turn it from within. I can hear beds stuttering across the floor behind closed doors as the ripples radiating out from me flood down the hallway.
I watch as her eyes widen, suddenly realizing her mistake. She begins to back away, her boots stuttering across the floor. I can hear shouting rising up from the first floor, winding around the stairwell. Doors slam and boots pound the floor as soldiers rush for the exits.
Almost from a distance, I can hear the winds howling as they beat against the building. At the end of the hall, the plastic covering the window tears free and sails off into the darkening sky. Hail begins to pelt the ground, but I hardly notice as I focus my gaze on the ceiling, fighting to pull back from my anger.
“You stupid girl!” I lower my gaze to see Bastien arrive at the top of the steps, his hair windblown and a trickle of blood dripping from his head. He must have been hit by one of the hailstones. “What have you done?”
He yanks on her arm, pulling her back from me. All I can do is stare and feel. From somewhere within the building, I can hear glass shattering, raining shards onto the wooden floor. I blink as fat drops of rain patter against my nose. I lift my gaze to see a hole being torn through the roof, as if a hand came down from heaven to peel back the layers.
“Her eyes…” Niyah gasps, raising a shaky finger to point at my face.
“Get out!” He yells and hurls her toward the stairs. “Evacuate the building.”
Niyah looks terrified as she darts one last glance at me and then fumbles her way down the steps. I don’t watch as she goes. Instead, I close my eyes and try to focus on the frantic thundering of my heart in my chest.
Deep cracks form in the walls as boards shift and mortar cracks. Bastien cries out as the floor bucks, nearly sending him to his knees. I can feel the paving stones that form the foundation of the building beginning to separate.
“Illyria, I need you to calm down. Just breathe and focus on my voice.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” I open my eyes and realize how dark the hallway has become. I look beyond him and see that a near-pitch dark has fallen over the base. I can still hear the screams, but they sound farther away now.
The last time I lost control, I nearly destroyed everything I held dear. Now, the only thing I care about is standing right in front of me. This time it has nothing to do with revenge but everything to do with love and jealousy.