The Dark Prince (The Dark Light Series)(155)

There is no little girl here. She no longer exists. That girl has grown, has lived, has loved and has lost. She has been broken and beaten. She has been hurt and mended. And now she is free. Free to be everything that she was destined to be.

The numerous bolts of ominous lightning inch closer and closer, only a few feet standing between them and my stock-still form. I don’t even recoil. I simply stand and wait, welcoming the surge of power I know they will deliver. Rain still falls around me, drenching me to my bones yet I don’t even feel the slightest chill.

In ceremonious fashion, I lift my head back up to the sky and give myself over to my supernatural senses as I make my internal declaration. As I pledge my allegiance to the side that I wish to be tied to for eternity. The side that I will live, fight and eventually die for. I want that magic to fill me to the brim. I want to be engulfed in that overwhelming power. I want to be the magic, just as my mother, Natalia, intended for me to be. I hope I make her proud. I hope she is somewhere looking down at me with joyful tears in her beautiful golden eyes as she clutches my father’s hand. I hope he, too, is smiling at me with pride etched in his magnificent face.

I am not sure if time stops, or slows tremendously, but as the first bolt of lightning pierces me, everything suddenly pauses. Every raindrop freezes to a halt, looking like a million congealed jewels suspended in the air. The strong gusts of wind die, not even whisper of a howl to be heard. Everything around me is completely silent and still. Another strikes me, lighting every cell in my body on fire with its intense current. I gasp at the feeling yet no cries escape my lips. It’s…jolting, just like Donna said it would be. I smile through the odd sensation, my thoughts now on my adopted parents as the third bolt zaps me. They will never again have to be afraid. They’ll never have to worry about me again. It’s my turn to protect them. My turn to show them that twenty-one years of sacrifice was worth it.

The lightning flies down in a seamless blur, shocking my body from every angle and causing me to writhe and convulse with the intensity. It continues for several minutes, or maybe hours, I can’t be completely sure. There is no sense of time in this realm where all other life is frozen. But as the last strike rocks my entire frame and brings me to my knees, I know no time has passed at all. Life returns yet the tumultuous rain and wind cease. The lightning and thunder have also dissipated. All is still in the night. And I can see all of it. I embrace it. I thrive in the looming darkness as if this is my natural element.

A scared, bemused girl came here, not knowing who and what she was. Unsure of the path she should choose. Uncertain of what her place was amongst the violence, rage and turmoil between two ancient enemy forces.

Now a goddess emerges, leaving behind the confusion that kept her bound with anxiety. She was made for this. She was chosen to undo the wrongs that have plagued this world and beyond. To bridge the gap between the Light Enchanters and Dark Ones and a tainted history of conflict. Her parents died so she could live and achieve her destiny. A destiny to be great, to be fearless. A destiny to be utterly extraordinary.





Chapter Thirty




Seeing the world through brand new eyes is almost jarring. Hell, have I been blind for twenty-one years? Even the way I walk, the way I move, is different. It’s not so much that I’m afraid that I’ll move unnaturally fast, it’s keeping myself planted on the ground that seems to be the real feat. It seems easier to somewhat ghost to where I want to be. To think of a spot and somehow manifest there. Now I realize how much restraint Dorian had been using just to appear normal.

I walk down the cobblestone path, my head snapping at every creak and rustle of the leaves. It’s not so much hearing as it is knowing. Like an instinctual force within me that knows what is there without truly hearing or seeing it. It’s as if all my senses have combined and I’ve become somewhat omnipresent. Yet I still feel normal. I still feel like me. Yeah, the superhuman senses and the way my eyes and fingertips seem to constantly tingle is a bit weird, but for the most part, I am still Gabs. New & improved Gabs. Gabs 2.0. But still Gabs.

I step off the familiar elevator without hesitance and face the double doors. I know what I’ve come here for. My once clouded, jaded mind is now crystal clear. No amount of influence from him or anyone else can dissuade me from this. The truth is screaming at me and I can’t ignore it any longer. I can’t continue to live a lie.

I face the doors, contemplating my next move. Do I just bust in, guns blazing? Should I knock? Would he even answer, especially if he knew what I am? Can’t he already sense the power rolling off of me in iridescent waves? Damn, I really am me. I still can’t make up my mind.