Chapter 53

Streaks of sunlight fell over my face and my eyes opened. My arms stretched over the bed before I rose up and headed to the washroom. It was the morning of the next day. I had spent the entire night tossing and turning as nightmares consumed my subconscious. My mind was filled with terrible thoughts which resulted in nightmares that were far worse.

After splattering some warm water over my face, I wiped my face dry clean before staring at the reflection. It showed nothing but me. I ran my finger down the scar on my cheek, it was still inches deep, never healing. My face carried the trauma my father put me and my mother through.

It was never going to go away.

Less than an hour later, I was outside the house, with Elijah. My feet brushed over the grass, and the smell of fresh air dived into my nose. I inhaled deeply, missing being outside in the wild. It had been a few days since I hadn't, and it killed me.

My head rose and the sun above blinded me. It was bright, brighter than yesterday. The slight warmth it provided spread around me and I smiled to myself.

Elijah agreed to teach me other forms of magic which didn't involve the spirits and in return, I was going to take the help of the spirits and find a way to break the curse. It was a safe agreement. Neither of us were going to tear the other's head.

This way, I could finally learn magic as one was supposed to—in the right way. And he could get what he wanted in return.

"You did something when Callan came here the day earlier. The skies were darker and the sun was hidden. What did you do?" I asked him as the memory surfaced. It kept me on the edge. How could one shift the day?

"Used elemental magic," He responded while crouching over the grass.

The grass in the garden was a few inches long. It wavered with the wind along with the bushes and the trees that were behind the house. There was nothing else nearby, just empty lands and outlines of mountains a large distance away. I couldn't even hear anyone else.

Not a single soul.

It was north of Vragus. No one came here as it was rumored to be filled with treacherous witches and other creatures one never wanted to see. Far in the mountains, abandoned covens and packs were settled. It was the only place where Alexandria's rule didn't reach. They didn't take her as the queen, but rather as a poisonous woman they wanted to destroy.

"Nature contains all the magic one ever needs. You just need to know how to use it." He continued.

I reached closer to him and narrowed my head. As his fingers splayed over the grass, the dark, black veins on his hand throbbed as he soaked in the magic found underneath the grass and dirt.

A moment later, a cold wind drifted behind me and I shivered. The bright sun disappeared behind the clouds and it became dark. I held back my gasp of surprise as the weather above changed entirely. I moved a few steps forward while a smile widened over my face.

Elijah moved his hand away from the grass and in a matter of a few seconds, the skies shifted again. Dusting his hands, he rose up from the ground and his eyes leveled with mine.

"Magic comes from the depths of hell, every kind of it. There's nothing pure or sane about it. Whether it's black magic, ceremonial, or even elemental. Every kind of magic, whether it brings harm or not, is from hell. We are not meant to hold such power that can shift realities, create chaos or breed creatures like werewolves." He explained to me.

He sat down on the grass and I sat the opposite him. Folding my legs underneath, I thought about what he said.

Werewolves were an outcome of ancient magic used by a powerful witch. Night eaters were created by a man who practiced witchcraft, and when his wife died in a cruel battle, he revived her and bonded her soul with blood, letting her live forever for as long as she had blood in her system.

Elijah wasn't wrong—there was nothing sane about magic or practicing it.

"Spirit magic is a form of black magic, but it's far more powerful as the spirits have chosen you."

I placed my hand on the ground as he directed me to. My head rose and I met with his eyes. "So spirits have chosen me?"

"Yes." He nodded. "When doing black magic, you use the help of spirits, but it's their wish if they want to help you or not. Many things can go wrong when practicing black magic. Sometimes, it can even be reversed on you."

His hand flattened over mine and I held my breath back. The soft tendrils of the grass pressed stiffly against my palm. A few seconds of silence passed by before I found the veins over the back of his hand twisting underneath his skin. The tips of my fingers went ice-cold and my heart raced at an uneven beat as I felt the energy beneath the garden soak into me.

It was wild and exhilarating. My focus hardened over the magic within nature and as I began to consume and manipulate it, the breeze surrounding turned colder. Elijah lifted his hand off mine. Raw energy flooded through my veins and when I raised my head, I found the clouds had shifted again, covering the sun and all of its light.

Even when it was the middle of the morning, it appeared to be night.

I gasped in surprise and moved my hand away from the ground. I never knew I could do something like this.

Moments later, a storm began to brew in the skies, but before anything else happened, I stopped it, not wanting to attract any attention.

Anyone could see and feel when someone was doing magic, and the last thing I wanted was for Alexandria or her people to find me.

Elijah returned his hand to the ground, not terrified at all. He focused his attention on another spell and a moment passed by before the ground beneath began to tremble. Earthquake. A natural disaster. He didn't let it go on for long. The quick movements stopped and the roots within the ground surfaced, extending and reaching above.

I moved back a little while remembering my mother. She bought a few plants and flowers to life during my younger years and I remember being completely fascinated by it. When Elijah did it, I reacted the same.

Completely fascinated.

"It could be surprising to know what nature itself holds," Elijah whispered, looking up. "And all the ways this kind of magic could be used."

"It can't be used to harm anyone, can it?" I asked him.

A chuckle trailed off his mouth before the roots underneath the ground stretched and extended, coming closer to me. They snaked over the ground before reaching my lap. I smiled and placed my hand over them, feeling the life they held.

"When nature is being controlled by evil, it can surely create chaos in its own way." He responded before clicking his fingers together.

The roots circled around my thighs, wrapping tight and cutting my blood. My hands quickly fastened around it, and I tried to pry it off myself, but it didn't work. They were tightened around me in a stiff hold that no one could break but Elijah.

"Take it off me!" I exclaimed, my heart racing in both fear and panic.

His evil chuckles continued. I tried again, but the roots thickened in size and forced me onto the ground. Every time I tried to get up, it was a miserable fail.

"Take it off me, Elijah." I repeated, this time in a harsher tone and with no fear in my voice.

My head rose and I met his eyes, noticing the glee he received from tormenting me. The roots extended to behind me, wrapping around my wrists as I continued to struggle with them. My hands fastened to the sides of the side and I groaned in frustration.

"It's fun, isn't it?" He reached closer to me and asked while slipping his fingers underneath my chin upon having me completely vulnerable.

"No," I pressed my teeth together and tried to pull myself away. "It's hurting me."

"Don't lie."

They weren't—but I didn't want them circled around my legs and wrists, not when I was with a man like Elijah.

He gripped my chin and rose my head, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Did you forget what you did to me yesterday? Or should I remind you?"

It clicked in my mind instantly. The bed.

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