Page 152 of Dhampira

Snarling, Rasimir spun and rushed out the door, slamming it behind him.

And I was alone. Shoulders aching, I hurried to the balcony. Werewolves in beast form sprinted from the forest. Knights and courtiers with swords poured from the castle to meet them. They clashed in the courtyard, a battle exploding before my eyes.

I was trapped in my room. Vander and Lorcan were in the dungeon. Who knew what Rasimir had ordered his men to do to them? I couldn’t just sit around and wait to be rescued. I had to act. I had to do something. But what could I do with my mouth and hands bound?

Rushing to the vanity, I peered at myself in the mirror. Bile burned my throat as I tried to open my mouth. The metal stretched with my skin. Until Rasimir released me, I was stuck. I couldn’t eat or speak or draw a full breath. And the men I loved were imprisoned. I’d failed at everything, and I had nothing. No magic, no hope, no plan.

Dhampir. I was supposed to be rare and powerful. Legendary. The daughter of a vampire king and an assassin witch. But I was weak and helpless. My reflection blurred as hot tears welled in my eyes. Delphine, my only friend in the castle, was frozen in the courtyard. Alon was dead. Duncan was dead. My fault. All my fault. I couldn’t protect them. I couldn’t even hide my emotions.

You should practice in front of a mirror.

It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. I’d lost, and now I’d watch Lorcan and Vander die.

A scream of rage, fear, and frustration boiled up. Swinging a gauntleted fist, I smashed it into the mirror.

Glass shattered, shards pelting my gown and scattering over the vanity and floor. My chest heaving, I staggered backward. Evening sunlight sparkled in the mirror pieces. Dozens of copies of my face stared up at me, my mouth a square of metal.

Rage scalded my veins…and then it changed, streaking blistering paths through every part of my body. And it was different from desire. Different from the monster’s hunger or anything else I’d experienced. It was raw and primal. Ancient and wild.

It was power. It was magic—and I’d always had it. The knowledge burned as hot as the magic, which had been sleeping. But it was awake now.

And it was mine.

One by one, the shards of glass lit up. In the mirror fragments, my eyes widened. The glow spread and swelled, each piece of glass turning bright blue.

I eased backward, my heart racing. The shards rose into the air, and the mirror reformed. It hovered in front of me, blue glowing around the edges. Magic built in my chest. Power pumped through my veins. The light shimmered, and connections formed in my mind like a lit candle touched to other wicks. Spots of light appeared in my mind’s eye, forming a blazing path to every mirror in the castle.

A mirror in the ballroom.

A mirror in the dining room.

Mirrors in chambers.

Mirrors down wide corridors and narrow hallways no one ever tread.

A mirror that stretched from the ceiling to the floor, its thick frame carved with serpents and roses.

Courtiers’ mirrors tucked down bodices and hidden in pockets.

I saw all of them. Every single one. Each reflective surface.

The mirror in front of me shimmered more brightly. My mother appeared in the center.

“Corinthe!” she gasped. She looked at my mouth, and anger crackled in her eyes. “What has he done?” Giving her head a hard shake, she lifted a hand. “Never mind, I know you can’t speak. Listen, I don’t have much time.”

What? Why? I stepped forward, a whirlwind of emotions spinning in my chest. Frustration pounded through me as I tried to talk, my lips stretching and my voice emerging as garbled moans.

“It’s all right,” Mama said. Wherever she was, it wasn’t our cottage. A single candle flickered behind her, and a black piece of cloth draped over a window. “Just listen, don’t try to say anything.”

With a nod, I stopped struggling.

Tears sheened her eyes as she offered a tremulous smile. “Your magic is within you, my love. It’s always been there. I know because I built a wall around it. By now, Vander has told you my story. But I need you to know that I always, always loved you. I made mistakes, but loving you was not one of them.” A tear streaked down her face. She swiped at it like she swatted an insect, impatience flashing in her eyes. Then she leaned forward, her gaze intense. “I felt your life beating within me the moment you were conceived. And I knew that, no matter what, I had to protect you. Marrigan and Rasimir are dangerous for different reasons. Both would devour you in their own way.”

BOOM.

Screams drifted through the balcony doors. The Drakhold shivered.

“My root was the word for ‘wall,’ ” Mama said. “I was the greatest ward witch to ever walk this plane, and Nocta will never see my like again. And days before you were born, I poured every ounce of my magic into you. I created a ward so powerful, it rendered you invisible to witches and vampires alike.”