The Beast And The Blessed

Fifty-Three: Joselin

Joselin's P.O.V.

His body rose. The oversized, wooden chair fell backward with a loud crack as his feet lifted off the floor. Guards, including Tobias, quickly removed Natalie and Killian from the table. It was his job. But as I watched Cyrus rise until his knees were aligned with the top of the table, possessed by an unknown force, I had one second where I wished Tobias had rushed to my rescue instead.

I scoffed at that thought as quickly as it came to mind. We both knew that I could handle myself, even if I were feeling under the weather.

I'm sure Natalie could too, but I had way more experience with magic than her. She was strong and good with light magic, but I knew light and dark magic thanks to my time with Talia. This... was dark magic.

Cyrus's scream cut off as his head was thrown back. His veins bulged from his body, and his already pale skin turned a sickly shade of grey.

I stepped toward him. Tobias's chair between us had been pushed several feet back during his rush to get the queen out.

My hand lifted, and I slowly approached Cyrus, wanting to feel the magic at play, to taste and familiarize myself with it.

The air was thin until I reached the wall of magic, and while chaos surrounded us from the packed dining hall rapidly emptying, I couldn't hear anything beyond the angry gurgling coming from his mouth.

The magic around him was thick and suffocating. Yet, I wasted no time jumping on the table and trying to force his head down to free his airway. A thick bloodstream spilled from his mouth before the pain-filled yell erupted again. The horror in his voice was haunting...familiar.

Aurora approached from his other side, holding her hands onto his body as she began chanting under her breath.

As usual, the rest of the council had been eating in either their chambers or the private dining room, leaving us to combat this evil on our own while we waited for someone to fetch them.

Cyrus shook, his body convulsing as fat tears slid down his cheeks. His arms were out to his sides, and he flinched as if he were fighting against restraints. His arms and legs were spread, his wrists bent so his palms were forward.

I was very familiar with the position he was in.

His pale yellow eyes were squeezed tightly shut as he gasped for breath." No! No!"

A force shot from his body, sending me flying through the air. I flipped once before hitting the ground on my side.

through me and then used the air to push me right back up.

proud, defensive as they waited for his next move. But it wasn't him doing it. It was his attacker. The person who tried to drain him in his mountain. Possibly, the person who had tried

had been hunting was so close, yet I felt

man made my chest ache and my heart

from the table, I dumped the food onto the floor before holding the item under

wanted to play with dark magic, she would have to face me, and I learned from the best...for

black-laced blood,

was active in his blood, then maybe...just maybe,

through his system. It was different than when it happened to me fifteen years ago. I had felt the witches like a thread being worked through my veins, something

to grab it, it sent a

something. The sobbing cries for it to

faint, but as I dug deeper into his blood, I could hear it more clearly with each jerk of his

do to help?" Natalie's voice called out, but growling returned as multiple guards tried to form a barrier between the royal couple

could almost taste it, and I turned my head to glare at the

up against, it was almost impossible to ensure the

clear a path, and I turned my hand to them, shoving her and Killian back toward the door. Killian wrapped his arm around her waist,

Even if you can help, the risk to you is too great." My eyes dropped down to her stomach, hinting at the reality that she very well could be carrying the heir. Even if she could help to save Cyrus, the royal line came first. It would

lodged into my back. It was why they always had guards and why every time there was a threat,

to save an innocent man who wasn't a member of her direct pack but was still under her rule or to protect the life that could be growing

the sound of Natalie throwing magic at the barrier echoed through the room over Cyrus's begging for mercy and cries for help. There weren't many left. As soon as they realized the attack was

door. If she takes down

both determined and uneasy about protecting the queen and

I could see the crimson liquid boiling in the porcelain. My stomach rolled, and I looked up at Cyrus. Aurora was still at

picking up a knife off the table, the blade glinting under the fluorescent

across Cyrus's wrist, and the tainted blood poured from the wound. His floating body was tense, and he let

needed to bleed him out to slow their damage. The healers would be back in a moment with Aurora, and they could heal

for the pack, and slid it noisily across the floor until it stopped a few inches short of the stream pooling from