The Beast And The Blessed

Chapter 163

Fifty-Six: Joselin

Joselin's P.O.V.

My tower was my safe place, my comfort zone when I wasn't with Tobias. Yet right now, I stood in the middle of it, feeling like there were bugs crawling on my skin.

The ward surrounding it hadn’t just been broken.

It had been shattered. I had seen the damage to it before entering. The shimmering surface looked like it had been attacked violently, like a glass window that had taken hail damage. Craters and spider webbing from the cracks covered the surface.

No one would have seen it if they didn't have magic in their blood, but they should have at least heard her attack. Based on the damage I could see, she had been wailing on my shield for a while. There was even a charred spot on the floor where she appeared to have resorted to throwing fireballs.

How had we been oblivious to this, and when did she do it?

She hadn't been here during the attack on Cyrus, so it must have been before dinner. That would have left her time to get to Rona's, attack her, and perform the ritual while we ate.

Meanwhile, I had been sitting at the hot springs with Natalie, distracted by the idea that I might be...

No. Don't think about that. There are more important matters to deal with, and knowing won't do anything other than distract me.

Still, the guards and servants, even Killian, should have heard it. Aisha and Margot, at the very least, should have recognized the sound of the magic slamming into my ward.

My skin prickled when I walked through it and opened the door to my tower. It felt like I was walking through a low-level electric fence. It was angry, yet so weak. I was almost expecting to find a trap in my tower, something to off me so Cora could be free of me and escape.

But my study was clear. There were no tricks or traps, just a safe door that, by the way the metal was bent, had been forced open, exposing that there were many missing valuables. The only thing that remained was the small vial of Rona's blood. It was crusted to the glass, having dried up when she died.

Cora clearly had no use for it. Either that or she left it as a clue, wanting to lure me to Rona's cottage so she could kill me too.

If the bears hadn't attacked her, I had to imagine she had plans to deal with me. The real question was whether they got to her in time to prevent her from absorbing Rona's powers. I could assume so since she hadn't completed enough of the ritual to take Cyrus's magic and seemed to be using Rona's magic as a conduit to get to Cyrus.

But I had already made too many mistakes. I wouldn’t underestimate Cora, not after everything she had done and planned.

picturing the smug look she must have had on her face when she left

into fists. She would have gotten his blood one way or another; I just made it easy for

around the room, feeding off my anger as I tried to push

closet, and shadow. He would have

quickly cut out the bottom

larger map in his office, and I didn't want everyone in my tower. Not

stolen all of the important

Tobias said as he looked into the empty

her most recent attack because of the blood I had been hiding. "We need to get the world map from Killian's office to search for Cora. She could be anywhere, and I don't want to

determined not to let him see how

back of my head, and kissed my forehead, I felt

more you touch me, the harder this will be. I can't let myself feel anything right now. I need

me. "We have a

and out my tower window showed a group of men running with a long piece of rolled parchment across the field from the

be at least ten feet tall, and I knew it was

I want the tables and chairs out." I gripped his hand, squeezing it appreciatively before releasing him and striding over

run, but she couldn't hide. Not from

up, grabbing a few candles from my shelves. I sucked in a gasp of air,

your job. Now is

to take the candles from

to carry." I moved past him, dropping my supplies onto my bed before grabbing my favorite dagger and adding it to the pile. It had drawn a lot of blood, and that made it powerful. For every life it took, that one piece of metal grew

everything, Tobias gathered the corners of the blanket and lifted

dropped a passing kiss against my lips. My lips curled up as I admired the muscles in his back while he walked away, then I shook my head and

is a damn good

against the wall. It seemed

and I lifted my chin, satisfied that they had done what I

I face off with Cora

that thought from my

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