Page 101 of Reckless Witch

A corner of his mouth lifts—a ghost of a rare smile. “You didn’t learn the exact magic we used in the lucid dreams, but, yes—that’s it.”

“What exact magic?”

“You’ll learn that in time.”

“In time?” I shoot back. “By not teaching us how to fight The Shadows, you leave us vulnerable.”

He sighs. “Would you have us place a grenade in a child’s hand?”

I blink. “What?”

“Power is responsibility,” he says.

“Knowing how to defend yourself is—”

“Power,” he cuts in. “Would you hand a machine gun to just anyone—even to protect themselves?”

Fury whips through me. “Is that why so many died in the last Shadow attack—because you didn’t teach them how to defend themselves?”

“You think lucid dreaming is easy?” he asks with a patience that makes me want to scream.

“That’s why you teach people,” I snap.

He studies me. “Isn’t that what we’re doing?”

“All people,” I growl.

“People who would be infected or killed within minutes?” he asks.

“Not if you teach them.”

His eyes lock with mine. “Send into battle people who aren’t capable of fighting.” I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off, “Do you honestly believe everyone can fight The Shadows?”

“They have a right to try.”

He shakes his head. “Do you ever think before speaking?”

Fury pools in my belly. “If I didn’t, you would be hearing what I’m thinking now.”

Amusement sparks in his eyes then vanishes. “I suppose we have to start somewhere.”

I jump to my feet. “Blood pact or no blood pact, this lesson is over.” I whirl and head for the door. I draw magic into my fingers to combat the pact. I reach the door without resistance, then look over my shoulder. “You did use magic on me earlier.”

“No.” Raith indicates the clock on the mantle. “The lesson was over five minutes ago.”

Chapter Forty-Two

BLADE

One hell of a twist

By now, Leilah has finished her first lesson with Raith and is safely back in her dorm room. I slow my walk around the side of the Administration building. Snow falls in tiny flakes. On a winter’s night in another life, such snow clung to Ciarah’s golden hair as I kissed her beneath the ancient oak tree in the garden of the castle we five shared. I startle at the realization that her favorite soap had been rose scented, the same soap she had used that night I saw her in the cigar club.

As I knew she would be, Leilah is angry with me. She thinks I should have told her that I am the one investigating her grandmother. That would have given her one more excuse not to accept the truth about Miriam. Say what she likes, but Leilah is slowly being forced to see the truth.

In all the lifetimes we’ve known her, I don’t recall committing such a grave sin against her. Then again, in all the lifetimes we’ve known her, she wasn’t once the granddaughter of a powerful white witch who turned to Shadow magic.

Fury heats my belly. A bloody white witch. Miriam saw what The Shadows did to us. How dare she think she could ally with our greatest enemy and escape detection. She’d been lucky that she blew herself up. She saved herself the public humiliation of a trial and execution.