Gabriella Poole - Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

pain, the girl thudded, semi-conscious, on to the muddy ground. Lightning flared across the clouds again, and thunder reverberated, as

Cassie crouched over Katerina’s prone form and raised the blade high.

Her eyes burned and everything was red again. She liked it. She loved it.

Cassie’s head was buzzing, her thoughts were a jumble of rage.

‘I should end you, you bitch. You tried to kill us. Tried to kill us all!’

Us?

Jake and Isabella. And me and …

Cassie blinked hard, trying to still the fizzing anger so she could think straight. Who else had Katerina tried to harm? She breathed deeply

and turned her face skywards. Freezing rain stung her skin, reminding her she was vulnerable. Mortal.

Human …

‘Estelle!’ she gasped.

Oh, God. All of Estelle was still inside her. Right inside her body and mind. Cassie could feel her there. Uniting. Becoming one with her.

Completing the task that the joining ritual had begun. Soon she would be a part of Cassie for ever. Unless …

Shutting her eyes, she focused all her will. Not superhuman power, Cassie thought, just the strength of her own mind. Her own soul. She

began to feel a change, something moving, shifting. As she struggled, pushing against the force within, a familiar voice returned once more.

Cassandra? Stop! What are you doing?

‘This isn’t right,’ Cassie said. ‘I can’t let this happen, Estelle! I shouldn’t have let—’

NO!

Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Cassie gritted her teeth as she felt her skin begin to shimmer, hot with the energy she was trying to

force out.

Cassandra! Stop! Don’t do this to me! I want to be whole!

‘I’m sorry,’ Cassie cried. ‘I’m so sorry!’

Her head spun, and suddenly the heat across her skin dissipated. She’d done it. The power was close, but divided once more. Cassie

panted, finally opening her eyes as cold rain mingled with her warm tears.

And from somewhere inside there came a wailing cry of pain and grief.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Once again, Cassie’s energy was drained. Suddenly she was trembling, scared and alone, in the darkness. Instinctively, her hands flew up

to feel her face. It was back to normal.

She staggered away from the prostrate forms of Katerina and Brigitte. In front of her, the Swedish Cottage loomed like a threatening

behemoth, its flags flapping wildly, and now she was frightened again.

Don’t be afraid! Let me back in, and there’ll be no question of fear!

‘Estelle?’ she whispered in a trembling voice. ‘I can’t let that happen again.’

But Cassandra, my dear, now you’ve felt the possibilities …

‘No. Estelle, I’m sorry, I can’t—’

Fine, my dear. No apologies. But now you know. You know how it should be! You will let me in eventually, Cassandra. Forever.

Behind Cassie, someone swore softly. She spun on her heel to see Jake kneeling over Isabella, rubbing her hands and kissing her cold

lips like some kind of supremely dishevelled Prince Charming.

‘Jake? Is she OK!’ She stumbled to his side.

‘Leave her!’ His yelp was angry and scared. ‘She’s coming round.’

‘OK,’ she mumbled. She stared at the knife in her hand, now inert and inanimate. Blood glistened on the blade. A wave of nausea swept

through her and the weapon toppled from her fingers to the ground.

At a sound, she turned. Brigitte was dragging her daughter to her feet, both of them eyeing Cassie with terror. They looked so

ridiculously ordinary now – bleeding, smeared with mud, and soaked to their pale skin – Cassie couldn’t even summon the energy to be

angry. She watched, empty of all feeling, as the pair stumbled away into the shadows of Central Park. But something drew her closer to the

dense trees where they’d vanished.

The pit of the Living Soil was entirely gone now. The ground was healed, the sodden turf showing not so much as a mark.

‘Jake,’ she whispered, closing her eyes. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

Between them, Jake and Cassie half-carried the groggy Isabella from the park, Jake insisting that the west side was closer. He seemed

desperate to be out of Central Park and he was beginning to shake violently by the time they made it on to the streets. Delayed shock,

thought Cassie.

Finally, they left the rainswept park behind and swung blindly into a narrow alley. Jake took a ragged breath. ‘What the hell happened

back there?’ he snapped. His face was drained and there were dark bruises under his eyes, but his voice was full of accusation.

‘I stopped you getting buried alive, that’s what happened.’ Cassie barely had the energy to raise her voice above a whisper.