Free The Assassin Princess (The Legacy Novels Book 1) by Blake Rivers Page B

the bookcase disappear, the rug beneath her vanish; all the walls were gone now, and the fire crackled, spat, and turned into a roaring furnace of green, white, purple, and blue flames.
    Adam stood back up, sword in hand, but Ami was ready, the Dangerous within her knowing what to do. The moment had come. She sprung from the chair and pulled it up from the ground. It turned black in her grasp, ash flittering into the air. She blew it from her hand, her breath coming purple, the ash shooting out straight into a long, silver blade.
    Swooping it back behind her, she stood en guard to Adam, whose smile widened as his own sword tilted toward her.
    “Powerful, yes, ooh yes, you are. How exciting,” he trilled. “Come then, sister. Strike me down!”
    Ami felt the power boiling her blood, and Dangerous swung the newly formed blade toward him. Adam blocked, spinning his step to the right, around the tall stone column that had appeared. Ami spun also, counter stepping, avoiding the second column as she stepped up the three white steps in front of her. His sword came from nowhere, a sharp jab to her torso, but her blade responded perfectly, the metal striking, green and purple sparks falling to the marble floor. He struck again as the room’s scenery fell completely, and jumping, Ami twisted out of the way in time, landing a sharp blow toward his neck—deflected—more sparks falling between columns. He side-stepped and swung low, then changing direction, his blade turned and went high. Ami saw the switch and jumped forward toward him, sailing easily through his swing, and rolling forward onto the ground, righting herself and giving a swing of her own. This time though her blade caught fire as it touched Adam’s, bright, shimmering green. He slunk in behind it and pushed her to the ground.
    “I will…not…submit,” she said, struggling as his blade pushed against hers, his grin looming over her, sharp teeth bared.
    “You already have,” he said. “Oh, Princess, you already have.” His eyes held the same fire as his blade, and her body caught, the licking tongues covering her, spreading over her entire body. Power rushed through her, feeding her, infecting her.
    A flash of purple, a spark alone but enough, and Ami pushed back, her teeth gritted, blade scraping blade. She kicked out with both feet and Adam flew backward, hitting the archway and falling down the steps. The marble and stone were blinding white in the sun, the arches towering above, incomplete against the blue and cloudless sky—all this a flash as Ami turned with Adam’s return, his swing wild, his face contorted with rage.
    There were steps behind her and Ami ran down them, stopping halfway to send a bolt of power back up them, missing Adam by an inch. But now he flew down, his whole body alight in green flame. He grabbed her arm and darkness fell.
    There was thunder above her, and voices calling her name.
    “You can’t run from your mind, sister.” Adam’s voice in her ear, close, a sickening whisper as Ami caught aflame once more. It was electric, consuming, draining her completely, yet filling her with poison. Vampire , she thought, as her sword dropped to the darkness where neither of them now stood. It turned to ash and disappeared altogether.
    “I don’t want to,” she whimpered, falling to her knees. Ah, but yes, yes she did want to. She knew it. She wanted to follow Adam.
    He was laughing somewhere in the abyss, and the melody behind the storm died.
     
    *
     
    At first there was nothing, and Ami had time to ponder what had happened.
    She hadn’t lost herself. That had not happened. And yet, there had been a change in her, so profound.
    The darkness was growing light, and Ami knew that she didn’t have much time, though she also had all the time in the world. This was all in her mind, after all, as Adam had told her. He was just a squatter.
    He’d given her something, a resolve, an understanding of things, and had sought to turn her and