“We are going to work this out, Imogen,” Theo says, making me look at him.
Theo is drenched in blood and I did that to him. And he is still here, trying to make me feel better even though I hurt them. He is right, we are going to work this out, but at this moment, I’m a danger to them, a danger to myself. Theo and Tobias must have sensed my guilt as they both try to reach for me, but I shake them off.
“Run,” I don’t know what makes them move, Theo and Tobias are suddenly gone from my side. I won’t risk it taking over, I won’t risk losing them when they are all I have left.
Feeling it running over me white hot and angry, the storm reacts to my emotions as I feel it hit me. The pain ripples through me as I feel it strike me down.
Pulling all the energy from the storm, I direct it to where I stand. I scream when I feel it zap through me. The pain isn’t like anything I have felt before. The sort of pain where you wish for death just so it would be over with. Every muscle in my body tenses and spasms. Pain shoots down my neck as I feel the power burning up and sizzling, burning hot like lava. The pain cripples me, as I feel the magic leave me, forcing it back into the broken bracelet that sits on my wrist. Now, I know why Witches have talismans.
Sometimes the power is more than we can handle and as much as I want it, I can’t control it. My magic isn’t worth losing everything, isn’t worth losing them. When I feel the last remnants of my magic travel down my arm and creep out my fingertips, I feel this emptiness before I feel my body give in to the pain radiating throughout me. I feel like my soul is being sucked out of my body. My magic has become such a big part of me, and now it is gone. I feel as my fight goes with it. I can live without my magic; I can’t live without them.
My body becomes heavy as I can’t hang on to consciousness any longer and I don’t want to. The pain becomes unbearable. I just hope that when I wake up, it doesn’t hurt anymore, and I can’t hurt them anymore. The last thing I remember is feeling slight relief as I feel familiar sparks of the bond travel over my body as I’m lifted in someone’s arms and I see the darkness of unconsciousness.
Tobias POV
I watch as she loses control, one minute she is fine, the next I can feel the darkness swirling within her. She is a ticking time bomb about to explode. Theo knows firsthand what the darkness is capable of, and I can feel his fear coming through to me as he watches as her eyes blaze. The entire house shakes and the power flickers. It worries me that the entire place is going to come down around us as the house rocks violently.
Theo glances at me and I know what he is going to do, although I’m anxious about him being close to her while she is like this.
Thaddeus screams loudly from the noise, stirring in my arms, Theo reacts quickly as he grabs her, a blur flying past as he runs her outside. Dad and mom look on helplessly, unsure of what is going on. They know she has dark magic but haven’t seen the destruction she can cause. Handing Thaddeus off to my mother, I run to help Theo, knowing he will be the first one to cop the brunt of her anger. What I’m not expecting to find as I run out is that Imogen has her hand in his chest, about to rip his heart out. I watch horrified as the two people I love most in this world are on the verge of destroying each other. Imogen glances toward me as we come out, my mother screaming as she witnesses Imogen lose control.
Theo, noticing her distraction, grips her wrist, giving me enough time to reach her. The power surging through her is stronger than both of us put together. I can feel through the bond she is trying to fight against it, it is losing battle. Panic seizes me as I watch her fight herself.
“You don’t want to do this, Imogen.” I tell her, and I can feel she doesn’t want to do it.
I pull against her, but it is like pulling on a brick wall and I don’t even think it is her anymore but the magic drawing energy from Theo, feeding into her magic. I can feel her trying not to give in, feel Theo’s agony through the bond. When I feel his grip slip slightly, I watch as his eyes glaze over and I watch as he tries to compel her.
She notices the fog and I can feel it breaking down her barriers. Not because he is stronger, but because she is letting it. Imogen doesn’t want to hurt him and when I feel her relax, I know he has her. She lets go, and we both fall backwards. I watch her become plagued with guilt, feel it rush over her, and I fear what she would do next as I feel her slip into an overwhelming depression.
We both try to reassure her, try to let her know we can help her. Something shifts inside her, something that scares me. I’ve never felt her this sad and lost, yet there is also determination in her and I can’t understand the intention behind it until it is too late. Theo flicks through her thoughts before realization dawns on him at the same time as she whispers one word. “Run.”
I want to stop her, want to help her find another way, but Theo stands up and shoves me back just as the lightning strikes her, pinning her in place. I watch as it wraps itself around her like a lasso, spreading over her skin. Her eyes glow brightly as she screams in agony. Her pain overwhelms me, and I feel Theo drop through the bond. Imogen’s pain brings us to our knees as we watch her suffer. The electricity burns her skin and wraps around her before I see the bracelet on her wrist glow angrily and I figure out what she is doing. She is sending it back, letting it go, even though it is destroying her to do so.
I can’t catch my breath, feeling her agony through the bond makes it hard to breathe, like she is tearing a piece of herself away. Finally, it fizzles out, the sky clears and the gold in her eyes is gone. She is slipping into unconsciousness and Theo gets to her in time as she collapses. We watch a smile slip onto her face before her eyes flutter shut, only they aren’t the gold of her magic anymore but the deep electric blue that we both love.
My parents watch as we bring her inside. No one says anything, we don’t have to. We all know what she gave up. We all know how much magic means to a witch. She may not have known what she was for all those years, but we know that losing it will take a huge toll on her. Imogen did it, anyway, knowing full well what she is going to lose. She did it for us, for her son.