chapter 84


    Imogen’s POV


    Theo’s grip on my wrist made me realise what I was about to do. Giving Tobias enough time to


    reach me. Tobias gripping my wrist along with him but, the darkness was stronger as it surged through


    me. Sparks moving up my arm from their touch, and I could feel Tobias and Theo lending me their


    strength through the bond as I fought against the darkness. Encouraging me to fight against it, to fight


    for them.


    “You don’t want to do this Imogen,” Tobias said his grip tight on my arm. I felt like I was stuck, not


    able to move, frozen in time, when I felt the fog rush over me. Only this time I didn’t shake it off, I let it


    move over me, letting it rx me and I throw all my focus on the feeling of the fog calming and muting


    my thoughts that were racing. I rxed and took a deep breath concentrating on my breathing and I felt


    my hand release Theo and I fell backwards on the grass. Theo panting as he caught his breath, Tobias


    Yet I could still feel the darkness trying to force its way back, force its control over me as the storm


    above us raged to magnitude levels. Theo regaining his strength sat up and brushed his hand over


    mine, but I pulled mine away, I feared what I could have done to him. I did this, and I finally understood


    what Theo meant. I was addicted to the power, addicted to the feeling it gave me. And when I was like


    this, I forgot who I was, forgot what they mean to me.


    “I’m okay Imogen,” he said trying to reassure me. I shook my head. Guilt eating away at me, I


    could have killed him, and destroyed Tobias because I let my emotions get the better of me, let the


    magic have the control it wanted. But most of all, I was losing who I was to something that was going to


    destroy me and those I loved.  I felt Tobias brush his hand down my back as Theo crouched in front of


    me. Torn between what I knew I needed to do and what I craved. I craved the power that was within


    me, like a drug. A drug I didn’t want to admit was a problem.


    Yet my love for them outweighed it. I know if I let the magic have control, if I give in to it. I wasn’t


    only going to lose myself; I knew I was going to lose them too. That wasn’t a sacrifice I was willing to


    make.


    Everyone has a breaking point, and I knew I reached mine already, and I know they weren’t far off


    from theirs. I know the decision they would make, and it would be the same for me if our roles were


    reversed. I would turn my back on them for the sake of our son. Thinking of Thaddeus, I felt tears run


    down my face; I was angry with myself and what I allowed myself to be.


    “We are going to work this out Imogen,” Theo said. Making me look at him. Theo was drenched in


    blood and I did that to him, and he was still here trying to make me feel better even though I hurt them.


    He was right, we were going to work this out, but in this moment, I was a danger to them, a danger to


    myself. Theo and Tobias must have sensed my guilt as they both tried to reach for me, but I shook


    them off.


    “Run” I don’t know what made them move, Theo and Tobias were suddenly gone from my side. I


    wouldn’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 reacting to my emotions as I felt it hit me.


    The pain rippling through me as I felt it strike me down.  Pulling all the energy from the storm, I directed


    it to where I stood. I screamed when I felt it zap through me. The pain wasn’t like anything I had felt


    before. The sort of pain where you wished for death just so it would be over with. Every muscle in my


    body tensed and spasmed. Pain shooting down my neck as I felt the power burning up and sizzling,


    burning hot likeva. The pain crippled me, as I felt the magic leave me. Forcing it back into the broken


    bracelet that sat 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 wasn’t worth losing everything. Wasn’t worth losing them. When I felt thest remnants of my


    magic travel down my arm and creep out my fingertips. I felt this emptiness before I felt my body give in


    to the pain radiating throughout me. I felt like my soul was being sucked out of my body. My magic had


    be such a big part of me, and now it was gone, I felt my fight go with it. I could live without my


    magic; I couldn’t live without them.


    My body bing heavy as I couldn’t hang on to consciousness no longer and I didn’t want to.


    The pain bing unbearable. I just hope that when I wake up, it doesn’t hurt anymore, and I can’t


    hurt them anymore. Thest thing I remember is feeling slight relief as I felt familiar sparks of the bond


    travel over my body as I felt I was being lifted before I see the darkness of unconsciousness.


    Tobias’s POV


    I watched as she lost control, one minute she was fine, the next I could feel the darkness swirling


    within her. She was a ticking time bomb about to explode. Theo knows firsthand what the darkness is


    capable of, and I could feel his fearing through to me as he watched as her eyes zed. The


    entire house shaking and the power flickering. It worried me that the entire ce was going toe


    down around us as the house rocked violently. Theo nced at me and I knew what he was going to


    do, although I was anxious about him being close to her while she was like this.


    Thaddeus screamed loudly from the noise, stirring in my arms, Theo reacting quickly as he


    grabbed her, a blur flying past as he ran her outside. Dad and Mum looking on helplessly, unsure of


    what was going on. They knew she had dark magic but hadn’t seen the destruction she could cause.


    Handing Thaddeus off to my mother, I ran to help Theo, knowing he would be the first one to cop the


    brunt of her anger. What I wasn’t expecting to find as I ran out was that Imogen had her hand in his


    chest, about to rip his heart out. I watched horrified as the two people I loved most in this world were on


    the verge of destroying each other. Imogen nced toward me as we came 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 was stronger than both of us put together. I could feel through the bond she trying


    to fight against it, it was losing battle. Panic seizing me as I watch her fight herself.


    “You don’t want to do this, Imogen” I tell her, and I could feel she didn’t want to do it. I pulled


    against her, but it was like pulling on a brick wall and I don’t even think it was her anymore but the


    magic drawing energy from Theo feeding into her magic. I could feel her trying not to give in, feel


    Theo’s agony through the bond. When I felt his grip slip slightly, I watch as his eyes ze over and I


    watch as he tries topel her.


    She notices the fog and I could feel it breaking down her barriers. Not because he was stronger,


    but because she was letting it. Imogen didn’t want to hurt him and when I felt her rx, I knew he had


    her. She let go, and we both fell backwards. I watch her be gued with guilt, feel it rush over her,


    and I feared what she would do next as I felt her slip into an overwhelming depression.


    We both tried to reassure her, tried to let her know we could help her. Something shifted inside her.


    Something that scared me. I never felt her this sad and lost, yet there was also a determination in her


    and I couldn’t understand the intention behind it until it was toote. Theo flicking through her thoughts


    before realization dawned on him at the same time, she whispered one word. “Run.”


    I wanted to stop her, wanted to help her find another way, but Theo stood up and shoved me back


    just as the lightning struck her. Pinning her in ce, I watched as it wrapped itself around her like a


    overwhelming her, and I felt Theo drop through the bond. Imogen’s pain bringing us to our knees as we


    watched her suffer. The electricity burning her skin and wrapping around her before I see the bracelet


    on her wrist glow angrily and I figured out what she was doing. She was sending it back. Letting it go,


    even though it was destroying her to do so.


    I couldn’t catch my breath. Feeling her agony through the bond made it hard to breathe, like she


    was tearing a piece of herself away. Finally, it fizzled out the sky cleared and the gold in her eyes was


    gone. She was slipping into unconsciousness and Theo got to her in time as she copsed. We


    watched a smile slip onto her face before her eyes fluttered shut, only they weren’t the gold of her


    magic anymore but the deep electric blue that we both loved.


    My parents watched as we brought her inside. No one said anything. We didn’t have to. We all


    knew what she gave up. We all know how much magic means to a witch. She may not have known


    what she was for these years, but we knew that losing it would take a huge toll on her. Imogen did it,


    anyway, knowing full well what she was going to lose. She did it for us, for her son.