ALLISON.

I hated her. I bit my lip, swallowing back the pain, but it was nothing compared to what came next. Celestine lifted her arms and began to chant. The words weren’t in any language I recognized, but they slithered into the air like a dark prayer, thick with power.

The drums pounded louder, faster, matching the racing of my heart. I sucked in a sharp breath, but something was wrong.

My chest tightened. My skin burned. A thrum of energy surged within me, coiling like a serpent in my ...