Unleashed

Prologue

I didn't want to believe it. No, I refused to believe it. He simply couldn't be dead. 

My brother has always been my rock. I knew I was erratic pretty much all the time. But even in my crazier moods and tantrums he was always there for me. As my twin he made me feel connected, almost tethered to the reality, the one that I so often wanted to escape. He was able to calm the hurricane that was constantly whirling inside me. He was a calm to my storm.

They probably hoped that his death would draw me out, so that they could take me. His life, his power- it didn't mean anything to them. Silas was just another one out of the thousands of males of our kind. Just another step towards destroying one of the most powerful family of dark users. But they won't try to kill me.  Females were in completly another category of their own. With so few of us left, we were valued above everything else. 

"Sage!"

A distant shouting brought me out of the zone that I was in. Lifting my head, the view of my hands, tightly clenched around the steering wheel, came into focus. I didn't know how long have I been siting behind the wheel. It could be minutes, hours, days for all I cared. Since the second I felt the sharp pain of the twin bond snapping and the connection to Silas fade, the time became the blur of nothing. 

There was emptiness inside of me that I have never felt before. It felt as if it was engulfing me, eating me from the inside. Letting  it win now wouldn't achieve anything so I tried to burry it deep down. But there was something that was stopping me. For a second I marveled at the feel of it. It was a steaming inferno of darkness that raged at being caged. It felt strange, now that there was no calming blue mixed in it. For some reason Silas's power always reminded me of a mild summer breeze swirling above the water. The breeze that I will never feel again.

 They took that away from me. Took him away from me.

"Sage! Sage? Are you ok?"

The wheel snapped in my hands at the same time I felt something wet start to slide down from my nose. A light bang against the glass on the car's door made me turn towards it. Pretty brunette stood there, with concerned look on her face. The wind was whipping her hair against her face and her shorts and black top were soaked with rain. Julija. She was one of the few friends I made since I arrived at the university. One of the few exceptions that didn't irritate me quite so much that I wanted to throw them through the nearest window. Or through the wall if the window wasn't close enough.

But now, she didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. Friends, university, apartment, clothes, I simply didn't care anymore. Without my twin brother all of it didn't matter. He was the reason I wanted to live, not just survive. He showed me that I didn't need to bow down to them anymore. He made me realize that I could be anything I wanted to be and not what I was expected to become. 

He gave me a chance at life.

A few years ago I left him because I craved to live a normal life like any other girl my age. I wanted to feel normal for the first time in my life. I knew he would understand even though I didn't tell him I was leaving before I dissapeared. 

I abandoned him. Something sharp twisted inside of me at that thought. Because if I was there, he would be safe. He would be alive. After all, we have always been stronger together.

And suddenly I knew what I had to do. What needed to be done.

Somewhere above the lightning split the sky. The lightning that wasn't supposed to exist. The whole month was predicted to be sunny without a drop of rain. 

"Sage? Are you hurt?"

Of course she would think that. I had blood dripping on my shirt and some of it has already gathered in the corners of my eyes, turning my vision crimson. 

This needed to be done. 

Lifting my head, I looked the girl straight in the eyes and pushed just a bit of my power towards her. For a moment I hesitated. There was no time left. No other way. They will know that I was here. They will find her. And she knew far to much for me to allow that to happen. Magic wrapped around her, but she didn't notice as she continued to stare at me, confusion and concern in her eyes.

The rain started coming down harder. Metal thuds echoed in the car as rain turned to hail and pelted the roof. 

 Dark red waves enveloped her. I watched as they pain flashed in her eyes, then fear and agony. I didn't allow myself to move as her lips turned pale, her cheeks sunk in and her eyes became hollow. Small choking sounds escaped her mouth. She fell down to her knees, her whole body trembling. I didn't stop until her body fell down next to my car, lifeless.

In the war that was coming I couldn't make any mistakes. And letting her live would be a major one. 

The wisps of dark crimson power lifted from the body and filtered to me through the glass. As soon as they touched my skin the power started to build up inside of me. And this time, instead of supressing it like I have done numerous times before, I let it be. It slithered into my skin, my blood and then finally settled in my core.

I will need it. And I will need a lot more if I wanted to have even the smallest of chances against them. 

A glance around revealed that the parking lot and the street behind were deserted. There was nobody around so early. The sunrise was less than one hour ago. They probably stayed inside to avoid the storm once it started. 

With one last calculating stare towards the dead body infront of my car, I shifted gears and backed out of the driveway. For a short second I allowed myself a flicker of remorse. Then I shut out everything that would hinder my plan to get revenge. I couldn't afford to let myself feel. 

Because feeelings in my world got men killed and women captured and raped just so that old and powerful lineages were maintained.

This  wasn't the first time I killed. And considering the road lying ahead of me it definitely won't be the last time. It was time to leave.I didn't hold back and the echo of my power could probably sensed across the country. They were coming.

 I didn't bother to stop at my apartment to collect my things. There wasn't anything irreplacable there. All I needed was myself and my power. And my twin brother. If I wanted this to work I needed to find his body.

I will find out how was he killed and who ordered his death. Who participated and who knew about it, but decided not to warn him. And I had to find out if it was because of me. If I was the reason he was dead.

I will have to be careful. If The Council was involved.... I will kill myself before I suffered whatever they have prepared for me. But I was stronger now. I wasn't afraid anymore.

 My father made sure that The Council members directed their attention on the wrong members of my family. They have underested me time and time again. This time will be no different. 

They didn't even realize what they set free when they cut the only tie I ever had to my humanity. Silas protected me against the world about as much as he protected the world against me.

Not that his killers knew that. And it was time that they found out.