What I didn't get was what happened. There was this surge of energy inside, just as if it had never happened in my life. Energy wasn't energy but some force, a force with a mind of its own, pulsating to some dark rhythm in an ominous way.
It still lay on the ground, catching its breath from the wave of energy I'd sent its way. Growling, it let its eyes flatten as it deliberately gained its feet, its enormous body shifting with fearsome grace. Yet the creature was no longer the issue at hand for me. It was me. I was different inside-something slippery I couldn't grasp. Something alien.
"Ava, get back from it!" Orion yelled in a hoarse voice, pain lacing his tone. He was still clutching at his side, the blood seeping through his shirt, yet his eyes didn't leave mine. He was scared. Of the animal, sure, but more so of what was taking place inside me.
But I was paralyzed. My eyes, with the power coursing now through my veins, were glued. It lay in the pit of my belly, raw and wild, calling unto something dark inside my depth.
Damon's voice cut low through the chaos. "You're not ready for this, Ava. You don't know what you've unleashed.
I whirled on him, my heart in my chest. "What does that mean? What's happening in my life now?"
The light in Damon's eyes chilled, remote. "That isn't your power, it's only the fringes of part of something. Something older, it stirred and won't stop until satiated.
I didn't understand, and I didn't want to understand. All I knew was this creature kept on coming, and I didn't know how to stop it. My hand was outstretched; the energy swirled around my fingers in a stormy churn, beyond my control-I was beyond my own control.
It growled once more, a low throaty rumble, his eyes going red hot as if boring into my skin, and he was angry, the reason behind which I knew fully well.
It launched itself without warning. Its claws raked the air, sure to get me. I didn't have much time to do anything. I threw up my hand to defend myself and the power inside me surged once more this time acting on its own initiative. A wave of energy burst from my palm, not quite a blast-the surge of dark seemed to suck the light from around me.
The creature screeched, its body jerking back as if the wave had struck it with unimaginable force. But it didn't fall. It didn't retreat. It only grew more furious, more determined.
"Ava, stop!" Orion shouted, his voice full of panic. "You're not in control!"
I had no idea how to stop it or how to even take it. There was just something so strong and overwhelming inside of me, the darkness actually welled up and swallowed me whole, it felt like, and wasn't even letting me breathe anymore.
Then, something inside of me snapped.
A voice whispered something in the back of my mind-said through the chaos, *You have the power. Use it.
It did not tell of the voice's origin, and yet I did know somehow it spoke for me. How it spoke to the darkness lying within the abyss of my very soul was to embrace it, let it engulf me. Well, I knew I could not do such, didn't even know if I would want to do that.
It struck at me once more, this time faster, and I did not have the time to react before its body was wholly on top of mine, its claws ripping across my chest. This attack tore through clothes and skin with such violence that it sent a surge of pain electrically racing across my body. I gasped, falling backwards, but didn't fall-I couldn't fall.
The darkness surged again, this time with a purpose. I could feel it, welling within me, and for the very first time, I knew. I knew what to do.
I closed my eyes to take a deep breath and let the darkness wash over me.
A wave of energy burst from me, but this time it was different. Instead of some raw power, it was controlled, focused. The creature launched flying backward right into the wall as it went limp, collapsing to the floor with a really sickening thud.
I panted, opening my eyes, and there-it lay on the floor, still. For a second, everything was frozen into dead silence; the tension was almost palpable. And the weight of that-it is what I did, stopped the creature. But at what price?
Orion's voice finally cut through the stillness. "Ava… What did you do?
I turned to face him,I could feel my chest racing. I couldn't find the words to explain what I had just seen; I didn't know what just happened, but one thing was for sure-I had tapped into something far darker than my imagination. And I had no idea how to control it.
Damon stepped forward, his eyes narrowing to take in the view before him. "You've woken it up, the power inside you, the power that for so long was lying dormant."
I shook my head, trying to clear out the fogginess in my brain. "I didn't mean to; I didn't want this.
For an instant, the taut lines around his eyes softened, then formed. "It no longer matters what you want. You have it whether you like it or not, and it will destroy you if you cannot learn to control it."
I wanted to argue, deny it, but I couldn't. I could feel it-the darkness, still inside me, waiting for its next opportunity to take over.
Orion closed in, his eyes clouded with concern. "We need to get out of here. Now.
But I couldn't move. I couldn't tear my gaze from the creature, still laying sans movement on the floor. Was it dead? Or merely waiting for a good moment to attack once again?
"Ava," Orion said, voice soft but resolute. "We're not safe here. We need to go. Now.
I nodded, shaking, and began to follow him. But as we came to the door, something made me freeze on the spot. There was a voice inside my head, cold, known.
*You can never be free of me.*
I stiffened. My heart loud in my chest. No mistake, It was my voice.