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Back Seasons of Chaos Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. Epilogue
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. About the Author
  68. Books by Elle Cosimano
  69. Back Ad
  70. About the Publisher

“That’s close enough.”

The plant stills. Fleur’s eyes open. Her lids are heavy and her arm slides from my grip as she sinks onto the couch, drained and shaken.

“Why did you do that?” That plant had been ripped from its pot. I tore its stem when I threw it. Why would anyone subject themselves to the effort of trying to fix that?

She shakes out her hands, massaging some phantom ache from her muscles. “You can’t fix something if you can’t acknowledge that it’s broken. Before you can heal pain, you have to be willing to feel it, whether it’s your own or someone else’s.” She raises an eyebrow at my blank expression. “Gaia’s power wasn’t rooted in conflict and dominance. Her magic was rooted in synergy . . . in connection. That was how she achieved balance. Until you come to terms with that, her magic isn’t going to work for you.”

Her gaze drops to my chest. I hadn’t even realized I’ve been rubbing it and I quickly drop my hand.

“The pain you’re feeling—”

“I’m not in pain,” I snap.

“I’ve seen it before. It happened to Lyon.” My hands curl into fists at the mention of Lyon’s name, but she presses on. “After he took Michael’s power, he grabbed his chest the same way you did earlier. Gaia said the magic of the Seasons is incompatible with the magic of Time. Their natures are too different. That’s why Gaia had to take Lyon’s Winter magic from him; he couldn’t have both. Eventually, they would have killed him.”

“That’s a lie!”

“It’s advice, Doug! Maybe you should consider that you’re in over your head!” She points to the muted satellite images on the TV.

“And why would I listen to any advice from you? You think I’m that much of a fool that I’d give up a single element in my arsenal because you tell me I should?” I choke out a laugh. “You just want me weak when your boyfriend comes. You want to give him a fighting chance. But guess what? He doesn’t have one. Jack is fragile. He’s powerless. I will destroy his weak mortal body from the inside out. And then I’ll destroy everyone he’s ever cared about, beginning with you.”

Static crackles between us. Fleur’s eyes lower to my lip as warmth trickles over it. I touch it, my face heating when my fingers come away red.

“You go on believing that,” she says. “Go ahead and hold on to all that magic. We’ll see who you manage to destroy first.”

24

Like Ghosts by Night

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JACK