Adeline POV
It pressed against the edges of my consciousness, restless and sharp, feeding on the surge of anger still burning through my veins. Its voice was no longer a whisper. It was insistent, predatory, certain of its own logic.
She will ruin everything. End her now.
“No,” I said aloud.
The word left my mouth with force, echoing through the lab. I planted my feet and drew a steady breath, bracing myself as I pushed back against the spirit with sheer will.
“You do not decide this,” I said, my voice low and unyielding to her. “You do not touch her.”
The resistance triggered a backlash. Magic roared through me, no longer flowing in its usual disciplined channels. It surged outward, wild and uncontained. Before I could pull it back, the glassware on the central table exploded.
The
