VALENTINE
This chapter contains graphic depictions of violence against women, medical experimentation, pregnancy-related harm, non-consensual medical procedures, and emotional distress involving a parent and child. Reader discretion is advised.
The heat slammed into my face before I could think.
I threw up a barrier on pure instinct. The spell formed faster than conscious thought. A shield of crackling energy that wrapped around me and Wilhelm just as the vial exploded.
White flames erupted outward like something alive. They hit my barrier and the impact drove me backward. My shoes scraped against stone. The shield held for maybe two seconds before it shattered like glass.
The force threw me off my feet.
I hit the floor hard. My shoulder took the worst of it. Pain shot down my arm and up into my neck. The air left my lungs in a rush that left me gasping.
