Risk (A Mageri World Novel) by Dannika Dark Read Free Book Online Page B

marks on his body healed too slowly. He knew a Mage could heal by borrowing energy, but it was a luxury he’d never experienced.
    Since his creation, Simon had spent his days chained to a wall in a basement that resembled a medieval dungeon. His Creator’s mansion was nestled deep in the English woods—an impressive piece of property for the late 1700s. It had the grandiose style of a castle with walls made from heavy stones.
    Simon tugged at the chain affixed to a loop in the wall above him—just long enough that he could lie down on the cold floor, but he preferred sitting or standing. In the darkness, he could hear the insects scurrying about, searching for something to feast on.
    Julian would shackle Simon’s wrists when he misbehaved, but he mostly bound Simon by the neck like an animal. This wasn’t the life he had chosen when he accepted Julian’s offer to become a Mage.
    Footsteps above thudded around, and his heart began to race. He sat down, knees tucked against his chest, arms wrapped around his legs, eyes submissively low to the ground.
    He shuddered when the latch released on the door at the top of the stairs and the soft glow of a lantern illuminated the steps.
    “Simon, Simon. Oh how I’ve missed my Learner.”

    S imon gasped and woke up in a cold sweat. He reached over and switched on the lamp, still panting. Gradually, his heart slowed as he took in the familiar surroundings.
    “Bloody hell ,” he murmured, rolling across his black sheets.
    Sleeping seemed pointless, so he swung his legs over the bed and leaned forward, rubbing his eyes. He stood up and stretched out his stiff muscles, then decided to plop down in his favorite cozy chair by the bed. He draped a fur blanket across his lap when a chill swept over him. Simon always kept his apartment colder than he needed to—an unshakable habit.
    He stared across the room at the stack of science books on a desk. The most valuable weapon a man could possess was a sharp intellect. In his formative years, he’d thought science would help him understand what he was, and why he was. His Creator had never fully explained what it meant to be a Mage, and years later, Simon wanted to uncover the logic behind Breed magic. Why did Vampires not require food to survive? Blood was more of a recreational meal for them, but by no means did it sustain their life as depicted in human movies. How were Relics able to pass on knowledge through their DNA? How could a Mage use core light to move at high rates of speed? Why did Chitahs display some physical changes when their animal instincts took control but not transform into an animal the way Shifters did? There was so much to learn.
    Simon came from the human world when science was in its infancy. Their differences were referred to as Breed magic, but Simon refused to believe in magic. Years later, he still wanted to shun the idea, but the inability to piece together hard facts had led him to a dead end.
    He reached into his drawer and pulled out a cinnamon stick, nibbling on the end and thinking about Ella. He wondered how much of her appearance was contrived and how much was really her. The hairpins were clearly Hannah’s influence, but he couldn’t imagine why a woman would want to pin back such exquisite hair. He’d always fancied the gingers, and hers was a light golden shade that reminded him of early morning sunshine on autumn leaves.
    He folded his hands together, still sucking on the cinnamon. Although Hannah didn’t have many Learners, they’d all gone on to do great things. Everyone knew Hannah’s light was inferior, but all her progeny who had survived were Councilmen, financial advisors, and in one case an architect. Every Mage—especially women—had to learn the basic techniques of self-preservation, including how to fight.
    For thousands of years, women were brought on as concubines. A Mage couldn’t reproduce, so there was no need for women among their kind. But since the addictive act of