Daughter of the Witch Wood Pt. 12

Beast or human, the speed Ozan had was frightening—one second, he was standing there; the next, he was almost on them, hands outstretched, ready to snap Min's neck. Her face tightened to a mask of concentration—made even more difficult by the cacophony of noise around them—as she physically threw him back against the heavy stone with a blow hard enough to even make him grunt with it. Ozan was surprised, given the look on his face.

"Don't you touch me," Min said through clenched teeth. "You'll never touch anyone ever again!" Blowing out a hard breath, she narrowed her eyes and held out both hands like a pair of cruel, curled claws as she lifted him right off the ground—she wasn't physically strong enough, but now she had no limits left.

Ozan gave a gasp that sounded almost like a laugh as her magic forced him back against the dark stone, pinned in place like a big pinned to a tree. His grin only widened, mocking her, his one eye glittering with delight. "Wonderful, Yasemin! Why—" He gasped for air as her psychic power constricted around him "—when I'm done breaking you...after I train you and Busan properly, I—!" He gave the first real sound of pain as something in his shoulder cracked; the stone under him splintered, as if being struck by an enormous, invisible hammer.

Min had no more patience for this man and his evil schemes. She was through being frightened. She'd break him in half and rip him to pieces—

"Yasemin!" Her mother's voice tore Min's attention away from her father as Erden grabbed her. Min could see a look of horror on her mother's face, and then she noticed the taste of blood in her mouth—dabbing at her nose and lip, Min discovered she was bleeding freely from both of them, coating her face and dripping down her chin.

She'd drawn too heavily on auk's power; Min recognized it instantly. With the seal in place to keep San's curse in check, the pain washed over her like stinging nettles scraping across her scalp. Min clutched at her pounding head and her vision blurred; if not for Erden's clinging hands, Min might've fallen over.

Ozan took the opportunity and broke free of his unseen bonds, shaking off Min's magic like it wasn't even there. He twisted his injured arm, popping the shoulder back into place with a loud snarl before jumping back atop the huge rock Min had torn from the earth. Then he grinned down at Erden. "Impressive work, Beloved. After twenty long years of waiting, you were so helpful managed to help me finally kill our father! And you..." Min felt a cold chill pass over her when her father beheld her again. In spite of her pain, she felt all of his anger, rage and lust pouring over her like a black rain. "I'll be seeing you again soon, I think."

Min had enough defiance left to spit out a mouthful of blood, ignoring her pounding head and white-hot anger. "Don't come back here ever again," she said.

Ozan just smiled. Somehow, that was worse than any vocal threat. Then, he leapt from the stone, landing at a full run before he sprang into the river, just as San had. There was a splash and a roar as the water swallowed him up, and soon he was lost from sight.