Infinite Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress Book 5) by Linsey Hall

upon my power to enhance my hearing, a talent that I’d gained by stealing a Shifter’s gift. The forest was no longer silent. Leaves rustled and squirrels chittered. I’d be able to hear anyone sneak up on me.  
    My stolen Shifter senses were such an asset.
    I shoved my hands into my pockets and hunched my shoulders. Prickly guilt streaked through me at the thought of Lorena, the wolf Shifter whose power I’d stolen. She’d been a bad person—she’d enslaved a child named Amara and tried to give her to Victor. I didn’t doubt that she’d done terrible things and deserved to be punished.  
    But had I needed to be the one to mete out that punishment? Should it have been death? When I’d killed her and taken her power, I’d thought she deserved it.  
    But I hadn’t been thinking about how she’d been acting out of grief, seeking vengeance for the death of her father. What would I do if someone killed Nix or Del?
    I wouldn’t hurt a child, but I’d probably go on some kind of rampage. Her grief didn’t justify her actions. But her actions didn’t justify mine, either.
    I wished I hadn’t killed her.
    My thoughts ricocheted inside my head as I thought about everything I’d done and had yet to do. Over the last two months, so much had changed. I’d embraced my magic. I’d gained many new skills, often by killing and taking them. I could throw lightning, shift into a wolf, use the power of illusion to confuse my enemies.
    I’d taken these powers to help protect myself and my deirfiúr . And I’d only taken them from people who had offered or who were trying to kill me.
    I hadn’t been an outright evil murderer or anything, but I hadn’t been entirely good, either.
    But from here on out, I wouldn’t take any more. I was strong enough. I had enough power. I just needed to learn to wield it.
    I reached the clearing and stopped, running my fingertips over the golden dampening cuff I wore. This cuff made me almost normal, repressing my new magic to the point that I had access to only part of it.
    But I needed it all if I was going to win.
    I removed the cuff. Soul-shaking power flowed through me, lighting me up like a live wire. I trembled with power, magic coursing through me like a drug, and I let my breath whoosh out of me. Once I was steady, I set the cuff on a fallen log nearby and then straightened.
    I took stock of the magic flowing through my veins. This was some serious stuff. But massive power wasn’t any good if it went out of control and hurt those I loved.  
    So I needed practice.
    I would start with illusion. If that went awry, it hopefully wouldn’t start a forest fire or something. It seemed too dangerous to start with my lightning. I wasn’t yet ready to see the size of the bolt I could create with this amount of juice. Probably something comparable to an atom bomb. And I didn’t really want to be in the atom bomb business.  
    I tried to relax as I focused on the magic within me. It sparked and fizzed, almost a living thing, eager to be let out of its cage. I called on it, pushing it outward toward the trees as I envisioned an old-fashioned party that I’d seen in a movie with Del and Nix a few months ago. It was more a ball than a party, and I did my best to pretend I was back in time.  
    Colors flashed before my eyes. Enormous dresses on the women and men in strange suits, all lit by glittering chandeliers. I imagined the music as the dancers began to form around me, their colorful forms flitting between the trees.  
    Magic still vibrated under my skin, raging to be let out. I released some more, envisioning the band that had been in the corner of the massive ballroom. Slowly, they formed. Then the walls of the place appeared, covered in yellow silk wallpaper. The ceiling was supported by thick white columns.
    Soon, I stood inside of history, the dancers swirling around me. My heart swelled even as my magic began to surge within me, pushing to break free. Joy at my accomplishment