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“I’m sorry, Gabriella. For what it’s worth, I truly did care for you both.”
Her eyes gleamed, and she gripped Rick’s arm. “What did you do?”
My stomach clenched at the accusation in her voice and the betrayal in her eyes. “What they told me to do. Get you far enough away from the Guild so backup had no time to arrive.”
Neverra didn’t hesitate, two blades appearing in her hands, power rippling off them as she stepped in front of Gabriella. “Both of you will die here,” she said, her voice cold.
She was such a powerful and fearless celestial.
“Oh, I do so love it when you all try to fight,” Kaden said and grinned at Tobias, who only smiled in return.
Kaden’s smile turned deadly. Tobias lifted his hand, and the people in the shop bent and broke, the corpses returning to what they were in death. Then, they circled us one by one, preparing to help their master. Neverra stopped, watching in horror. Gabriella raised her hands to cover her mouth, her terror obvious.
“You won’t win here, little celestial, but I do want to see you try,” Kaden taunted.
The room shook, and the images became distorted.
Neverra spun toward Kaden, her swords singing through the air. It didn’t matter how many bodies she dropped. They were outnumbered. With one hand, Kaden caught Neverra by the throat, a flaming portal opening in the floor. She fought, but he was stronger. Her blades fell, and he laughed before tossing her into the gaping darkness.
The coffeehouse shook, reality distorting as if time was on fast forward.
Tobias held a limp Rick by his neck, bruises covering his face as if he’d tried to fight and lost.
The world trembled again.
Gabby kicked and screamed in Kaden’s grip, tears streaming down her cheeks. He jumped with her into the portal and disappeared.
Darkness consumed me as I followed them.
I leaned my head back, the memory fading. I had drained almost all the blood from Drake, and I didn’t care. He’d led her to Kaden. To see it, to feel what he felt, and to know he didn’t even try to stop it. He hadn’t hesitated or even thought about changing his mind, and it broke any connection or care that might have remained. The sliver of my heart I had left was in tatters. I had no real friends. I never did, and because of him, I had no family either. The final connection snapped, and every emotion inside me seemed to die.
“I’m-I’m sorry,” Drake managed to gasp out as I cradled him.
My fangs retracted. “No, but you will be,” I said, my voice cracking. Her memory floated away from me. “You all will be.”
Seven
Samkiel
The forest broke apart, trees snapping and blazing as the wildfire spread, thick smoke choking the air, casting the world into the darkness that ate at her now. Fire danced in every direction, the force of the power she sent out scarring Onuna and blanketing everything in thick, black ash. Nothing survived in its wake, nothing. The trees sparked and exploded, releasing embers into the air. Heat came at me in waves, blistering in its intensity. This fire was born of rage and grief, and she was burning too hot and fast.
Opaque ashes lay near the front steps of the half-engulfed mansion, and I knew Ethan was no more. I moved toward the charred van that had held Drake. The door had been ripped off, but there were no ashes inside. I wondered if he had escaped to avoid the flames or if she had pulled him out.
One of the upstairs windows in the mansion burst, flames rushing out, seeking the air. The stone side had crumbled from Dianna’s assault while the frame creaked, holding on for dear life. The place would collapse soon. I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and took the blackened steps up to the destroyed home. The front door was no more, and I stepped through cautiously. The once prestigious and cumbersome interior reeked of charred wood and stone. Smoke rolled from the far right corridor, so that’s where I headed. I strode around one corner and then the next, hoping to find her before she killed him. I couldn’t let her, but not for the reasons she thought. A part of me worried that if she did, I’d lose her forever.
It was dark and quiet, this part of the mansion still untouched by the chaos that reigned outside. I took one step and then another, my steps light. The pretentious chandelier above me swung slowly from side to side, the only thing moving besides me. Darkness built in every corner, and I felt eyes on me as I moved deeper into the house. I opened my senses and listened, trying to track them down, but I heard nothing.
“I saw it.”
Her voice whispered into my ear, startling me. I spun, expecting to see her right behind me, but no one was there. Impossible.
“I saw how he tricked her.”
I turned slowly, searching the room for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, but it was still an intimate caress against my ear.
“When I fed from him, I saw how he lured her, what he said. Drake was always so elegant with his words, you know? She was happy to see him. She believed him because I had told her he was safe. I told her a lot of things.”
I walked further into the mansion, the air growing heavier with every step. I stepped into another room, the large doors slamming behind me. The rings on my hands vibrated, sensing a growing threat. But it wasn’t a threat. It was Dianna. My Dianna.
