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The others creep closer, hungry for me. I shiver as I try to focus my energy. It's like a damn floodlight on a dimmer switch, and I still haven’t figured out how to make it stay bright. Panic rises, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

The one behind me has a vise-like grip on my arms while Cade leans menacingly close, his lips twisting into a vicious sneer. He leans in, his lips just inches from my neck, and breathes me in. Despite the shakiness of my knees, I stand firm as he pulls back to eye me with a new appreciation.

His words hang in the air like smoke—“So this is what all the talk’s about?” I can feel my fear deepening.

My emotions coalesce like a storm—rage, fear, and sadness together in one powerful force.

I cast a challenging gaze at Cade, arching an eyebrow. “Care to fuck around and find out firsthand what all that talk is about?”

The air crackles with electricity as Cade bares his fangs. He lunges, murderous intent etched in his crazed expression. I brace myself, determined not to show fear. As he closes in, I unleash a scream filled with suppressed rage.

A blinding flash erupts from my core. The golden light expands rapidly into a swirling supernova, devouring everything in its path. The hotel room windows shatter explosively as a thunderous roar deafens me. The brothers' agonized screams pierce the air as they burn alive in the scorching tidal wave. The stench of charred flesh invades my nostrils.

It's as if an atomic bomb has gone off within the confines of the room. Debris and dust swirl violently, choking me. For a moment, I think I might black out from the sheer force cleaving through my surroundings. Tears stream down my face, and I sob, overwhelmed by the raw power surging through my veins.

As the debris settles, an eerie silence descends, interrupted only by the crackling of lingering flames. Blinking grit from my eyes, I look around the decimated hotel room in dismay through a blur of tears. Cade and his brothers have vanished without a trace, obliterated by the devastating blast.

Still reeling, I crawl over to where Rhyland lays motionless amid the smoldering ruins, desperate to find any signs of life. The raging supernova has left behind only devastation, but I cling to the hope that he somehow survived. Knowing he took my blood recently, he's still in one piece.

A wave of weariness sweeps over me, almost like a physical force pressing down on my shoulders. My fingers tremble, and I blink back tears as I lightly stroke his icy cold cheek, my heart heavy with despair.

My chest tightens as I watch Rhyland lay motionless, tears streaming down my face.

He can’t be gone. No! Not like this. How do vampires die?

The pressure of despair builds up inside me until I can no longer contain it, and uncontrollable sobs escape me. “Rhyland, please… Please don’t leave me.”

I shake him, trying to get some response, but nothing happens.

My fear takes over, and I’m about to crack. What good is my power if I can’t save him? Rage suddenly surges through me, and I pound on his chest as if trying to bring him back that way.

“Rhyland!” I scream desperately.

Suddenly, he moves beneath me, and I hear bones crack back into place. A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I see Rhyland groaning in pain as he touches his neck with a pained expression.

There are no words for the happiness that floods me at that moment; all I can do is hug him tightly and whisper, “Oh, thank God you’re alright.”

“I’m sorry, Angel,” Rhyland whispers weakly against my hair.

Rhyland

67

Idrink deeply from Danica, feeling precious strength slowly seep back into my battered body. A surge of pride blasts through me over her balls-to-the-wall courage and badass resilience, but it's shadowed by the burn of shame scorching through my insides. Here I thought I was some kind of immortal powerhouse, and yet I got my ass handed to me trying to shield the one woman who's my fucking everything. Though Danica keeps reassuring me it isn't my fault, that I'd done all anyone could against such vile odds. I can't help but blame myself. Her comforting words can't penetrate the crushing weight of failure and self-loathing constricting my chest.

Yet despite all she's suffered, she tries taking the blame onto her own shoulders, insisting she should have utilized her gifts sooner to aid me. Her selflessness and inner strength never cease to amaze me, and the fact that she still puts my anguish above her own after enduring such trauma makes my heart ache in admiration. She's the one trying to be my shield when I'm the one who's supposed to be her damn fortress.

Later on, Adrian and Erik get an earful about Danica's explosive show of celestial firepower that turned our enemies to dust. I can't wrap my head around the full scale of her powers, but even my brothers were left with their jaws on the floor after seeing what she could unleash. The energy Danica can command? It's nothing we've ever seen before. It's like she's got heaven's fury on speed dial.

I press Adrian for answers about the warding runes and why they failed so catastrophically to bar the Brotherhood. His face is a mirror of my own—fucked up and floored—as he figures that it had to be some ancient evil shit to slip past magic meant to slam the door on those shadows.

This can only mean one infuriating thing—the demon Moretemis is actively exploiting others to access our plane. He's somehow utilizing Azrael and his entire gruesome operation to steadily gain power and influence. And it all keeps circling back to the prisoners Azrael keeps captive for his vile human experiments.

These poor bastards don’t even know their souls are on the buffet.

Danica's mention of the mysterious Soul Stone again makes me uneasy. If Azrael indeed possesses this dark relic, the ramifications could prove catastrophic. I implore Adrian to uncover everything he can about its origins and purpose.

One thing is painfully clear—there's no more room for hesitation. We've got to get a move on—every second Danica’s not honing her skills, we’re flirting with disaster. We’ve hit crunch time; I need to get Danica primed and ready. There are too many lives on the line, and hers is the priority.