Page 22 of Fated In Forever (Nocturne Vampire Clan #4)

EVANGELINE

M y chest caved in as a bleeding Ravok and I stared at each other, me, crumbled on the edge of the pool, him half submerged in the silvery waters. I was in shock. This had to be shock, since I could barely wrap my head around what just happened.

Malachi was gone, sucked from this world into a maelstrom of devouring black.

Ripped away from me, when I needed him most.

The chamber air heavily pressed against my lungs, thick with malevolent energy that made every breath a struggle. Or maybe that was my own fear, swallowing me up.

The runes carved into the ancient stone walls writhed with that crimson light, painting the world red, and at the center of everything, like the nucleus of an atom, the portal to the Underworld yawned open—a gaping wound in reality—a swirling vortex that tugged at the very essence of my soul.

Like my very being had been wrapped in unforgiving chains, and now I was being dragged toward…something inevitable.

I didn’t know whether to fight this pull…or give in.

But then Ravok was rising from the water, eyes full of hate, mouth pulled back from those wicked teeth, pointing his knife straight at me. “You did this. You . ”

I slid backwards, flat on my ass, keeping my eyes on the menace in front of me, hands scrabbling for anything—a rock, a piece of wood— anything to use as a weapon as Ravok rose from the pool, the very embodiment of angry retribution, that bloodied knife gripped in his hand.

Malachi’s blood. My frantic brain managed to grasp onto that truth, a faint flare of anger overtaking my fear, long enough to give me some much-needed clarity.

I had to get out of this room or I was so, so dead.

“Orcus was to be my retribution. For so long I have planned my revenge, and you have ruined everything, you stupid human bitch .”

Behind him, a sea of power radiated from the swirling portal, from whatever ancient force waited behind that opening.

There was no sign of Malachi, only those long, reaching shadows trailing lazily through the air, searching for another victim.

Ravok’s jaw was clenched, his eyes blinded by fury, bearing down on me with the cold satisfaction of a predator who had cornered his prey.

He was going to kill me.

His grand plan was ruined—he had no use for me, or my blood, or even my magic.

Darkness visibly coursed through his veins, black tendrils snaking beneath translucent skin. His pale features sharpened, mangled by hate and vengeance, shadows clinging to him like servants as he bore down on me.

“You will bleed into the pool. Every last drop.” Ravok decided, his voice echoing strangely in the circular chamber.

“ I will become that which I would have commanded.

The portal is open, the rift grows wider.

The ancient barriers are crumbling. Soon, the Underworld will spill into your precious mortal realm, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. ”

Was that true? I glanced at the pulsing doorway. Had that been his plan all along? To let a different realm swallow up ours?

That would be just like him.

To burn the world down like a petulant child.

I scooted back until I couldn’t scoot another inch, my hands scrabbling across the bare floor as I gazed up at him. He looked possessed, eyes glowing, mouth agape, dark veins crawling beneath his skin like worms eating something already dead.

And then, wonder of wonders, my hand closed over…something metal.

Metal that burned, like trying to hold onto fire.

But I welcomed the agony, because the pain would be worth it, as long as I could find an opening and slip this blade between his ribs. Clutched in my burning palm, the weapon hummed with unholy energy, and I bit back my whimper in favor of an insult.

“What’s the matter, Ravok? If you can’t have the world, nobody else will? You’re like a kid who lost his favorite toy. Grow the fuck up.”

Ravok's laughter was as sharp and cutting as broken glass. “Such a brave little mortal. Your blood will do nicely to fuel another change. Let’s hope there’s enough.” The temperature in the room dropped as his power surged, and I bit back a scream, clutching the demonic knife tighter.

“Now hold still and don’t make this difficult.” Ravok's eyes gleamed with predatory hunger. “Or fight me, and I’ll carve your head from your shoulders. Either way, blood will be spilled.”

His attack came without warning, faster than I’d expected and I ended up flat on my back in that damn pool, freezing cold water soaking into every little crevice and crack, doing nothing for my burning palm, but I’d be damned if I’d drop my only weapon.

Ravok swung the silver knife straight down like an axe and I rolled again, toward him this time, almost to his feet, tearing the knees out of my jeans, crushing my elbow.

His blade sang, hissing through the air, as I rolled again, somehow managing to keep my grip on the blade in my hand.

I managed to steal just one glance at my weapon, my heart sinking.

Old . The blade was old, rusty, and the edge looked impossibly dull.

Nothing, compared to Ravok’s foot-long silver athame, honed to razor sharpness, capable of carving through the darkness itself.

Those long shadows still trailing from the portal before a wave of energy swept through the room, knocking Ravok off balance as he brought his blade down in a vicious arc, missing me by an inch.

The doorway opened wider, and that relentless tugging inside my ribcage yanked , like someone had hooked me straight through my heart.

I managed to get my feet under me, planting the soles of my boots on solid ground by the time he righted himself, brought that awful knife up over his head again.

Black shadows erupted from the vortex, wrapping around Ravok like hungry mouths.

His curse echoed through the chamber as he was dragged toward that dark hole and I swore…

Did I hear Malachi screaming my name?

Could he still be alive, somewhere inside that darkness?

Ravok fought the darkness, slashing with his knife, cutting away chunks of shadow. One tendril fell to the ground, writhing like a snake without a head and I took a breath, measured the distance between me and my enemy.

Between me and the portal .

I froze for a heartbeat, my mind refusing to process—these were my two choices. But the male I loved was gone, cast into literal hell. As a reminder, there was an empty, aching place inside me, deep as any physical wound.

Malachi was behind that doorway.

If I remained in this room, Ravok would kill me.

One last wild slash and the shadows slithered back into the abyss, then Ravok's cruel smile landed on me with the finality of a guillotine. “There, you see?” He brandished the silver athame. “This blade cut through Death itself, it will make fast work of your skinny neck, girl. Now. You’ve caused me enough trouble. It’s time you earn your keep, and bleed for the cause. ”

“I’ll never bleed for your cause.” I firmed my grip on the knife, the reek of brimstone stuck inside my nose. “Your cause is a fool’s errand, planned by a fool, enacted by a fool, and you, Ravok, will still be a fool when this is over.” My voice cracked with fear, but I didn’t care.

He was the weak one, not me.

He was the desperate one, clinging to his precious vision of the future like a drowning male clung to a life raft.

I was filled with a different sort of desperation, calling my name, on the other side of that cursed doorway. Malachi was alive.

This incessant tugging inside my chest told me so.

My heart told me so.

He was alive and he was alone.

I didn’t allow myself to think about what might happen if that door closed, what it might be like to be trapped over there, in a world of shadow. I stepped toward the portal, toward Ravok, who raised a warning hand.

“That gateway leads to the deepest levels of the Underworld, a realm that would destroy a mortal soul in moments. Your precious Malachi has the divine bloodline to survive the transition, but you?” He shook his head with mock sympathy.

“You would be torn apart before you even fully crossed the threshold.”

“We are what we are.” I murmured, gaze fixed on the swirling opening, which seemed to be beckoning me closer.

“What drivel is that?’ Ravok sniped. “Some human thing?”

“A true thing.” I murmured, hiding the small knife in my blistered palm, not that he noticed, since I was far too inconsequential to threaten someone as powerful as a mighty Elder. How wonderful it must be, to have such an enormous ego, you can’t even see the threat right in front of you.

“For all your gifts, you are empty. A barren soul filled with greed and contempt. And as for me,” I blew out a long, rueful sigh. “As for me, I will always make the wrong choice, never learning from my past mistakes.”

One move—a well-timed lunge, a sweep of my right hand—moves drilled into me since I was a child—and that knife, even dull and rusted, sliced up through his abdomen and slipped easily between his ribs.

I turned my wrist to exactly the right angle to carve through intestine and organs, then dragged the edge back along bone and crouched low, instinctively ducking beneath the sweep of his enormous blade, as if I’d already lived this moment.

“ No, ” Ravok’s mouth hung open. “Not…possible.” He stared at the knife in my hand and all the color drained from his face, his mouth working, as if he’d lost the ability to speak.

“That’s a…” He tried again. “That’s a cold iron blade.”

“I hope you suffer,” I hissed, though the threat felt inadequate after all the evil things he’d done. “I hope you rot away, just like those thralls you feed on.”

“Where…” He’d pressed his free hand to his leaking gut, “where did you get that blade? Where ?”

I looked past him to the portal.

Somewhere beyond that veil of shadow, Malachi was alone. The male who had shown me that even the most broken souls could find redemption was now trapped in a realm designed to strip away everything good.