Page 64

63

MALACHI

D eath crept through my veins like ice water, seeping into every cell, every corner of my being like eternal damnation. The change was happening, and like dying, there was nothing I could do to stop this.

With frozen claws, the crimson liquid pulled me deeper, not just into the pool but into something else. Something vast and ancient and hungry. The Underworld, perhaps, like that fool Aurelius had claimed.

Whatever this was, Ravok's ritual was working.

The chains were gone, but I wasn’t free.

My own helpless body had become my own prison.

Through the swirling, blood-tinged water, I watched Evie collapse, tears glistening on her pale cheeks. Even with darkness staining the edges of my vision, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, gazing up at me like there was still some way out of this.

Still willing to fight for me.

But our time had run out.

The ley magic was wrong, meant to stay in another realm. This primitive power was rewriting me from the inside out—not enhancing my flesh but corrupting my mortality into something unrecognizable. Each pulse from the portal shoved more of that foreign, cosmic energy into me, forcing out whatever made me me .

This monster I’d been shackled to for most of my life meant to make me his slave for eternity. Meant to serve his every debauched whim, and Evangeline…I dragged my gaze back to her.

She would be forced to serve him, too.

There was so much power in this room, the air was saturated with sparkling, primordial magic, but I couldn’t access a single drop, not tangled in this fucking prison of blood-red water, not with the portal’s energy thumping through my veins.

Not with the female I loved in a crumpled pile on the floor at Ravok’s feet.

I had to find a way out of this, I had to…

Something twisted inside me, like my very soul was being remade, turning my insides to liquid, my bones to dust, crushing me down until I knew only one thing. Soon, I would become a mindless beast bound to Ravok’s will, powerful enough to tear through his enemies but with no will of my own.

I would never love, never hate, never think for myself again.

I fought the transformation, clawing at memories, at anything I could grasp onto, trying to hold onto my identity. I pictured Evie's smile. Tyberius’s grouchy, early morning cursing, my castle, filled with things I loved, reciting my own name in my mind, over and over.

Malachi. I am Malachi. I am Malachi. I am...

The next wave hit harder, ice cold water biting my throat, clawing up over my jaw and I felt another piece of myself slip away—a memory, a feeling, I couldn't tell which. Just... gone. Replaced by hammering darkness and mindless hunger.

I didn’t have much time.

I had to…I had to…warn her.

With monumental effort, I forced my head up above the consuming liquid, gasping for air that tasted of sulfur and blood.

Evie was watching me, and I knew that look all too well. Even now, she was formulating some plan to incapacitate Ravok, to save me. Her terrible, shadowy fire licked at the sparkling primordial magic, and I swore for a moment, the two magicks twined together, dark and light, as if they shared some ancient kinship.

The water beneath me trembled, ripples spreading to the edges of the pool and all around us, the mountain shook and shook. She reached for me, bloodstained fingers outstretched, her eyes wild with determination and fear.

Evie, you have to think about getting yourself out of here. About getting Blake and Riordan out.

That fierce determination faltered. I won't let you go . She studied the glowing water, her lips pursed. This ritual is Ravok’s punishment. I think…you and I were meant to be here and I won’t run away from my fate, Malachi. I’m not running away from you.

The water crept over my mouth, trying to force its way inside. I fought against the invasion, desperate for these last few seconds with her. Listen to me , I pleaded. I can't stop this; I’m going to change and there is nothing we can do about it. Please…don’t watch.

Then I'll change you back , she insisted, pushing up to her knees. Ravok didn’t notice, crouched at the edge of the pool with his back to her, completely absorbed with watching my transformation. We'll find a way. Together, we can do anything.

How I loved her fierce stubbornness.

Even now, facing the impossible, she refused to accept defeat. But there was no saving me now, even hard as I fought. My body was already mutating into whatever monster I was about to become. Orcus. Punisher of broken oaths, protector of the Underworld, whatever the fuck that meant.

Bones were shifting, flesh was stretching, and while the pain was horrific, nothing was worse than seeing Evie helpless, an arm’s length away from my Maker, knowing all the dark, monstrous things he planned to do to her.

Evangeline. I poured every ounce of love I had into her name and the shadows taking me over recoiled, buying me a few extra, precious seconds. Loving you has been the greatest privilege of my life.

Tears streamed down her face, glittering in the crimson light. Oh no. Don't you dare say goodbye to me , she warned, but I could see the understanding dawning in her eyes. The terrible acceptance.

He will take a moment to gloat, to look upon what he has made , I continued urgently, feeling another wave of transformation building. Use that moment to dematerialize. You can do this.

You fucking will do this. Picture the woods outside the ruins, the place you first landed when you arrived. Gather your magic and push yourself there. It’s the only way you’ll survive, Evangeline. Promise me.

Her eyes were so dark they didn’t even look blue. Malachi, please don’t make me leave you.

Fucking swear it , I demanded, harsher than I'd ever spoken to her. And let me see your hands, no crossing your fingers behind your back.

She showed me her hands and nodded, a small, broken movement. Fine. I promise I’ll do whatever I must to survive.

Relief washed through me, and I turned my gaze to Ravok, his eyes alight with greedy anticipation. “You think you've won,” I rasped, water flowing down my throat, perversely tasting of Evangeline. “You think you'll break me, turn me into your perfect weapon.”

Ravok smiled, all teeth and no warmth. “It's already done. I can see the change happening, right before my eyes.”

“Then look closer,” I snarled. “Because I make you this promise, Ravok. I will have my revenge. Whether it takes days or decades or centuries, I will find a way back to myself. And when I do, I will use this new power to end you.” His smile faltered, doubt flickering across his ancient, brutal face.

“I've broken stronger males than you,” he murmured, but I heard the uncertainty in his voice.

The water pulled harder, impatient now. I couldn't fight the final change much longer. I turned back to Evie, memorizing her face one last time.

I will always find my way back to you , I promised, as icy cold filled me from the inside out . In this life or the next, no matter how long it takes, we will be together again.

I wrapped that love in the deepest part of myself, a secret even the shadows couldn't reach. A spark that would never be extinguished.

And I'll be waiting , she vowed, her power swirling around her like living fire as she climbed to her feet, steel glinting in her eyes. You won’t be alone, Malachi. Neither of us will be. Not ever again.

Before I could work out what she meant, the final transformation crashed over me, unstoppable now. My consciousness slipped away, fragmented pieces of myself disappearing into a void of hunger and stone-cold rage. With my last moment of clarity, I looked down at Evie and forced myself to think one final word. Run .

Then the water closed over my head, dragging me down into darkness. My ruined flesh convulsed as ancient, primordial magic ate away everything that had once been mortal and shaped me into something else.

Pain beyond anything I'd known tore through me, bones breaking and lengthening, muscles expanding, skin ripping, mind fracturing.

But through it all, as I was hollowed out and filled with shadow, I clung to one thought. One promise. One name.

Evangeline.