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EVANGELINE

R avok really couldn’t read a room, because if he thought this creature would ever obey him, he’d spent too much time in that iron box.

“Malachi never belonged to you. Never .” My voice carried across the still pool. “You are a monster and I can’t wait until he tears your throat out so you finally stop fucking talking.”

“As for you, Evangeline,” Ravok crooned, his voice still dripping with confidence. “You belong to me as well, little shadow.”

The beast lifted a lip, a snarl rumbling in its chest, talons flexing like knives, waiting to cut.

Then the air in the room changed.

I couldn’t explain how, or what changed, but something shifted.

Ravok held up his hand, dark eyes gleaming when the beast went silent. My burgeoning hope went still at the utter satisfaction on his face. “There. Blood oaths always win out. You will obey me and she will be my queen.”

Fuck . Somehow that goddamned blood oath Malachi had sworn eons ago somehow held dominance over… this .

Malachi really couldn’t move, frozen into place with a wave of Ravok’s hand. I was soaking wet, back flattened against the wall, my dark flames curled protectively around me, but they paled in comparison to the two immortals in the room.

I stared at Ravok in disbelief. “Your queen? Are you serious?”

His rough laugh bounced off the glossy walls. “Once my kind has bowed to me, I need the covens to follow. When the High Priestesses know I control Rhiannon magic, no witch in the world will dare oppose me.”

“Yeah, just kill me now,” I spat, searching Malachi’s face for any hint of movement

“That can be arranged,” he replied mildly. “But what a waste that would be.” He extended his hand. “Come willingly, and I will ensure your friends survive the coming purge. Resist, and...” He gestured toward the captive creature. “Well, my new pet needs feeding.”

I snorted as the rumbling in Malachi’s chest rose to thunderous levels.

“You are seriously an idiot,” I muttered to myself, pushing myself up out of the water, which flowed back into the still pool without so much as a ripple.

I glanced at Malachi, and for one heartbeat, something flickered in those burning eyes—a momentary clarity—his broad chest heaving as he watched me with unnatural stillness. He was still in there, at least, even if his body was under Ravok’s control. More and more power flowed from him, some sucked into the void behind him, some mixing with the magic leaking up from the floor.

There wasn’t a shred of doubt he was stronger than Ravok could ever hope to be.

And maybe…maybe I could break Ravok’s hold on him long enough for him to use that power to destroy his Maker. God knew it was time for this fucker to die.

But if these two went to war down here, they would bring this mountain down around us. Blake, Rohr and Eldric were in these tunnels—and quite possibly Nash and Fiona.

And while I wanted nothing more than to see this asshole burn, I had no desire for my friends to burn along with him.

I had to get us all out of here.

Alive. Intact.

I need you to trust me, Malachi. Just…play along, if you remember what that means.

“Fine. You fucking win.” I turned toward Ravok, letting my shoulders slump in defeat. My flames flickered out and died. I splashed across the pool toward Ravok, then paused. “May at least I say goodbye?” I asked, my voice small and broken. “Please. Just…can I tell him how much he meant to me?”

Ravok considered, then nodded, as if he was granting a great gift. “A final farewell. How pathetic.”

Icy water swirled around my ankles as I approached the beast, my hands open at my sides to show I meant no harm. The creature tracked my approach, obsidian eyes glimmering. This close, the resemblance to Malachi was apparent in the shape of its jaw, the set of its wide shoulders, bulky with muscle, yet somehow, still him.

I’m not going to hurt you. But I need your help.

“I know you're in there,” I whispered, hesitating before I reached out and traced my fingers over his skin. Soft, almost velvety. Warm .

For the briefest moment, the stars in his eyes sparked, then he blinked once, slowly, deliberately.

If you and Ravok do battle down here, this mountain will collapse. We’ll all die. You’ll get your chance, but…I need you to help me get everyone out first. Can you do that for me?

I slung a glare over my shoulder at Ravok, for good measure. And I’ll never let him use you. I swear it on my life.

The beast’s arm shook as he reached out and dragged a talon, sharp and black and as long as my finger, down my cheek with the utmost gentleness, the tip barely scraping my skin.

I don’t know how to dematerialize. But I need you to take me to Riordan and Blake, they’re down here somewhere. His eyes lifted over my head; gaze directed at the doorway.

Yes, out there in the tunnels. I can still move. I’ll incapacitate Ravok, then you take me to Riordan and Blake, and we all escape. Understand?

He didn't move, then, finally, Yes, I understand .

With a heavy sigh that was a tad on the dramatic side, I turned back to Ravok. His grin was pure triumph when I placed my hand in his, shuddering at the contact. “You made the right choice,” he murmured, his cold fingers closing cruelly around mine.

I forced myself to smile back, a frail, defeated attempt. “Have I really?”

His eyes narrowed. Too late, he noticed my other hand, the one hiding the vial filled with silver nitrate. The one I brought up in a swift, vicious arc.

The plunger sank between his ribs with surprising ease and I used both hands to drive the point even deeper, his eyes widening in shock as poison flooded his system. All around us, the walls trembled, he shoved me away, sending me crashing backwards into the pool of water.

Ravok grunted, clawing at the hilt imbedded in his chest, staggering into the wall, silver burning his insides, sending up wisps of acrid smoke. Black blood, thick as tar, oozed from the wound.

“Fucking kill her,” he commanded Malachi, his voice distorted as he clawed at the syringe, trying to tear it from his body. But he was too late. The silver was inside him, turning his blood to sludge, eating away at his insides.

“Kill her for what she’s done.”

The beast just grinned, baring long, curved teeth, eyes gleaming with malice as I splashed back to him, catching his hand. “Now,” I gasped. “Take me to Riordan and Blake.”

My ears popped when we disappeared, only to reappear a few feet away, just outside in the corridor, where Riordan stopped my frantic mate from jamming a very large blade into Malachi’s gut.

I glared up at the beast. Really? They’ve been out here this whole time?

You told me to bring you to them. Here they are. I swore a hint of Malachi’s old insolence seeped into the beast’s thoughts, but it was hard to tell when I was about to pass out from fear.

“It’s okay, this is still Malachi. Kind of.” I risked a glance over my shoulder. “Ravok will be incapacitated for a few minutes, long enough for us to get out, because if we use any magic down here…”

As if on command, the walls shuddered when Ravok’s enraged roar nearly deafened me. “Okay, time to get moving.”

“Eldric’s still back there.” Riordan hooked his thumb over his shoulder as Blake reached for me, only to have an enormous, taloned paw land on his shoulder and shove him away.

“Oh no, this is not fucking happening,” Blake hissed. “She is my fucking mate and I don’t even know what the fuck you are.”

“Stop that.” I glared at Blake, then up at the beast, putting some extra sternness into my expression, since he was like eight feet tall. “We have to get out of these tunnels. Now.” I turned to Riordan. “Eldric is where, exactly? We have to take this fight above ground or we’ll get buried down here.”

“Back there,” Riordan repeated, while Blake and the beast totally ignored me and bared their fangs at each other. “He stayed behind to deal with Romulus, and we came to save you.” Riordan’s eyes widened when Malachi leaned into Blake’s face and snarled.

“I guess we got here too late, since you already have a guard dog.”

“He’s not a dog. He’s a…well, he’s an Orcus, whatever that is.” Behind them, Ravok climbed to his feet, ripping the plunger from his chest black blood dribbling down his abdomen. “Look, we’re going to die down here if you three don’t get your shit tog…”

A hand as big as a dinner plate wrapped around my arm and we were gone.

* * *

The beast landed us on an outcropping across from the ruined castle, his taloned toes digging grooves into the granite. But this was perfect spot to watch Fiona stomp along the perimeter of the wards, Nash scanning the pine forest around them for threats.

“We need to get down there.” I pointed. “We have to warn them.”

But the beast just rumbled—purred, more like—in his chest, advancing on me like some otherworldly predator until I braced my hand against his slab of a chest. “Stop.” I shook my head as he leaned closer, ran his nose up the side of my throat and sniffed. “This is…” Not the time .

Never the time with something that looked so…strangely unlike the male he used to be and yet, the idea of being with him was so fucking intriguing I was aroused just thinking about it and what in the fuck was wrong with me? Had I lost my mind?

Or…was this actually a possibility?

One more glance down and I lost my breath…oh, no, he definitely wouldn’t fit.

I want so badly to taste you. You scent is intoxicating. That too-long tongue swept out again and the shiver that went through me had nothing to do with the cold.

And… definitely not the time .

“See all those people down there?” I pointed. “They are my friends. If we are all still here when Ravok reaches the surface, he will start killing them, one by one.” Of course, this was the exact moment Riordan and Blake reappeared beneath us, my mate glaring daggers at the two of us.

For one terrible moment, nothing happened.

Then the beast gave an exasperated sigh, grasped my arm and we landed down on the shale covered cliff beside Riordan and Blake, both of them looking somewhat…concerned by recent developments.

Well, join the club. Concerned was my new middle name.

“What the fuck is happening, Evie?” Riordan muttered, “I thought…Ravok was transforming, not Malachi. Did something go wrong?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Where is my brother?” Fiona demanded, marching up to me. “Where is Eldric?”

“Still down below.” I turned to Malachi. “Can you find him and bring him up here? Please?”

For a boon of my choice. The beast’s cunning, wicked smile was so Malachi-like, my stomach clenched. I will save the scholar, who is nothing but trouble, and I do not see why you bring him on these missions, Evangeline.

Ah, the form changes but the lectures stay the same, I see.

Make your decision, but he is not an asset. Perhaps now is the time to thin your ranks, let only the strongest survive.

“Oh my god, you are worse than…” I glanced at Fiona, waiting for an answer. “Fine, save him, you get your precious little boon, then we’ll discuss my dubious choices later,” I grumbled.

The creature nodded and disappeared, leaving the four of us staring at each other.

“So, clearly there have been some developments,” I muttered, as a bone-shaking roar echoed out of the Keep above our heads. “Ravok turned Malachi into some ancient Roman god, but he seems to be listening to me, so let’s take that as a win.”

“You’re planning to take him home with us, aren’t you?” Blake growled. “What the fuck are we supposed to do, Evie? Build him a dog house?”

“He’s not a dog,” I scolded. “I was actually hoping Fiona would know what he was. Ravok called him…Orcus.” But she wasn’t listening.

“I don’t give a fuck what he is. If he eats my brother,” she enunciated every word, “I will turn him into a fucking toad.”

“Okay, nobody’s getting turned into toads,” Riordan said, glaring at Blake. “Or getting stabbed. We need to all calm the fuck down and take a deep breath here. Obviously, today didn’t turn out the way we’d planned, but we’re all still alive.”

“Yeah?” I grumbled, “Well, so is Ravok.”

We all froze as Malachi reappeared, holding a struggling Eldric aloft before dropping him onto the loose stones like a sack of potatoes.

The scholar’s hair was charred at the ends, he had a gash across his forehead, and smelled like smoke as he gave Malachi a glare that would have peeled the skin off a witch. “Thanks a lot, asshole. I nearly had him.”

He did not nearly have him. Romulus was in the process of wearing him down for the final blow.

“Stop being difficult. How fast can we get out of here?” The creature let out a low, rumbling sound—not quite a growl, not quite a word as his form rippled, shadows stretching and contracting. For one breathtaking moment, I saw Malachi's face emerge from the darkness, then he was gone.

Beneath our feet the mountain rumbled, stones tumbling down from the cliffs around us.

“How weak is Ravok right now?” Riordan checked his weapons, motioning Nash closer. “I’m assuming your knife was coated with silver nitrate and that was a direct hit?”

“Of course it was. I’m excellent at what I do,” I said coolly.

“Good girl.” I preened a little at his praise. “Then this is our best chance of killing him. We wait until he emerges and Fiona, you, Blake and Evie concentrate your efforts on him, I’ll deal with Romulus.”

“You couldn’t fucking deal with him down below,” Eldric snarked, wiping blood off his face with his shirt.

“I don’t have to worry about being buried alive now, and if you keep being a dick, I’ll make you fight him again. Now let’s keep this tight.” Riordan made a hand gesture I didn’t recognize. “Nash, keep your men along the perimeter, they can step in if this goes sideways, otherwise, I want to minimize casualties.”

Blake opened his mouth to say something cutting when the world detonated with a deafening crack, a choking storm of stone and dust engulfing us. The ground shook as the entire cliff collapsed beneath our feet.

For a second, all I saw was falling rock and a thousand-foot drop beneath me, reaching for something— anything —to break my fall, but my fingers clawed at air as I plummeted straight down.

Then something caught the back of my jacket and heaved, cold ripped across my face and I was flying. Not down, but up , the forest blurring by until we were back on the stony outcropping and I was looking down at what remained of the Chateau des Ombres.

Somehow, everyone was here, Blake and Riordan, Nash and his shell-shocked guards, even Fiona and Eldric, looking equally surprised they’d survived the cataclysm.

The ruins were gone, a long tendril of sparkling magic leaking up into the sky.

Ravok and Romulus stood on the edge of what used to be the Keep, staring across the ravine at us, matching scowls on their faces. Romulus cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, but the words took a minute to reach us.

“We opened up the ley line.” Ravok’s face split into a cruel grin. “In a matter of days, this world will end.”

“Fuck me, is that possible?’ Riordan looked to a white-faced Fiona, who nodded shallowly.

“You stole my future, so I’m taking yours,” Ravok called, needing nothing but his magic to make his voice carry. “You will give me what I want, and I will give you back your pathetic lives. Deny me and…” He swept his hand across the ruins, the tendril of magic forming a small, dark hole where it touched the clouds.

“He’s creating a rift,” Fiona muttered, her eyes wide. “But this one…this isn’t some small pocket, this one will make reality collapse in on itself, put a tear in the veil none of us are strong enough to repair.”

“What the fuck do we do?” I whispered. “How can we possibly fix something like this?”

That portal below had been full of frightening power, but looking at the massive amounts of energy already escaping…this one would be ten times the size. A hundred times bigger.

Malachi hesitated, those burning eyes flicking between me and the collapsing portal. Then, with a speed that stole my breath, scooped me up in his massive arms. Blake and Riordan lunged for me, only to be brushed away.

We must go to Ireland. Find Brendan Thorne. He can help us.

“He said we’re going to Ireland, to find Brendan Thorne, whatever that means.” I tried to wiggle free, but the beast wasn’t having any of it, clinging to me like his favorite teddy bear.

“How the fuck does he know Brendan Thorne?” Nash yelled as he turned away.

He’s an old friend. And he owes me.

“He says Brendan’s an old friend, and he owes Malachi a favor.” My fingers dug deeper into his tough, leathery skin as glimmering shadows swirled around us. “I expect we’re going to collect.”