Page 152 of Hell Fae Warden

He’d warned me not to touch it again. But surely he would understand this purpose.I can fix this,I kept thinking at him.You need a calming wave of warmth.

Which was growing intensely inside my chest, threatening to break free at any moment. But I needed his ability to amplify the power within this realm, to ensure it would be enough to close the cavern of death in the sky.

Please,I begged.Let me in…

A stroke of heat brushed over my skin in response, tentative at first.

Then it grew, the chains around me hardening into diamond-like bits that clawed at my skin.

I winced, the pain increasing with each second.

He’s fighting me.

He’s pushing me out.

He’s going to ensure I fail.

I shoved back, refusing to accept his rejection and needing to do this.Let me help!

The chains around me shattered, the pieces sinking into me and dragging an excruciating scream from my lungs.

It burns.

It’s killing me.

It’s… it’s…My eyes flew open as the bright lights of the source surrounded me.It’s accepting me.

I latched onto it without a second thought, taking the energy I needed and infusing the warmth burning inside me.

In a blink, I was back in the Marsh Lands, my gaze on the portal once more, just in time to see the Hell Fae King coming toward me.

His ashy wings were spread out behind him, Hellfire running over his arms.

I’m definitely a dead fae.

But I had to use this to my advantage, to use my last moments to do something good.

I brushed Melek’s talisman with my fingers, finding the star’s unique energy.The conduit, I reminded myself.

Thatwas how I could do all this—the conduit had allowed me to pull Lucifer’s power from the chains and into myself.

Now it was going to allow me to blast that damn portal with my own magic.

A maelstrom built inside of me, the combination of energy unlike anything I’d ever felt. It terrified me, perhaps even more than the approaching King of Hell.

An uncontrollable building of fire and ice whirled within me, combining with the warm wave. I let it grow instead of dousing it, needing to ensure this would be enough.

Just a few more seconds,I thought, aware of Lucifer’s nearness.

My fingertips glowed, the water on my skin steaming into mist.

And the air around me grew heavy until I knew I couldn’t hold it any longer.

Releasing my breath, I reached out with my hand.

And let it all go.

My ears popped when the ground detonated beneath me, and a shock wave burst out, sending a blast of water and debris flying upward. Lucifer was almost upon me, but now he went tumbling through the air as my explosion of unfettered magic spiraled toward the portal.