Page 55

Dani

As clarity washes over me, I collapse to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks like an unstoppable river. It feels as though my very soul has withered away, leaving an emptiness that echoes through my chest where my heart used to beat with life.

Dax and Killian follow my descent, their strong arms wrapping around me in a protective embrace. I can feel their warmth banding around me like a shield as they work to mend my physical wounds, but the aching sorrow within me remains untouched.

“Dani!” Jules runs over with Carter and Amelia. “What happened?! Are you okay?!” Carter’s brown eyes are filled with worry.

“Adonis… he…” I can’t even say the words. I can hardly catch my breath. My heart, broken and bruised, lies in a million tiny pieces.

This can’t be real.

“Were you stabbed?!” Carter asks as he grabs my face in his hands.

“Back off, Carter! She is fine; we healed her,” Dax says, his voice filled with irritation.

I ignore him.

“Dani, it’s not real,” Amelia implores, her voice soft yet firm as she sinks to the floor before me.

She gently wipes the tears streaming down my cheeks with the tender touch of her fingertips.

I can feel Killian’s reassuring hand rubbing small circles on my back, trying to soothe the storm of emotions raging within me.

“This is just a misunderstanding,” Amelia continues, her eyes filled with empathy and concern.

“A misunderstanding?” Dax’s voice cuts through the air like a knife, filled with simmering rage.

“The bastard kissed Octavia right in front of us!” His face flushes with anger as he gestures emphatically, his frustration palpable.

“His fucking demonic rune appeared on Octavia’s hand!

And when she stabbed Dani, he didn’t lift a finger to help her! ”

A fresh wave of sobs escapes my lips, the weight of betrayal crashing over me like a relentless tide.

“What the fuck?” Carter exclaims, his voice edged with urgency as he yanks me close, casing me in the reassuring warmth of his embrace. “Everyone back off! Give her some space!” he bellows, his gaze fierce as he locks eyes with Dax, Killian, and Amelia.

Dax, refusing to back down, rises to his full height and steps forward, a storm of defiance in his eyes. He grasps Carter’s collar tightly, pulling him in just inches away. “You do NOT get to dictate our actions, boy! She is our mate!” he growls, tension crackling between them.

“Yeah, I’m well-the-fuck aware of all of that now!” Carter shouts, his voice raising with frustration as he shoves Dax firmly by the shoulders. “Demons, Dani? Really?”

A frown pulls across my face. I shoot a quick glance at Jules, hoping for some clarity amid the chaos. “He knows everything, Dani,” she says, her voice steady but tinged with concern.

“Enough! Everyone shut the hell up and listen to me!” Amelia’s voice rolls through the room, cutting through the murmur of chaos. The intensity of her tone snaps everyone’s attention to her.

With a gentle yet deliberate gesture, she tucks a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.

“Dani, Adonis and I made a plan,” she declares, her eyes locking onto mine with an urgency that makes my heart race.

“He doesn’t love Octavia; he loves you.” A wave of confusion washes over me, my brows knitting together as her words sink in.

My heart tightens painfully in my chest, a mixture of hope and dread twisting within me.

Amelia presses on. “He knew that the only way to protect you from breaking the curse was to accompany Octavia back to the afterlife willingly. When she got here, he realized there was no other option available. He’s been pretending this whole time, putting on an act to keep you safe… ”

“Wh-what? Why?” I wipe the snot from my nose with my sleeve.

“Why the fuck would he say everything he did to Dani though? And his fucking demonic mark! How do you explain that?” Killian erupts. He gets up from the floor and paces back and forth as he processes everything.

Amelia exhales softly, the sound laden with resignation.

“My abilities include illusion. You’re not supposed to know this, but what the hell?

I guess I’ve already descended from grace.

” Her words hang in the air, heavy with the gravity of her confession, casting a new light on the chaos surrounding us.

She gently clasps my hand in hers, her warm touch sending a wave of comfort through me.

A familiar energy pulses beneath the surface as she waves it gracefully over my skin.

Adonis’ rune slowly emerges, its intricate lines glowing softly against my flesh, illuminating the area with an ethereal light.

I can feel the weight lifting from my chest, and a sense of relief washes over me as though I’ve finally been granted permission to breathe deeply once more.

“I created an elixir and placed it in a capsule. Adonis slipped it into his beer this afternoon. The only way Adonis could give it to Octavia was by mouth… I’m so sorry about that, Dani!

He didn’t want to do any of this! It’s all truly to protect you.

” Amelia takes a breath and continues, “Once the liquid touched Octavia’s tongue, his mark was supposed to appear on her hand, and it seems like it did.

He had to play the role of belonging to Octavia.

The plan was for him to leave with her into the afterlife, as she was his only means of getting there, and once they arrived, the elder gods would condemn her to hell for stealing power from a god, leaving he r stuck there forever.

He was only supposed to be gone for a short time… or so we hoped.”

“So you hoped? You both didn’t think filling me in with any of this was necessary! And can Octavia even get to the afterlife?! Or is it Hell?” I shout.

Amelia’s gaze drops, her expression tinged with regret.

“I… it was a risk he was willing to take, Dani. I’m really sorry.

You couldn’t know the plan. It had to look authentic, every detail.

The same goes for you, Kil, and Dax. Maintaining the illusion was crucial; if Octavia even caught a hint that Adonis was deceiving her, she would have eliminated the three of you without a second thought.

” Her voice trembles slightly, underscoring the gravity of our situation.

“Jesus Christ! This is all insane!” Carter exclaims, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He extends his hand towards me, and I grasp it, drawing myself up from the ground.

Carter pulls me close, his strong arms wrapping around me in a protective embrace.

“Dani, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” he murmurs, his voice a steady anchor in the chaos.

Beside us, Dax and Killian stand with fierce expressions, their growls echoing like low thunder, “WE won’t let anything happen to her!” The intensity in Killian’s voice sends a shiver down my spine.

“Enough!” I yell, my words cutting through the tension like a knife.

Just then, Carter’s phone rings. He curses softly under his breath as he steps away, his expression shifting from concern to concentration as he answers the call.

I press my hand against Adonis’ faded rune, and in an instant, the ground beneath me seems to dissolve. A wave of vertigo sweeps over me as my vision blurs, and before I know it, I collapse onto the cold floor.

The air is thick with acrid smoke that constricts my lungs, while the frantic shouts of terrified screams echo like a cacophony in my ears.

Disoriented, I glance around, trying to comprehend my surroundings.

I find myself standing in the remnants of my town—an unsettling shadow of its former self.

Gunshots crack nearby, sharp and jarring, forcing me to drop to my knees in a desperate attempt to hide.

From the ruins of a nearby building, two shadowmires emerge, their sinister forms coalescing from the darkness, blood dripping from their maws as they advance with malevolent intent.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

As chaos unfolds around me, the terrifying sounds of panic fill the air. People sprint in every direction, desperately seeking shelter from the monstrous shadowmires lurking in the thick, suffocating fog that encases our town.

A sudden explosion erupts to my right, sending shockwaves through the vicinity. Shards of glass rain down like lethal confetti as the Irish pub I always cherished—the vibrant heart of our community—crumbles into a smoking pile of debris.

Amidst the swirling dust and disarray, a dark figure emerges from the ruins of the collapsing building.

Octavia stands there, a commanding presence with her hair whipping wildly in the breeze.

Within moments, she seizes a man trying to flee, her grip firm as she lifts him off the ground by his throat.

The air grows tense as I watch the dreadful spectacle unfold; she tilts her head back, and I can see the life force being drawn from him as she drains his very soul.

His body goes limp, and he collapses to the pavement like a rag doll.

Suddenly, Suzanna materializes beside me, her eyes wide with urgency.

She extends her hand, palm up, beckoning me to join her.

My heart races as I grasp her hand tightly, feeling a spark of hope despite the dread.

“Go to where it all began... only you can stop her. Perform the spell where it all began when you are most vulnerable…” The words spill from her lips with an urgency that leaves no room for hesitation.

Be fore I can respond, she vanishes as swiftly as she appeared, leaving me alone to face the looming threat.