Page 166 of His Retribution

Oh no.

No, no, no.

I have to tell him, have to get to him.

"Havok!" I cry as I run, try to get to him before it's too late. "Havok, stop! Lovey, please!"

He doesn't acknowledge me, doesn't look back. Firm resolution and complete hate rushes through our bond and momentarily immobilizes me, stops me in my tracks before I can physically feel my heart break.

"And this," Havok hisses. "This is for my light, for her people, for my family..." A callus smile breaks out over his handsome face. "This is for everything you have taken from us."

"No!" I scream as Havok drives his fist right into Nero's chest.

Black begins to consume his essence, begins to devour his white light, covers those two little spots of color, and when he yanks his hand free, Nero's still beating heart sitting in his palm, his essence explodes into a black so dark it looks like tar.

Havok crushes Nero's heart, squeezes it until it erupts into blood and dust, then turns to me. For a split second I still see him, see the man I love so much, my mate that is my entire world, but just as quickly something much more sinister replaces it.

He falls to his knees, head tipped back, arms stretched behind him as if someone is pulling them backward, and that black light, the darkness, shoots out of his body into the silence around us with so much force that it knocks me down.

But I crawl toward the platform, and begin to climb.

It will not take him.

I will not allow my mate to succumb to the evil, the darkness that he has fought his entire life to keep away.

I'm not losing my mate today, no fucking way.

Havok is walking out of here with me, as the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with and not one thing is going to stop us.

When I finally reach the top, Havok is laid out on his back like he was TKO'd and because that is more terrifying than what could happen when he wakes, I rush over to him, drop to my knees, and begin sobbing.

"Havok!" I cry, cupping his cheeks. "Havok, lovey, please!"

He stirs, moans while his head lolls to the side.

"Oh my heart, my love, please. You begged me not to go and now I'm begging you. Please, lovey, stay with me. I need you, need you now more than ever. Please, Havok, I need you,weneed you."

Suddenly his hand is on my throat, fingers so tight I'm immediately fighting for air. Then his eyes snap open and my pulse skyrockets, my heart drops.

His beautiful ice blue eyes, the eyes I love so much, are completely black. Not like Andrej, not like anything I've ever seen before, a black so dark his eyes look bottomless…soulless.

Oh god, no.

Havok sits up, my throat still in his hand, my fingers clawing, scratching at his arm, his wrist, anything I can to try to get him to loosen his grip.

I can hear Zan somewhere in the distance, hear my love’s dragon brothers too, but they sound so far away, muffled.

Spots dance across my vision as Havok gets to his feet, soulless eyes narrowed on my face, not one ounce of recognition reflected in them.

"H-Havok..." I barely choke out. "L-lovey, p-please."

His hold tightens and my ears start to ring, eyes lose all focus. Havok brings his face close to mine, sniffs, then a look of unfiltered rage passes over his features.

"H-Havok..." I try again just as Andrej reaches the top of the platform.

He looks between us, an unreadable expression on his face before I vaguely make out a dagger in his hand—my dagger, the one he gave me.

No.