Page 61 of Let It Snow (Eden’s Omegaverse #7)

His eyes are pitch black. And in their depths, something burns. Something like red flame.

"What the fuck are you?" I choke, strangled.

"Take it back, Summer. You’ve got five seconds left…!"

I try to shove him off, but it doesn’t work.

I know I have to try something. Or it’s over.

I lift my gaze, reaching deep inside myself.

I’m the mage of matter. Snow is the mage of energy.

And now that I’ve absorbed his essence… do I carry both powers? Both forces?

Energy and matter together—they can rip the fabric of space itself, can’t they?

I focus everything, all the power I have left, onto a single thread of light in front of me, shooting forward like a photon.

Is this how Snow saw the world? The entire future stretched ahead, a tide of energy crests rolling toward me, black waves threatening to crush me. I see the darkness striding closer, see the doom it carries.

The effort nearly tears me apart. I throw everything I have at that one line of light guiding me…

And I yank it backward.

Just a tiny fragment.

A minuscule pull, and yet it takes all I have.

That single tug is like ripping the universe itself. Like pressing rewind on reality, for just the briefest instant.

And then—

An ultrashort instant.

Like the flash of blue lightning.

Everything disappears.

…

And suddenly… Rocco’s stench is choking me again.

He’s unzipping his pants.

I turn my head.

I see the camera. I see the exact same moment again. The men beside Lake turning their heads, distracted by something unseen, just like before.

Now I understand.

This was the moment I couldn’t grasp before. The moment Bay entered the room. Which means Lake is already safe. Which means, I’m safe too.

Oh, yeah!

Only this time, I know more.

I know they’re about to fire at the door.

I know Rocco has a gun, and he can draw it fast.

I know exactly what I have to do. So I squeeze my eyes shut, piercing through the drugs in my veins with immense effort.

Fuck, I’m so weak! It’s barely enough to stop the blood flow from reaching the brains of the soldati surrounding us, and it’s not even to the full effect. Some just fall to their knees, some drop to the ground as if someone had pulled the plug.

Rocco sways too, wobbling, but he probably realizes what is happening as he spins toward me, ripping his gun from the holster…

And fires at me.

What saves me is basically an instinctive reflex, not a conscious action, that turns the bullet to dust right in front of my eyes, and the metal dust blinds me for a second.

It allows Rocco to make his next move, which is so fast it barely exists. Not even the blink of an eye. I manage only the beginning of an air shield, but the blow slams into the side of my head.

"No!"

The shout tears out of me as the world spins.

The shot triggers it… the chain reaction.

The door fractures with a web of pale-blue cracks, the temperature plummeting, probably close to absolute zero, before it shatters into a million shards.

But this time, no soldiers warn Rocco.

I make another effort to push the air wave into those who are still somewhat conscious, sitting or kneeling, so now they stumble to the ground.

Rocco sees this and leans over me, wanting to hit me again, and that’s his mistake, because he’s facing me, not Snow, like before.

Snow leaps at him.

The instant his hands close around Rocco’s shoulders, the Ferro capo freezes solid, his gun slipping from his fingers as his entire body turns to ice, then… shatters across the floor.

Now is the moment in another version of reality when Snow died.

But in this… he stands whole, alive, before me.

His semi-transparent body quickly re-solidifies into flesh.

I can’t believe it.

Sweet Fate!

A shriek of joy and disbelief rips out of me as I stare into those light violet, concerned eyes, and the face I adore.

He’s alive, safe.

He’s not torn apart by bullets!

He’s here.

His eyes drop in horror to my bare crotch, to the way my legs are spread open.

"Did he… did he get to—?" The words tear out of him, guilt flooding his beautiful face.

I laugh, the relief so overwhelming it nearly knocks me to the ground. I tremble with ecstasy.

"No! At the very last second, you both came…"

Snow blinks. "Both?"

"Yes. You and Bay."

Snow blinks in disbelief, then quickly scans the room, spotting the bodies of the fallen mobsters. Some of them twitch faintly, maybe about to come around.

"We should get out of here unless we want more than Rocco’s blood on our hands," I say, the thought bitter, because in another timeline I had far more than that on my conscience.

Fuck, thank Fate that Bay showed up. If he hadn’t… it would’ve been a massacre.

"But my dad…?" Snow starts.

"Relax. Bay’s got him," I breathe out.

I point at the monitor hanging on the far wall.

On the screen, Bay is lifting his unconscious dad and carrying him out of the room, tossing us a quick look as he leaves.

"What the hell is he even doing here?" Snow blurts, clearly in shock, while pulling me toward the exit. As I try to walk, I sway heavily, realizing the drug is still in my body. I almost stumble over Rocco’s frozen body parts… yeah, that’s not something I ever wanted burned into my memory.

"Uh… I thought you two were together," I mutter.

"No. I had no idea."

Snow wraps his arms around me as he leads me down the long hallway.

"We’ll talk about this later. Let’s move."

"Wait, my pants!"

"Leave them. Just wrap my jacket around your hips," he insists. "There’s no time."

As soon as I do, Snow pulls me close again to keep me on my feet, and we half-run out of the building together.

Three more mobsters are standing frozen out front, and for a moment I’m not sure if they’re going to notice us, but Snow quickly assures me they won’t.

We rush along the side of the hangar, and just as we round the corner, scanning intently, we see Bay emerging from the neighboring hangar, carrying Lake in his arms. That long braid of his is recognizable even from a distance.

He’s walking straight toward us, his dad limp in his hold.

Our eyes lock for a moment.

And I can’t help but wonder… does he know? Does he remember? I turned back time, so technically none of this ‘happened’ in this timeline. But something tells me Bay might stand outside of what my power rewrites, and maybe he knows more than I’d ever want him to?

"How the hell did you end up here?" Snow throws at him in disbelief.

"Was in the neighborhood…" Bay shrugs.

Snow scoffs. "You and your evasive answers. Don’t piss me off, Bay. What the fuck is going on here?"

I’ve never seen Snow this aggressive before, but even then, he somehow manages to look ridiculously hot.

Bay just lifts his brows. "Somebody had to save our dad while you were busy with your lover."

"You don’t get to say that, you don’t know—"

"It doesn’t matter anymore. Tonight I became our dad’s protector while he was incapacitated," Bay says, his tone strange, his eyes flashing toward me. "And I suggest you leave before…"

I feel a wave of guilt crash over me, the realization hitting hard: it was me. I set the dominoes falling. I put him in danger.

"I’m sorry. This is all my fault, Rocco showed up at your house because of me—"

Bay lets out a hostile scoff.

"Hardly. This whole chain reaction started with Sun the moment he got tangled up with Anzo and ended up in Ferro’s fortress.

If it weren’t for his recklessness and stupidity, none of this would have happened.

And he’s the one who brought you into our home, so you’re not exactly the prime culprit here. "

My lips tremble.

"I would never put your dad at risk on purpose. I already love him like he were my own."

Bay tilts his head slightly.

"The innocent should never be the ones who suffer," he says slowly, his gaze locked on mine, heavy with a silent accusation.

"I know," I whisper, my voice barely there. "It’s just… sometimes it’s hard to accept loss."

"Everyone’s lost something," Bay says coldly. "Everyone." Then he turns and starts walking away.

"Hey, where are you going? Luca and Moon’s car is two hangars down," Snow calls after him.

"I’ve got my own ride," Bay answers flatly, vanishing behind the hangars with quick strides.

Snow glances at me. "Let’s go. Standing around arguing in mafia territory right after killing their capo is not exactly smart." He grabs my hand and pulls me along in a direction only he seems to know.

But before we reach Luca’s car, Snow suddenly stops, and blurts out, his voice tight, "I should’ve told you this a long time ago. Bay is my blind spot. Any time he’s involved in something, I lose sight of it. Details blur, events slip past me. I can’t fully see what’s about to happen."

I let out a breath of relief. "He’s a blind spot for my power too," I admit quietly, gripping his hand tight.

His brow is furrowed, the whole situation clearly difficult for him to process.

For me, it’s still not sinking in that he’s alive, safe, standing here with me. The joy building inside me is almost unbearable, but it’s mixed with horror and shock.

As we round another hangar, I keep sneaking glances at Snow, at that striking profile, at his pale hair, and, Fate, the thought of anything ever coming between us feels worse than death.

Finally, we turn a corner, and there it is, Luca and Moon’s car.

Moon bolts out the moment he sees us, rushing over and pulling me into a tight embrace.

"Dammit, Summer! I can’t believe it; you made it out alive!"

Luca steps out slowly after him, towering and massive, his presence almost comically overwhelming compared to the three of us. His brows are slightly furrowed.

I shoot him a sharp look. I spent a year trapped in their fortress, and he didn’t lift a finger to help me. I’m hardly a fan. The only point in his favor is that he didn’t make things worse for me.

But still.

"Well, Rocco’s case is closed. I just wonder who’s going to step up as the next capo," I say bitterly.

A strange expression flickers across Luca’s face, and he looks away.