Page 14 of Malice: The Mate Games (Apocalypse #3)

Video opens on a haggard-looking Asher outside. The camera is shaky, and Asher moves in and out of frame as he rushes through the forest, bits of ash falling like snow.

footsteps running through forest

Asher: (breathing hard) Well, folks, shit has officially hit the fan. As you can see, we’re running for our fucking lives. I’d apologize for the Blair Witch-style camera work, but all I’ve got is my phone now.

Remi: (also out of breath) Should’ve brought that selfie stick I got you for Christmas. But did you listen to me? Noooo. Now look who was right. We’re trying to outrun a whole-ass volcano, and you’re apologizing for shaky camera work.

Asher: Why are you out of breath? You’re a wolf shifter and go running with Ben like every day.

Remi: (normal voice) I didn’t want you to feel inadequate with your puny human lungs.

Asher: I’m going to remember you said that later.

Remi: Sounds like my kind of a good time. Hey! Be sure to give them a good look at what’s happening. There’s so much ash in the sky it looks like it’s snowing.

Asher: It sure as shit doesn’t feel like snow. It’s hot.

tree cracking and falling

Asher: Jesus, Remi! Watch out!

Remi: Whoa! Spin move! Duck and weave, people! Duck and weave. The sky is falling and taking trees down with it.

Kingston: Alek, grab Eden. She thinks she’s fast, but she can’t keep up.

Eden: Papa, no! I run! Ahwooo.

Alek: I know, my little Valkyrie. But Daddy Kingston is right. You can run when we’re safe from the ash.

large wings flapping overhead

Thorne: Is that a fucking dragon?

Asher: Don’t tell me the Noah Blackthorne has never seen a dragon before.

Thorne: Fuck off, Asher. I’ve seen one, just never this close.

Asher: Kai is transporting people who can’t run as fast as some of us to the portal site.

Remi: (out of breath) Soooo, that means you, right, babe?

Asher: I told you to knock that off.

Remi moves into view on the screen and gives Asher a kiss on the cheek.

Remi: Sorry, babe.

Asher rolls his eyes and comes to a stop. He shifts the camera so it's more centered on his face.

Asher: In case you can’t tell by the state of things, a volcano has erupted not far from us.

We’re evacuating and en route to a new top-secret hiding place.

There’s no way to know how much longer comms are going to last. So in case I get cut off before I finish recording, I just wanted to let you know that we have managed to evacuate safely.

At least so far. *heavy breath* I’m pretty sure you know by now this means the next Prince has arrived.

From what Lilith has told us, the hellmouth has grown unstable.

Hordes of demons have started to flood the scene and join in on the chaos.

heavy footsteps

crunching leaves

Tor: Are you serious? We are quite literally fleeing, and you’ve stopped to film yourself? What part of the demons chasing us do you not grasp? If something happens to my Dahlia because of your vanity, I will take a page from my father’s book and tear your spine from your meat suit.

Remi: *growls* Tor, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll take several seats. My man is off limits.

Tor: *growls back* You wanna say that again?

Remi: *growls and snarls*

Tor: *growls and snarls back*

footsteps drawing closer

crunching leaves

clothes rustling

Sunday: Okay, that’s enough of that, boys. You know Asher is just keeping everyone in the loop. Tor, no need to play Punt the Wolf to prove you’re the biggest berserker in the forest.

Alek: Uh, I’m right here. If I wasn’t carrying our child in my arms right now, I’d prove it.

Eden: Papa, fishies?

Alek: Later, little one. I promise.

Asher: The church is dead ahead, just over that hill. Keep going. We’re nearly there. Then we will move to phase two.

crunching leaves

running footsteps

Screen begins bouncing as Asher resumes running.

Remi: (mutters) He wishes he could punt me. I’d take him by the balls and...

Asher: We’re here. Fuck, it looks so much worse from this vantage point. Aurora Springs is practically vaporized.

Screen flips to a view of a decimated town as Asher pans across the scene. Ben and Caleb stand in front of the abandoned church, both staring up at the facade. Kai, in dragon form, lands, and the people on his back dismount.

Remi: Fuck, I haven’t been up here in a long time.

Asher: Are you okay? I didn’t even think about how seeing this church again might affect you. It’s the highest point in town. Shit, I’m sorry.

Remi: I’m fine. It’s Ben I’m worried about. At least he’s got a priest on standby, I guess.

Asher: I bet he needs his brother more than an ex-priest. Go check on him. Now that we’re somewhere relatively safe, I can do what I need to do for the video.

Camera flips back to Asher’s face.

Asher: This might be my last correspondence for Operation PFFN.

I’m not sure where we’ll end up, but we aren’t going to stop fighting.

This is a war we can win if we all come together and resist. Demons are going to flood the streets.

Nowhere will be completely safe. Arm yourselves.

Fight for the world. Be ready to stand with us when the time comes. I may not be ab?—

footsteps approaching

crunching of leaves

Lilith: There you are. In all of this hullabaloo, I thought we might have lost you, pet.

Asher holds up the phone and gives it a shake.

Asher: Just sending out one last update. In case it’s, you know, the last update.

Lilith: *hums musingly* Things do look rather dire. The lot of you, trapped outside the very church where all of this began.

Asher: What do you mean?

Nord: There will be time enough for talking once we are safe in Novasgard.

Lilith: Novasgard? *laughs* Why ever would we venture there, Nord?

Nord: Where better to flee? While connected to this realm, it is safe from the influence of your apocalypse. And who better to protect you than an Odin-blessed Jarl and his sons?

Lilith: While I appreciate your gallant offer, we cannot run the risk of being out of touch with the goings-on in this realm. Time moves differently in Novasgard. Alek and Tor know better than any of us how dangerous that can be.

Nord: *growls*

Asher: If Novasgard is out, so are Faerie and Ravenndel. Time is wonky there too.

dog bark

footsteps approaching

Hades: Asshole is right, the underworld is out too. Janine would have my balls if I tried to get passes secured for all of you this late in the game.

Asher: *snorts* I thought you were the head honcho.

Hades: You’ve clearly never been a leader. A man is only as powerful as the people he surrounds himself with. Janine is a ball buster. It’s why I assigned her that position. She keeps things running smoothly so I can deal with shit like this.

Asher: You deal with the end of the world often, big guy?

Hades: More often than you might think.

Asher: *dark chuckle, then a sigh* So we have nowhere to go.

Lilith: *clears throat* I have a solution that should suffice.

Asher: Great, lay it on me.

Lilith eyes the phone in his hand and gives a slight shake of her head.

Lilith: Best I don’t reveal too much, pet. Suffice it to say, the location is secure enough for our purposes and can also feed and house our current numbers.

Asher: Any objections?

Nord: So long as it is defendable and can house my army, I take no issue.

Hades: Seems like it's our only viable option.

Asher nods, face stony.

Asher: Okay. With as many people as we have, we should probably get started. Lilith, how do we get there if we don’t know where we’re going?

Lilith’s lips turn up in a smirk.

Lilith: Leave it to me. I’ve wrangled worse groups than this.

Lilith walks out of frame, and Asher returns his focus to the camera.

footsteps retreating

crunching of leaves

Asher: Now that it’s just the two of us, seems like it could be a good time for one final recap.

*blows out a breath* All right, here we go.

As it stands, five of seven Princes have been released.

According to Pan’s translation of the Book of Lilith, not to mention confirmation from the demon herself, we have two weeks remaining until Lucifer has everything he needs to go into battle.

We’re an army of thousands, but that means nothing against the power Lucifer will have surrounding him.

The Blackthorne vampires and all of their kingdom are with us.

Every shifter pack in North America is behind us under the leadership of Kingston Farrell.

Nord, the Jarl of Novasgard, has delivered the warriors he promised.

And lastly, all of the Shadow Court fae are at our disposal.

It’s not enough. We were able to make contact with the horsemen, but it’s unclear if they’re going to stand with us.

Asher’s eyes narrow and seem to glow with purple light.

Asher: We really hope they do. They are uniquely suited to the task before us and could be the difference between the survival of the human race and utter extinction.

Especially since Gabriel is still missing, the vessel hasn’t been located—so far as we know anyway—and the world is literally crumbling under our feet.

It won’t be long now, a couple of weeks at most, before all of this comes to a head.

Asher’s gaze shifts away from the camera, his expression unreadable. Then he sighs and shakes his head. When his face returns to the screen, his eyes have returned to normal.

Asher: I gotta say, I didn’t think we’d go out like this, ya know?

We defeated the big bad, saved the world, and true love proved it was stronger than anything they could throw at us, but here we are again.

I can’t help but wonder what it’s going to take this time.

To win, I mean. We barely survived the first attack.

Who the hell knows what we’re going to have to do to walk away from this one.

soft footsteps approaching

Rosie: Asher, come on. It’s time. We need to go. People will need guidance on the other side of Lilith’s portal. They want to hear from you.

Asher pulls Rosie into his side, pressing a tender kiss to the top of her head.

Asher: I know, I know, Rosie. I’m right behind you.

Rosie closes her eyes briefly, enjoying the stolen moment before she pulls away.

Rosie: You better be. I’m not taking a step through that portal without all five of my mates beside me. I refuse to leave a single one of you behind.

Asher gives a decisive nod and returns to the camera. Rosie disappears from view.

footsteps retreating

Asher: Well, folks. Looks like this is it. I’ll see you all on the other side. I hope.

End of transmission.