Chapter 25

Haden

W hen my magic disappeared, I was in front of an inconspicuous shed in the middle of nowhere, Cerithia. I stepped inside and watched the rotting wood transform into walls decorated with artwork and trinkets from centuries of collecting. I heard him rocking in his chair, but it would have been the first place I looked anyway.

Brim was always in his damn chair, rocking away, having visions, and being a total pain in my ass. I stepped forward, and Brim stopped rocking immediately.?

“What?” he said with a bite of anger.?

Smiling at his newfound attitude, I stepped forward and looked over his aged face. His white hair stuck out every which way, and his angry eyes pinned me to my spot. He sighed heavily when he saw the black void in my eyes.?

“Great, you’re back,” Brim said with an annoyance that made me smile wider.

“What’s wrong, Brim?”?

“Ardella told me she hates me.” He frowned. “My feelings are hurt.”?

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes before sitting in the chair next to him.?

“So, she did come here.”

“You knew she would,” Brim snapped. “You told me to expect her.”?

“I was hoping my visions were wrong, but I should know better when it comes to her.”

I released a long breath as I stared at the flames roaring in the fireplace.?

“I would like Haden to come out. I do not like you.”?

“Careful.” I warned him. “I told you that Haden and I are the same.”?

Brim folded his arms over his chest like a wrinkly old child. I leaned forward and rested my arms on my thighs. I needed to be cautious about what I told this old man because he was a sneaky little shit.?

“What did you tell her?”?

“Exactly what you told me to.”?

I nodded and turned to him, my gaze drifting over him to see if he was lying. Relief filtered in slightly as I saw the truth in his eyes.?

“Good.” I nodded.?

“She was devastated,” Brim hissed at me. “You realize that, right? You destroyed her with what you did in your past, leaving her in such a manner.”?

“Della will be alright. I did what I needed to.”?

“I know you changed fate before she did.” Brim stared at me with hurt and confusion. “Are you trying to get the stars involved; is that it?”?

Brim was fishing for details that I would not be giving him.?I gave him a look that made him huff.

“Then at least tell me what you are,” he sighed.?

I turned and narrowed my eyes on him, but he just stared at me with his defiant eyes. Brim wasn’t going to back down. I shook my head because he gave himself away. I knew he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.?

“She suspects that I am not fae.”?

Brim’s eyes widened, letting me know that he already knew this.

“Why does she think that, Brim?”?

“Because Ardella is smarter than you think, asshole, and you think she will fall for whatever you are doing.”?

My jaw tightened.?

“I know she is smart; I am counting on that.”?

He looked at me in confusion. I glanced at the fire again, knowing I had said a little too much, but he wouldn’t know it.

“Have the visions of her changed?” I asked the question I actually came for. Even in this state, I could feel my heart pound. I hoped that Della coming to speak with Brim would allow him to see her future more clearly.?

“Yes.”?

I turned to him, feeling relief.?

“It did?”?

“Yes, now I can’t see her future at all. Well, I can, up until I see her with your dead sister. But you already know about that part.”?

Remiah. Sadness made my chest ache.

“How long do I have before Della changes?” I asked.?

“For fuck’s sake, Haden, you know I do not know that.” Brim glared. “It could be one year or two hundred. Visions don’t work that way.”?

“Mine do.” I narrowed my eyes.?

“Yeah? Well, then use that brain of yours to answer that question yourself.”?

I exhaled as I pinched the bridge of my nose. This old man was testing my patience, but I could not help enjoying his company.?

“You know I can’t see her future either.”?

“Well, I am a mere seer; I can’t control this vision shit. Maybe whatever you are…” He stared at me like I would answer him before continuing, “It isn’t as impressive as you make it seem.”?

This man. I chuckled softly.?

“I could see everything until she kissed me the first time since I’ve been back, and now I can’t.”?

“Maybe you should keep your lying lips off of her. It is probably a curse from the heavens.”?

Gods, he was always so damn defensive of her and assuming the worst from me. I glared at him, and he hissed like a wild animal.

“She loves you.” His voice was strained.?

“I know.”?

I knew she loved me. A small smile tilted my lips. I sighed heavily at the realization that neither one of us could see her future now. How was I supposed to know what to do if she was blocking me somehow?

“Why her?” Brim asked. I knew what he was asking, but I still played stupid.

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you have to use her out of all the gods?”

I sighed heavily. Part of the truth was, I wanted her the moment I saw her in Akecia 500 years ago. But there was a worse reason for it too. Della didn’t remember our first meeting, and I couldn't let Brim know either. He would know that is when I fucked with fate.

“Because, Brim, I need to make a point to the stars, heavens, and old gods, and what better way to do that than corrupt their favorite goddess?”

Brim frowned.

“So, you don’t love her.” He looked away from me as if I confessed that I wasn’t in love with him. “You are using her kindness as a weapon.”

“That is part of the point, Brim.”

“Will you be able to live with yourself when you destroy her?”

My jaw clenched tightly. He was starting to piss me off.

“I’ll be very fucking happy at the end of this.” I glared at him. “You all have this warped perception of the realm, and it's time you see everything for what it is. Not everything can have a happy ending.”

“You are such a bastard,” Brim snapped. “You put her through losing you, for falling in love with you when she knew it wasn’t fate, and for what? To prove a fucking point to whom—the stars, the heavens, or what? Is Ardella worth so little to you?”

“Sacrifices have to be made.”

“Fuck you.” He stood up as if he were towering over me. “Do you think it is wise to corrupt someone with so much power? Della is the balance in the realm.”

“I know what she is.” I knew everything about her—out of duty, out of obsession. Brim began pacing in front of me like he would magically find the right words to say to save Della from a broken heart.

“Are you going to kill her?”

“No, gods can’t die.” I smiled.

“Oh, cut the fucking shit, Haden. You and I both know that is not true.”

I nodded and sat back in the chair, staring at the frail old man who loved Della like his own child.

“I am not going to kill her.”

“Will she survive whatever this plan of yours is?”

“I don’t know. That is what I am trying to figure out, and neither of us can use this stupid fucking magic to see what happens to her.”

“I know you know more about what she is going to do than you are telling me.”

“Of course I do, Brim. But even I do not know the extent of Della’s treasons. She has sinned against fate by trying to make me hers, but your precious Della is not done with her trespasses. Della is not innocent in all of this.”

Shit.

Brim’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

“Treasons against the heavens? I know of one, and that was ripping her damn bond out for you, so what do you know?”

“I’m not telling you anything else.”

“You know you really are good at deception.” His friendly eyes were long gone and replaced by a hateful man. “I had no idea all those years ago that you were a fucking snake hiding under the nice persona of Haden. And just to make it very clear to you, I do not believe that you only ever had visions of Della one year before you met her.”

Gods, he was a nosy little shit.

“I met her 500 years ago. Are you happy?” I snapped and immediately regretted saying it. “I did have a very specific vision of her a year before she saw me in front of my family home.”

“Della didn’t say she met you 500 years ago,” he said as his beady eyes stared at me.

“She doesn’t remember.”

“Why not?”

“None of your damn business,” I snapped.

Brim stared at me for a long moment, seemingly contemplating how much he would argue with me. I would not tell him of my other magic. After a moment, he gave up and sat down, rocking back and forth angrily.

"Where is Abram?" I asked. Brim turned to me and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know, and even if I did, I would never tell you where he is." There was a new anger in his eyes. "What could you possibly need with one of the old gods?"

"That is not for you to know." I glared. “Did Della go anywhere else looking for answers?”

“I don’t know, and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you, prick. So your issues are with the old gods then? Since you are looking for Abram."

I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. He was too godsdamn observant. There was no way in hell that I was answering him. Brim and I rocked silently for a long time before he caved and started yapping.

“Red lily,” he whispered.

I looked over at him, and he was already staring at me.?“Hell’s flower.” He watched for a reaction. I don’t know what he thought I knew about it.?

“I already knew that.”?

“I bet you did,” he scoffed.?

“Is there something you want to say?” I asked.?

“No, you wouldn’t tell me anything anyways.” He huffed.?

I stood up. It was time to get out of here because Brim was getting too grumpy for me. I went to leave, and he sighed, making me pause.?

“How did you know it was hell’s flower?”?

I stilled.?

“Because I looked into it after I started getting them in my last life.”?

“Hmm.” Brim had to be taunting me at this point. “Strange.” He tried again.?

I turned toward him.?

“What?”?

“Oh, nothing. I just had a very difficult time finding out that information.”?

Shit.?

I didn’t know what to say.?

“If you hurt Della, I will fucking gut you myself.” He turned to me, and his eyes flashed red. Well, that didn’t seem normal.

“I never said I wanted to hurt her.”?

“But you never said you were doing all of this to save her either.”?

Brim and I stared at each other before I used my magic and headed back to the biggest shithole I could have received for my family home. When I got there, I could hear my drunk father yelling at my spineless mother. I looked around the small room and pulled out the dozens of pictures that I drew of Della. I traced the lines of her face slowly, remembering every fucking detail of our first life together.?

She loves you.?

I was counting on it.?

I sat down on my tiny-ass bed and knew I should get rest. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. I smiled. Della was finally going to murder my parents.?

?★★★?★★★?

“Someone said that you and that whore killed a woman in town.”

My father’s words slurred as he snuck up behind me. Fear and hatred swarmed inside of me at the sound of his voice. I thought of not answering but knew better than that.

“I didn’t kill anybody.”

I tried to ignore him, but it was difficult when I felt him staring at me. When I looked at him, his eyes dragged over me like he was trying to figure something out.

“Your little friend did.”

“Yes.” I smiled.

“Why are you smiling so much, boy?”

“Because I saw what Della will do to you if you lay a finger on me.” I stepped forward one step and stared this piece of shit in the eyes. “She ripped that fucking bitch’s heart out, and she hardly put any effort into it.”

My father swallowed hard but said nothing else. His eyes narrowed on me like he thought I was a fucking liar. My father swayed slightly as he watched me. He was so far gone; I was not even sure how he was walking around. He didn’t say anything else, so I turned, continuing my work he interrupted. Apparently, this pissed him off because he suddenly grabbed me by the hair and yanked me flat on my back.

He was able to kick me once before I swiped his feet out from under him. I had never fought back, not really. This time, though, I punched my father in the face before he could punch me. He looked at me in disbelief for only a moment before we both tumbled, but I was quicker than he was. I stood and shoved him, knocking him back to the ground. Then, before I could stop myself, I began to let years of pent-up hatred out on him. It felt so good to finally fight back. I couldn’t stop myself. My fists kept punching and punching, connecting with his face and emitting a sickening, wet crunching sound.

I was ending this today. Remiah and I deserved better.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” I yelled at my father. There was a wrath that burned with the fury of a million stars inside of me, and it wanted out. It did not want to be locked deep inside of me anymore.

He was trying to say something, but I wouldn’t let him talk. His blood poured from him as I kept going. I didn’t want to be my father when I was older. I didn’t want this vicious cycle of family trauma to continue. I was going to break it for me, for Remiah, and for Della.

I didn’t feel it at first. The sharp pain in my back started out so small— almost nonexistent—then became more noticeable. It started off like an itch, but then it burned something fierce and wicked. When I looked behind me, my mother was standing there with a dagger, the blade covered in blood, my blood.

Pain paralyzed me. My own mother had stabbed me. Again, she had sided with this fucking monster. It was enough of a distraction that my father was able to gain the upper hand. Before I could stop it, his fist connected with my face. Now he was the one who kept punching me over and over. My head pounded from the beating, and my body ached from the stab wound. The only thought I could think was to thank the gods that Rem had gone to town so she would not witness my death.

“Della!” I yelled into the heavens without thinking.

Suddenly, the bright blue sky swirled with dark clouds, and lightning crackled through the air. What had started off as a beautiful day suddenly reflected what was inside of me. What would Della do when she came to see me and found out that I was dead?

Then I heard her.

“You really should have kept your hands to yourself.” Della’s voice was wicked as she drew our attention to her. My father fell off me and stared in disbelief. “I already warned you what would happen if you touched him again.”

“Mind your own business, whore.” He spat at her.

The plain disrespect he showed for her caused me to see red. I used all the strength left in my beaten body to sit up and punch my father in the jaw.

“Don’t you ever call her that again.” I stood up on my shaky legs, using the house to steady myself. Della’s pretty, star-colored eyes were gone and replaced by pure, white, rage-filled ones. Gods, I did not feel good. I held my head as my vision blurred from the pain.

“Stupid bitch, I told you I would kill you if you didn’t leave us alone.”

“Now, now, Galen, you shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

Her head tilted to the side as she took a menacing step forward. Her star-like mist swirled around her, but part of it was now black. Gods be damned, she was a fucking sight to see.

“Who the fuck are you?” my father demanded as he stood. My mother looked at Della in silent shock as she held his weight against her, supporting his beaten body.

I blinked, and in that short time, Della had moved to my father. She leaned forward and whispered something to him, and whatever it was had him gawking at me. His eyes flickered from Della to me and back. She stepped backward slowly. Her full lips pulled into a wicked smile. Something told me she had threatened more than just his life; she had threatened his very soul if he ever tried to hurt me again, and seeing her now, I had no doubt that she could take him on.

What kind of elite magic was this? I could feel her magic taking energy from all around us, twisting it back, and pulling everything toward her. Della’s eyes found mine, and it made the sky fill with lightning.

My father trembled in fear from whatever she had said to him. Della’s power pulsed around her. She did not look scared; she looked excited. Her eyes stayed on me, but all I could do was just stare at her in awe as she came to me.

“Are you alright?” Her hands frantically inspected all of my wounds.

“My back,” I groaned. The pain was becoming unbearable. I fell to my knees, and Della quickly fell to hers. Her eyes filled with worry as she looked for injuries. Then her whole body stiffened when she saw my wound. A moment later, the pain disappeared. I knew she had healed my injury, but when she pulled back, her eyes flashed back to being completely white.

“Haden, do you want to say anything to your father before I kill him?”

Her words pulled me from my trance. My mother began sobbing, but I did not feel sorry for her. My father was an evil man, but she was heartless to let him beat me for years. All I could think about was a life without my father in it, and it sounded fucking great. I turned to him, and he looked over at me with terror. There was a pleading in his eyes.

“I hope the gods show no mercy on your soul,” I hissed.

This made Della smile.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she answered back as she walked menacingly toward my father again. He backed himself against the wall of the house, not even trying to fight her. Della’s words rang in my ears : Don’t worry, I won’t.

Suddenly, her silver tattoos blazed to life, and her star mist shot out from her hand as she reached forward, sinking her now-incandescent fingers into my father’s chest, smiling wickedly and staring into his eyes. When she pulled it back out, she was holding a fuzzy-looking light in her fist. It seemed to struggle in her grasp for a moment before she squeezed her fist shut, crushing the light until it sparked out. When she opened her hand, a few wisps of gray smoke and dust escaped, floating away on the wind. I could not believe it; she had literally ripped his soul from his body.

I watched his eyes turn vacant as Della stared at him until his body fell to the ground. My mother began wailing, but Della turned to me, her eyes back to the color of stars. She approached me cautiously, like I would spook from her.

She whipped around and faced my mother, who was too busy crying over my father’s dead body to care if I was alright. Della stood without blinking. Her steps were quick, and before my mother realized it, Della was standing over her. My mother was pleading for her to bring my father back.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be joining him in hell,” she promised, then she leaned down and said something to her that I couldn’t hear. It had to have been the same thing she told my father because my mother’s eyes instantly jumped to my face and bored into my own.

Before she could react, Della reached forward, just as she had done to my father. With the same star mist shooting from her hand, she slowly reached in and ripped the soul of my mother from her chest. Once again, she squeezed the pulsing, fuzzy light in her hand until nothing remained but gray smoke and dust that blew away as my mother’s body fell at her feet. Della was very still. Her gaze didn’t move from my dead parents at her feet, breathing heavily and trying to calm herself down. A moment later, she turned slightly toward me, her eyes full of caution. She took a hesitant step but stopped when I stepped backward. Who the fuck was she?

Her eyes took in my movement, and she didn’t try to come closer.

“Do you think I’m a monster?” she asked, her face filled with regret.

All I could do was stare at her, blinking with confusion. Who the fuck was she, and how had she done that to them with such little effort? Della opened her mouth to say something, her hand slowly reaching toward me, but I flinched like she was about to rip the soul from me too. It was just a reflex, but I could see that my reaction devastated her. Tears filled her eyes as she frowned at me.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered before turning and running from me. Before I could follow her, she disappeared into her star mist.

I sat on the ground for quite some time, trying to comprehend everything that had just happened. After the shock of it all started to wear off, I realized I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. But by then, Della was long gone. My eyes drifted to my parents, and relief filled me because we wouldn’t have to suffer from their abusive hands ever again.

I walked to the shed, grabbed a shovel, and started digging a hole to hide their bodies. I couldn’t have Remiah seeing this. It took hours, and when I was done, I walked to the edge of the nearby lake and cleaned myself up, still unable to get Della’s broken-hearted face out of my mind.