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Haden

I fell to my knees, pulling Della’s limp body to me and crying as I rubbed my hands across her face, silently begging her to open her pretty eyes.

“Della, look at me!” She was cold. Her bronze skin had paled. “Storm, please just come back,” I begged as tears streamed down my face. “I love you; do not leave me.”

“She’s not here.” Thea sobbed into Cassius’ chest.

“I didn’t think she would do this,” Mikel spoke with confusion. “I didn’t even know it was possible.”

I didn’t say anything as I stared at Della’s pretty face. My hand brushed across her skin and pushed the hair from her eyes. My gaze stayed on her chest; she wasn’t breathing. I waited for her eyes to flutter open. The more time that passed, the more desperate I became.

“Please wake up.” I cried into her chest. “You were right. I would have never let you do this. You lied! You said it wasn’t dangerous. Why would you choose to leave me?”

I kissed her lips softly, like it would make her wake up. When her eyes still didn’t open, I buried my face in her chest and cried. I began begging for the stars, the heavens, the moon, and even Hell to give her back. I would take her place if they let her come back.

My chest ached so painfully that I thought I might be dying of a broken heart.

My bond swelled in grief and demanded I find her, the golden thread so strained that it felt like it would snap, but I would never allow such a thing.

I gripped it in my hand and made sure it didn’t go anywhere.

She would come back. Any moment now she would open her eyes and tell me she was sorry for doing something so reckless.

“Haden.” Remy’s voice didn’t comfort me. She knelt next to me and pulled me to her in a tight hug as I clung onto her and cried.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what she was doing,” Remy cried.

Mikel cried behind me too. When I looked back at Della, her body was gone.

“No.” I panicked. “No!” I glanced around frantically, but she had vanished. “Where is she?” I stood and began looking for her.

“She’s gone,” Mikel whispered.

I turned to Mikel, charging him. I tackled him to the ground, punching the shit out of him.

“You motherfucker! You told her to do this, didn’t you?” I yelled as I took out my anger and guilt on him. He was able to break away for a moment, though, and punched me back, making me fall off him. Mikel stood up but didn’t attack me. He just stood over me, his nose bleeding.

“I didn’t do this. I didn’t know that this was possible, Haden. But some gods can’t die, so she will be back.”

They can die. Why did all of the gods think they couldn’t die?

I glared at the stars and hated them for letting her do this. My wife was dead. I cursed them and flipped them off with both hands.

“I will find a way up there and break you all apart limb by godsdamn limb. Then I’ll burn you alive as you bleed out!

” I started pacing, looking up at the stars.

My mind was dancing away with my grief, and I was fucking losing my shit.

Those fucks will wish they never crossed my path.

I would fucking destroy everything they ever loved with a smile on my face.

Suddenly, a man’s voice spoke up, one that I didn’t recognize. “I’m looking for Ardella’s mate.”

I turned quickly and could only stare at the man in front of me. He was clearly a god—his divine power pulsed from him. His red hair appeared like it was glowing. His intense stare softened into something almost sad.

“Ezra?” Mikel stepped forward angrily. “Did you tell her to do this?”

My wrath came forth immediately, and Ezra paled at whatever he saw on my face. He lifted his hands up quickly when I stepped toward him.

“I didn’t tell her to do this; the stars did!” I stopped and watched him confused. “I just helped her by letting Remiah’s soul come back.”

“Who are you?” I asked.

“Ezra, God of Souls.” He stood tall. “I am a friend of your mate, and you should probably come with me. She is at my home.”

Jealousy reared its ugly head. “Why the fuck is she there?”

“I have no idea, but I made sure my slaves are taking care of her.”

“What bargain did you make with her?” Mikel asked, “You always make bargains.”

“I didn’t this time.” Ezra glared at Mikel. “Don’t pretend like you know me.”

“Take all of us,” I said.

He nodded as his magic wrapped around us, and when his red star mist disappeared, we were on the Islands of Death. The air was heavy, but something about it was calming. Maybe it was the salty smell that clung to the breeze from the sea.

I paused and admired Ezra’s big, black castle.

It was as dark and looming, just as I had imagined it should be for the God of Souls.

However, contrasting with the castle was a vast garden with hundreds of colorful flowers within it.

Some even vined up the walls, decorating them with colors that popped off the black stone.

Ezra glanced around, confused.

“Why did we not go inside?” Thea asked.

“I don’t know.” Ezra glanced around us as if he expected a monster to pop out of the forest. But it was silent, eerily silent. “Something is wrong. She was sleeping when I left.”

“Storm.” I muttered as I headed for the front door but stopped when I saw that it was wide open.

Ezra’s eyes moved to the ground, and I saw them widen in surprise. I followed his gaze and gasped when I saw bloody footprints.

“Storm!” I immediately ran inside and called for her.

“Haden, maybe we should not yell for her until we know what we are working with here,” Cassius warned.

“I’m sorry, but I am taking Remiah somewhere safe. I will not risk her.” Mikel immediately disappeared. That was probably for the best because there was something unnatural lingering in the air.

I focused on Thea and Cassius. They looked unsure, like we were about to find Della dead.

My heart was beating so violently that I could feel it in my ears.

She wasn’t dead, but I also couldn’t feel her through the bond.

I followed the blood. It was one set of footprints walking around with more droplets following it.

Suddenly, Ezra grabbed my arm and stopped me from walking, and I glanced up to see a large black door.

“These are souls bound for Hell.” Ezra shot a glance at me, and together, we looked down slowly to see that the blood was spilling from under the door.

Fearing what I would find, I pushed the door open slowly, and it made a horrible creaking noise. I couldn’t see anything, though. Thea immediately used her fire magic to illuminate the space.

What the fuck?

Blood was everywhere, splattered across the walls and floors, even dripping from the ceiling. There were two dead bodies on the floor, and they had been ripped apart. Ezra sighed heavily.

“Those were slaves, working off a lifetime of sins.” Ezra surveyed the room around us. “Tainted souls.”

“Where the fuck is my wife, Ezra?” I asked.

We turned around to continue looking for her, and I saw lightning flashing outside even though there was no rain. Relief filled my chest. Storm.

“Never mind, I’m pretty sure I found her.” I sighed in relief as I hurried to find her.

However, when I got outside, the wind hit me like a wall, slamming me into the stone. I was on my hands and knees trying to catch my breath when I saw her silhouette close by, the trees around her burned to cinders.

The wind stopped as her head tilted back, raising her face to the sky. Her back was turned toward us, and her shoulders were rising and falling with angry breaths.

“Storm?” I called out to her as I stood on shaky legs.

When she turned to me, I lost my ability to breathe. I saw her eyes burning red with her wrath. I could not move my gaze from her. Blood soaked her so thoroughly it dripped from her fingertips. My eyes drifted to the seven broken stars on her forearm.

No.

When I looked back up to her face, she began crying. I gasped when I saw that her tears were no longer glowing like the stars but black like the depths of Hell.

My wife had fallen from the grace of the heavens.

“Della?” I stepped toward her with my hands up.

I had no idea what to expect from this. Would she be the same?

No, I already knew that she wasn’t the same.

Realization hit me when I noticed the unnatural, suffocating feeling in the air was emanating from her.

She was the evil I felt. I took another step forward.

As soon as she saw my face, she stopped crying.

Her head tilted as she studied me with red eyes.

I stopped moving toward her when she smiled.

But the smile was not hers. It was demonic and sinister.

My heart squeezed at the sight of her. There was no recognition of who I was that flickered in those eyes.

“Storm?”

Her gaze traveled over me. “You should probably keep your distance from me,” she warned.

I didn’t dare move as I peered at a version of Della that I never wanted to see.

“You won’t hurt me.”

“Yes, I will.” Her eyes flashed with concern for only a moment before they lost all emotion.

Della stepped toward me, and I didn’t move away. She traced her fingers along my jaw.

“You are handsome,” she purred.

I watched her eyes, but there was nothing. Not a single flicker of recognition or emotion.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I stepped away from her when she let out a soft chuckle that was so creepy I got goosebumps. My wife was scaring the fucking shit out of me.

“You are my enemy.”

I swallowed hard.

“No, Storm,” I whispered.

I felt Thea’s magic before I saw it. Her darkness suddenly exploded around us, her barrier magic pulsing in front of me, blocking Della.

“Stop,” I yelled at Thea.

Thea didn’t, and I looked at Della. She was holding a dagger in her hand. Her red eyes raked over me, predatory and cold.

“Please.” I begged, and she didn’t flinch. Her red eyes glanced at Thea before returning to me.