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I turned to Malamay, who stared at me as I focused on his chest, his black soul swirling inside.

I shot my frost out so that he couldn’t move, then I lifted my hand and summoned his soul from him—taking my time ripping it from his body.

He called to the heavens while I did this, and it made me smile.

I stared at him in satisfaction as I gripped his severed soul in my hand, listening as he cried, groaning in pain.

After letting him suffer for a moment longer, I summoned lightning into my other hand and shot it into his soul, letting it explode at the impact. The pieces of it evaporated like ash in the wind as it burned away from the realm.

Della looked so proud of me that it made my heart swell. “You did such a good job, Haden,” she praised me as her eyes flashed white. “Now watch me kill Diath for being such a bitch to me while I was in the stars.”

Della walked over to where Diath was still on her knees, being held up by the ice spear Malamay stabbed her with.

Della kicked the ice contemptuously so that Diath fell over, groaning in pain as she tried to crawl away.

Della smiled at her pathetic form, stepping over the black blood trail she left behind her.

Finally tiring of the scene, she flipped her over so she was on her back.

With a victorious smile, Della summoned her own frost magic, spearing a stake of ice into each of Diath’s wrists and legs, pinning her to the ground.

Della shot her frost out again and froze Diath’s left arm, then made sure to look her in the eyes before stepping forward and slamming her boot down on it, shattering her arm into a million pieces.

Diath screamed so violently that the ground shook.

Della showed her no mercy, though, and repeated the process with each of her limbs.

“I warned you to stop being a bitch. You didn’t listen.

” Della glared down at her. Then she leaned down, punching her glowing fist into her chest, and ripped her soul from her.

Diath was dying quickly as Della tossed her soul to me, and I crushed it in my hands.

Then she stared at Diath and watched the light drain from her eyes.

With a wicked smile on her face, Della stood up and looked at the five stars left. They were all trying to back up, but I realized that Della had held them in place with her magic.

“You all were kind to me, and for that I will make your deaths quick. You still sealed your fates when you agreed to help Diath and Malamay try and take over the realm.”

Strangely enough, none of the gods argued with her.

They all stood in a fairly straight line in front of Della, looking as if they were too tired to fight anymore.

Lightning cracked through the sky as Della lifted her hands.

All of the gods looked up, thinking they were going to be struck down with lightning, but as soon as they looked up, Della’s star mist whipped from her, and the sounds of their necks breaking simultaneously echoed around the field.

Fuck.

Della’s eyes burned pure white as she summoned their souls to her.

Each one of them ripped from the chest of the dead gods and immediately came to her.

Sighing, she crushed them in her hands like it was nothing.

Then she closed her eyes and took a long breath.

When she opened them, everyone was watching her with expectant faces.

“The stars will never have power over us again. As of this moment, the stars are sealed off and shall not be entered again! The gods are self-governing, and we can make the realm a better place for it. Gods who try anything stupid again will be tried and killed by a council of the old gods.”

She looked around and smiled wickedly. “I almost forgot.” Her eyes flashed red as she lifted her hand and shot her star mist out towards the gods watching. Confusion slammed into me as she wrapped Avesh in her mist and pulled him to her.

“I want all of you to know that the stars almost got away with this because Avesh helped them. Isn’t that right, Avesh?”

“You’ve lost your mind!” Avesh was trying to break free from her grip, but he was nowhere close to being on the same power level as Della.

“Old gods, step forward!” she yelled. I glanced around as a dozen gods and goddesses stepped forward, including Abe and Mikel. “Because Avesh is an old god, we must vote on his punishment.”

Avesh was an old god?

“I propose that he be killed for his treasons. It took me a very long time to figure out what god was helping feed Malamay and Diath information about how to break their children out of Hell. It was odd that the Book of the Dead and the Book of Dark Magic both disappeared from your library and you never told us. You knew things you shouldn’t have known, Avesh. I almost didn’t catch you.”

“I didn’t do this. For all we know, you are the bad guy.” He tried to pin it back on her, but she didn’t flinch.

“Do you want to know what your downfall was?” she asked, her eyes full of excitement. “When I came to visit you, Haden was already in the library reading the Book of the Gods , the day I gave you my book.”

Avesh looked at her oddly.

“You can’t read that book unless you are a god.

Which means you knew Haden was a god, and since you know every god, you knew who he was.

You wanted him to question why my name was so high on the list. You wanted him to know who I was because your tongue is bound to keep our identities secret.

Because of that, I jumped into your mind and saw all of the shit you had been up to.

What I didn't understand was why or who was helping you—if anyone.”

Della looked at Diath and sighed.

“Wait, if only gods can read that book, then how did I?” Cassius whispered to Thea. Abe and I glanced at him, his lips twitched.

“You became a god when yours and Thea’s souls fused in Hell. You are the God of Blood and Vengeance.” Abe chuckled softly when Cassius’ face fell. Thea grinned at Cassius.

“I could never figure out why Diath hated Haden so much when she loved all of her other children. It was also odd that Malamay hated all of them but Haden.”

Avesh’s face fell.

“Haden was the only true son of Malamay. The only one created of both his star and Diath's, unfortunately you still used the Book of the Dead to create him.” Della stared at Avesh. “You and Diath created six of the seven children. You told her how to do it with the Book of the Dead. And you used mostly her star to create them because you didn’t want a high chance that they’d be heavenly.

Malamay figured out what you and Diath did, but instead of turning you in, he begged her for a son.

That was all he wanted, but by then it was too late.

We already figured out what had happened, but Diath used her magic to bind Malamay’s tongue about the parentage of her other children.

“You were the mastermind behind all of this. You were going to become Diath’s mate when they took over Elloryon. You had the knowledge to pull this off. You betrayed us for power and greed. I hope it was worth it, Avesh.”

“Fuck you,” Avesh sneered as he thrashed around like a wild animal caught in a trap.

“All of the old gods who are in favor of his punishment being death, please raise your hand.” Della glanced around as every single one of them raised their hand. Della raised her hand as well as she smiled. “I will take great pleasure in this, Avesh.”

Della looked at Thea and gave her a smirk that I didn’t understand until she wrapped her star mist around his wrists and ankles, lifting him high in the air. Della lifted her hands and began pulling his body apart slowly—just like Thea had done with Luren.

Avesh’s screams echoed around the dead silent field.

No one dared look away from what Della was doing.

Gods, her power was suffocating all of us.

It pulsed like Abram’s did, demanding that we all bow to it.

Avesh was begging for mercy, and every time he did, Della would stop pulling for a moment before starting again.

She was toying with him. Then suddenly she yanked her hands apart, ripping Avesh apart so his body splattered in pieces on the ground. Storm stood with her back toward me. Her breathing was labored, and I thought it was because she was angry. But she turned toward me with a look of fear.

“Haden,” she muttered as her eyes rolled back and she started to fall to the ground.

“Storm?” I called for her as I caught her with my star mist. She didn’t answer me as I slowly laid her head in my lap.

“Abe!” I called out, but he was already next to me. Mikel came running over too. Della was breathing, but it was shallow. “What’s wrong with her?” I asked.

Thea was shooting her healing magic out toward her but pulled it back quickly.

“Nothing,” she said.

“She isn’t sick; she’s fading because she was a star and wasn’t reborn. She shouldn’t be in the realm this long, but she sealed the stars off with her decree.” Abe looked her over before looking me dead in the eyes. “She also used a lot of magic without her soul; that could be adding to it too.”

“She needs part of your soul,” Mikel demanded.

I didn’t hesitate. Lifting my hand, I summoned my soul forward and ripped half of it out of me, yelling to the heavens at the searing pain coursing through me.

My orange soul was still surrounded by the silver glow of Della’s soul.

The two of them were so intertwined that it looked like they had always been together. I supposed, in a way, they had.

The clearing was silent as the gods and goddesses watched with worried eyes. Abe looked up at me.

“Take a small part of mine too; she will need a lot of energy to stay with us.”

“What happens if she can’t wake up?” Ezra asked.

“I do not know, and that is not good.”

“Take part of mine too,” Ezra said quickly.

Then gods and goddesses began lining up to offer parts of their souls to Della. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride that my mate was cared for by so many.

“I can’t see her fate anymore, Haden; she is fading too quickly.

” Abe urged me to quicken my movements. I took turns summoning a small sliver of each god and goddess willing.

Panic filled me as I tried desperately to make sure Della did not leave me.

I already knew that I would not survive if she died.

“Take a big chunk of mine.” I looked up at Remiah, who knelt in front of me. “It was her soul to begin with.”

Mikel opened his mouth to protest because she was with child, but I acted quickly, pulling a large part of Remiah’s soul out and giving it to Della.

To keep her safe and strong for the baby, I summoned Mikel’s soul out as well and slammed them together to make one whole soul before ripping it back in two and putting them back into each other.

Mikel gave me an appreciative look. Remiah would be stronger with his soul inside of her.

I looked down at Della when she began glowing like a damn star in the sky. Everyone stepped back, watching her with wide, anxious eyes. But I held her hand tightly, rubbing her face with my other hand.

“Stay with me, Storm. I will not survive without you.” I paused and waited for her to open those pretty eyes.

“I love you. We aren’t ever being separated again.

It will kill me if I ever have to be away from you for that long.

You have crawled under my skin, infected my bones, and poisoned my blood with a need for you that will kill me if you leave me. Without you, I am nothing.

“I have loved you from the moment you first spoke to me. I loved you when I said I didn’t.

I will love you for our whole existence, and even that does not seem like enough time with you.

You gave me everything the day that you found me—you gave me love, purpose, and a home.

I did not know life could be something so wonderful until the first time you smiled at me.

I will always choose you, Della, over everything. ”

Tears fell from me as she still didn’t open her eyes.

“Please, Storm, open your pretty eyes for me,” I muttered. But she didn’t, and her body slowly stopped glowing.

I looked at Abe, who stared at her in worry. He put his hand to her forehead and sighed with relief.

“I think she’ll be okay.” He looked at me with a small smile.

“You think?” I stared at him. “You need to be certain, or I will tear souls from anyone I need to and give them to her,” I whispered. “Fate be damned, I will not let anything take her from me ever again.”

“She will be alright, Haden. You don’t need to do that.”

“Why isn’t she waking up?” I asked, worried.

He sighed heavily as he looked at her.

“She needs time to heal. Her body was without a soul for a long time; it is basically going through a rebirth while she is still physically here. I do not know how long she will be like this.”

I looked down at her and frowned.

“Okay, I will take her home and take care of her there.” I glanced at her. “I gave her part of my soul when we were in Hell; why didn’t she keep it?”

“She needed all seven sins’ souls to leave in Hell to close it. She couldn’t keep it without being stuck down there.”

That made sense. I swallowed hard as I scooped her up in my arms and stood. Her arm fell limply.

“Thank you all for helping me save Della.” I looked around at all the faces watching with concern. “I’m taking her home to recover.”

I wrapped my star mist around us, and it brought us back to our house.

Once we got home, I changed her into one of my tunics and tucked her into our bed.

Not wanting to leave her side, I pulled up a chair and sat right next to her, one hand holding hers tightly and the other sprawled out on her chest, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing.

I sighed, relieved.

As long as she was breathing, as long as this heart beat, then it meant I could breathe too.