Page 64

RAGNAR

The darkness ripped me apart molecule by molecule, and then the ground reformed beneath my boots like an afterthought. My magic lashed at the earth beneath me, furious at the temporary dissonance. Hot, sour tension lingered in my chest—we were making a huge fucking mistake.

I scanned the night. Overcast. Cold. Quiet. But the air stank of blood.

The church looked exactly as I remembered—cracked stone, steeple leaning like it was too tired to keep standing. We should’ve burned it down when we had the chance.

The others were quick to follow, Orion appearing a few yards off, panting like a mutt—sweat pouring down his neck, magic crackling off him in uneven bursts. His fingers twitched like they didn’t belong to him.

Teleporting had clearly taken it out of him—not that he’d admit it. He was too busy chasing his martyr complex.

“Will you fucking cut it out,” I muttered, smacking his chest. He was already sweating through his shirt, jittering like a live wire. This place was cursed enough without him making it worse.

“She’s here,” he said sharply. “I know she is. You feel that?”

I didn’t answer. But yeah—I felt it. The air was dense. Wet. Wrong. It coiled in my lungs and squeezed. My magic itched under my skin, urging me forward like a dog off its leash.

It’s a godsdamned siren call.

I cracked my neck. Loud. Sharp. It helped, a little. But I needed more. I needed violence.

“Well?” Orion pressed. “What the fuck are we waiting for—”

Xander moved in front of him. Calm, solid, unflinching. I didn’t envy the choke-hold Eve had on them both. Xander had always been the grounded one, but even he looked ready to snap.

“You have three seconds to move,” Orion said.

Xander crossed his arms. “We do this right or not at all.”

“Three,” Orion warned, stepping closer. “I’ll go through you.”

Gods help us. He meant it.

I scoffed. “Great plan, lovebird. Wanna die before we even make it through the door?”

“Two.”

“Orion, enough,” Atlas said, finally moving in. He planted a hand on Orion’s chest. “We stick to the plan.”

“Your plan is the reason she’s gone!” Orion roared.

Atlas shoved him hard. Orion slammed into the wall with a grunt. Between the three of us, we boxed him in—but he didn’t back down. He looked like a cornered animal. Wild. Betrayed.

“What the hell’s gotten into you?” I asked.

“Fuck you, Ragnar. This was your idea to begin with!”

The words hit harder than I cared to admit. Heat flared in my chest. The ground beneath me groaned, cracks splintering beneath my boots. My magic surged—but I forced it down. I locked it down.

I was a wall. I would not break.

I clenched my fists until they ached.

“If she’s hurt because of you,” he said quietly, “I’ll scatter your soul across the stars. Brother or not.”

“Do you hear how ridiculous you sound?” I snapped. But deep down, I knew—if she was hurt, I’d never forgive myself.

“Enough,” Atlas said, his voice cutting clean through the noise. “This isn’t a democracy. Stick to the plan, or we lose before we begin.”

His cold authority always rubbed me the wrong way, and today was no exception—but gods, we needed a leader right now.

“I want your astral to go in first,” he told Orion. “Scout the place, assess the numbers, and try to locate Eve. Ragnar and I will go through the main doors, draw their fire. Keep them focused on the front. Xander cuts around the back. Retrieve the girl while they’re distracted. Clear?”

Sounded simple. But I didn’t trust Orion for a second to keep his shit together. Atlas’s detachment had won us wars. But today? It felt like our undoing. Couldn’t he see the madness in Orion’s magic? The crack in Xander’s restraint?

I wasn’t about to let Atlas crawl into my head the way Eve had. That door was closed. Locked. She’d slipped through because it felt inevitable—invasive—but I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Only when Atlas seemed satisfied that Orion wouldn’t combust did he send us out.

“Get your shit together,” I muttered as Orion stalked off. He flipped me off without breaking stride.

Xander threw me a look I couldn’t be bothered to interpret before following his brother toward the cemetery.

I turned to Atlas. “This whole thing’s a disaster. Hormonal wrecks and chess-playing sociopaths in charge.”

The truth was—none of us were in charge of anything. The chaos? That was all her.

She was in all of us—in our lungs, under our fingernails. Like ash after a fire—quiet, clinging, permanent.

And it was happening too fast for me to stop it.

Orion throwing himself into the fire didn’t help. Neither did Xander, trailing after him like a shadow. They were going to get themselves killed—and Eve would be the one who had to carry it.

I certainly wasn’t going to let her off the hook if any of us died.

Atlas didn’t even look at me. He just cracked his knuckles and started toward the doors. “If you’ve got a better idea, now’s the time.”

Arrogant bastard.

I followed, boots heavy on the sidewalk.

My magic was already rising, coiling at the surface like a storm begging to be unleashed.

Fury—that was all I had left to feel.

And gods help us all if we were too late.