Chapter Eighteen
Lucas
I knew Annika would eventually say that, but I didn’t want it to come to that.
I gritted my teeth, every nerve in my being demanding that I tear the Shadow Bride apart. Her mere voice was poison, sinking her claws into my mind.
“You should be grateful, Lucas.” Her tone was soft, almost gentle. “I’m giving you a choice. Most don’t get that luxury.”
I took a step forward to show her that I was not afraid of her. “I’m not sacrificing anyone.” My voice came out like a growl. “Not Annika. Not Aiden. No one.”
She sighed, a mockery of disappointment. “You’re so stubborn. It’s almost admirable.” Her eyes flicked to me, cold and calculating. “But it’s pointless. Someone has to be sacrificed. That’s how this works.”
“I don’t give a damn how your twisted magic works. I’m not playing your game. I’m not sacrificing my mate or my son!”
Her lips curled into a cruel smile. “But you already are.” She drifted closer, her body half-shadow, half-form, a swirl of darkness that flickered in and out of focus. “And you should be thanking me, really. I’m giving you a chance to be a hero. To save the one you love.” Her eyes gleamed with a wicked light. “All you have to do is choose.”
I felt my jaw clench so hard my teeth ached. “I won’t.”
Her smile widened. “Oh, Lucas… what kind of father are you?” Her voice was so soft, so deceptively gentle. “How could you even hesitate?” She turned her head, glancing at Aiden, tied up and helpless, eyes wide and terrified. “Isn’t the choice obvious?”
My vision blurred red. “You bitch!”
She ignored me, her gaze lingering on Aiden like he was nothing more than a tool, a pawn in her sick game. “What kind of a man are you, Lucas? What kind of a father?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, every word like a knife slicing through me. “Are you really going to let your child die just to save her?” Her eyes flicked to Annika, chained to the wall, blood dripping from her wrists. “What kind of man chooses his lover over his own flesh and blood?”
Rage exploded inside me, white-hot and uncontrollable. I moved before I could think, a blur of fury and hatred. I leaped at her, claws out, fangs bared, ready to rip her apart. But my hands passed through smoke again.
I stumbled, and almost fell, catching myself against the cold stone floor. I spun around, and she was standing there, completely unbothered. Amused, even.
“Oh, Lucas.” Her laughter was soft, echoing off the ancient walls. “You still don’t understand, do you?” She held out her hands, palms up, and her whole form flickered, like a flame caught in the wind. “You can’t touch me. Not in this realm.” Her smile was mocking. “I’m everywhere and nowhere. You can’t fight me.”
I took a step back, my mind racing, fury twisting into frustration. She wasn’t real. She wasn’t here. Just a shadow, a ghost. A monster made of mist and lies.
She watched me, her head tilted to the side, dark hair swirling like smoke. “I’ll give you one more chance, Lucas.” Her voice softened, that cruel mockery of kindness. “Choose. Your son… or your mate.” Her eyes gleamed with cold delight. “I really don’t care which one. As long as I get the blood I need.”
“No!” The word ripped from my throat, but it was too late.
Annika’s voice was steady. “Take my blood.” Her eyes locked onto Aiden’s, filled with nothing but love. “I love you, baby,” she whispered through the tears.
Aiden’s scream shattered the chamber. “No! Mama, don’t—”
I lunged toward her, but something unseen held me back, an invisible force pressing against my chest like a crushing weight. “Annika, don’t do this!” My voice was pure desperation, pure rage.
The Shadow Bride simply sighed, shaking her head like a disappointed teacher. “See, Lucas? Some people understand sacrifice.” Then she lifted her hand, fingers twisting through the air like she was pulling unseen threads.
Annika gasped. Her body jerked against the chains as an invisible force wrenched her forward. A glowing, unnatural light spread across her palm, where the Bride had obviously cut her. The wound reopened with an eerie slowness, and then, the blood started pouring.
Not dripping. Pouring.
It gushed from her palm like a river, too much, too fast, cascading down her wrist, soaking her arm, staining the chains that held her.
Her breath hitched, sharp and pained. She squeezed her eyes shut, teeth clenched, trying not to cry out. But I saw the agony in every tremble of her body.
“No,” I growled, fighting against the unseen force pinning me in place. “No!”
The Shadow Bride tilted her head, eyes gleaming with something almost… satisfied. “So much struggle, Lucas,” she murmured. “So much fury. But it’s meaningless, isn’t it?” She glanced at Annika’s bleeding form. “The choice has been made.”
I roared, my body straining, the beast inside me snapping against the restraints. But the magic held me firm, like iron shackles I couldn’t break.
Annika’s breathing grew more labored, her skin paling by the second. I met her gaze. She was still so beautiful, still so full of fire, even as she bled for our son. And I couldn’t save her. The realization hit me like a blade to the gut.
The Shadow Bride smiled triumphantly. “Now… let’s begin.”
“Aiden, close your eyes!” I shouted, but my son’s terrified gaze stayed locked on his mother, chained to the wall, blood draining from her palm. His face was pale, streaked with tears. His small voice shattered me. “Dad… please… help Mama!”
I fought against the invisible force, my muscles burning, bones straining, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even take a step closer. It was like being trapped in stone, with my every limb frozen.
Annika’s blood lifted into the air, defying gravity, separating into glistening droplets that shimmered with an unnatural light. They floated toward the walls, slipping into the ancient symbols carved into the stone. One by one, the symbols ignited, blazing crimson, lines of power crackling through the chamber like lightning.
The Shadow Bride stood in the center, atop a small pedestal that rose from the floor, her arms lifted high, head tilted back. Her dark hair whipped around her face, eyes burning with wicked glee. Power surged around her, twisting the air, distorting reality itself.
She was ascending, becoming… whatever it is she had intended to become.
I couldn’t let her.
With a snarl, I threw myself forward, pouring every ounce of strength, every shred of fury into my limbs. The beast inside me howled, thrashing to be free, to tear her apart. My vision blurred at the edges, and rage painted the world in all the hues of red. But the force held firm. I couldn’t move.
“Mama!” Aiden sobbed, struggling against his bindings. “Mama, wake up! Mama, please!”
Annika’s head hung low, her hair falling over her face. She looked so pale, so fragile. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. Her blood kept flowing, droplets tearing from her skin to feed the symbols on the walls, to fuel the Bride’s sick ritual.
I met her gaze. Her eyes fluttered open, hazy with pain but still full of fire. She looked at Aiden, her lips moving, forming words too quiet to hear. Her gaze shifted to me, her love blazing through the agony.
I was losing her.
The Shadow Bride’s voice echoed through the chamber, a haunting, melodious chant that rattled my bones. The symbols blazed brighter, the walls trembling under the force of the magic. The ground beneath my feet cracked, splitting apart to reveal a searing light that rose toward her, surrounding her in a pillar of crimson fire.
She laughed, a sound of pure victory, head thrown back, arms outstretched. “Yes… Yes!” Her voice was ecstatic, her power swelling, expanding. “It’s mine… it’s all mine!”
“No!” I roared, the beast inside me tearing at the seams. My fangs elongated, claws digging into my palms as I fought to reach her, to end her.
Aiden’s cries echoed around me. “Dad! Help! Mama… Mama’s dying!”
His words shattered me.
The Shadow Bride’s head snapped down, her gaze locking onto mine. “Your choice, Lucas. Her life for his. Isn’t that what a father would do?”
Her laughter echoed as the magic swirled around her, lifting her into the air. Slowly, her body started to shimmer more, becoming translucent, merging with the light.
At that exact moment, Kael stumbled into the chamber. I was shocked at the sight of him. His body was battered, blood streamed down his face. He was barely upright, leaning against the wall as if his legs might give out any second. But his eyes were wild, burning with urgency.
“Lucas!” he shouted, becoming aware of what was happening in just one glance. “You… You have one chance!”
My head snapped toward him. Annika’s blood still floated through the air, feeding those cursed symbols, draining her life away. The Shadow Bride’s laughter echoed around us. I wasn’t even sure if she noticed Kael’s presence.
Kael’s knees buckled, but he caught himself, clawing at the stone. “When she… when she ascends… she has to become of this realm. Just for a moment… one minute… for the final part of the incantation.” His voice wavered. “That’s when you strike. That’s when she’s vulnerable. Her magic… it won’t work on you then.”
I stared at him, my mind spinning. One minute. One chance.
But Annika… her blood was filling the symbols faster, her face growing paler by the second. There wasn’t time.
Kael must’ve seen the panic in my eyes because he barked again. “She’ll be mortal, Lucas! Flesh and blood. It’s the only chance you’ll get!”
The Shadow Bride’s head whipped toward Kael, as fury twisted her beautiful face. Her lips curled, and she hissed. “You dare interfere?”
She flicked her wrist, and Kael was yanked off his feet, then slammed into the wall with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the ground, motionless.
“No!” I shouted, but I still couldn’t move. The force that was binding me tightened even more.
She smiled again. “He should have stayed silent, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Nothing can stop me now!”
Annika’s eyes fluttered, her head lolling against the wall. Her skin was paper-white, her breaths shallow. She was slipping away. And it was all because of the woman standing in front of me, drenched in stolen power.
The beast inside me snarled, clawing at my chest, demanding blood. Demanding her blood.
The Bride turned away, her body lifting higher into the air, the glow from the symbols twining around her, pulling her upward. Her voice echoed through the chamber, chanting words older than time, magic crackling through the air. Her body started to flicker, becoming transparent, her spirit transcending this world.
Then she paused. I could see her form solidifying, her chest heaving as she took a deep, shuddering breath. For one heartbeat, she was real. She was mortal flesh.
I knew this was my chance, my only chance to save my family.
The force binding me shattered, crumbling away like dust. I stumbled forward, the sudden freedom sending me to my knees. But I didn’t hesitate. I leapt, every muscle exploding with speed, with fury.
She saw me coming, eyes widening. But she was too late. Her body was here, tethered to the mortal realm, and as such, vulnerable.
I slammed into her, my claws tearing into her flesh. She screamed, the sound shattering the air, her power exploding outward, ripping at the chamber walls. But I held on, my fangs sinking into her throat, tasting her blood, her magic, her fear.
She was strong, thrashing against me, magic sparking around her like lightning. But she was mortal. Mortal.
And mortals could die.