39. Evelyn
39
Evelyn
D arkness swallowed me whole. I was falling—weightless yet suffocated—my body no longer my own.
Inside me, Eris raged.
You think you can contain me? Her voice slammed into my skull. A thousand whispers and screams at once. You tricked me. You think this is over?
My body convulsed.
She clawed at my mind, prying into my thoughts, twisting them, trying to unmoor me from reality. Images flashed before my eyes—my mates turning against me, the world burning, my body moving against my will. My limbs jerked unnaturally, my fingers twitching with power that wasn’t mine.
No, I snarled back. This is my body. My mind. You do not belong here.
Eris laughed, the sound slithering into my ears. You’re the one who invited me, foolish creature. Her voice coiled around my mind like smoke, suffocating. You’re dead, Evelyn. You cannot stop me.
A violent shudder wracked my body as she dug deeper, trying to root herself inside me.
I will find another way. Another body. Her voice dropped into something cold and insidious. And when I do, I will burn everything you love to the ground. Your mates. Your friends. I will make them suffer. And you? You will watch, powerless.
My heart pounded in my chest.
Then, a cold wind cut through the darkness.
A force ripped into me, latching onto the part that wasn’t me.
I screamed, my body arching in agony as something sharp and unrelenting pried Eris away, piece by piece. Her voice shrieked in my mind, no longer taunting—now furious .
NO. YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME! I AM A GODDESS!
I gasped, collapsing onto solid ground, my vision a blur of starlight and shifting shadows.
When I looked up, Goddess Hecate stood before me—tall, regal, eyes glowing like stars.
“Evelyn,” Hecate intoned. “Thank you for your sacrifice. The gods have secured Eris. Earth is safe from Chaos.”
I struggled to my feet, still dizzy.
“Great. Glad that worked out,” I muttered sarcastically.
Something caught my eye—a crumpled form on the ground beside me. Blonde hair splayed out.
My blood ran cold. “Lia?”
I whirled on Hecate, rage bubbling up inside me. “What is she doing here? I sacrificed myself to save her! The balance must be restored. What was split in two must become whole again. That’s what you said! It’s no longer split into two—I died so that Lia could be whole!”
Hecate’s expression remained impassive. “Both halves had to be undone to break the curse and blessing and restore the balance. Both of you had to die.”
“Both?” I sputtered. “That wasn’t the deal! I was supposed to die, not her!”
Hecate’s starry eyes narrowed. “No deal was made, child. This was always the price.”
I clenched my fists, fighting back tears of frustration. I had tried to save my best friend. Instead, I had killed her.
“There has to be another way,” I insisted. “Please. I’ll do anything.”
But Hecate’s face remained unreadable.
I slumped to the ground beside Lia, gently brushing her hair back from her face.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
A sudden gust of wind made me look up. The shadows parted like a curtain, revealing a familiar figure with massive white wings—Zade.
But he wasn’t alone.
“What the—” I gasped as five more figures burst behind him.
My mates.
Chad reached me first, throwing himself into my arms. “Evelyn!”
Before I could say anything, I was engulfed in a tangle of arms and kisses. Warmth. Safety. The overwhelming sense of home.
Hecate’s voice cut through our reunion like a blade. “Zadkiel! What is the meaning of this? They cannot be here!”
Zade shrugged, completely unfazed. “These idiots threatened to pluck every feather from my wings if I didn’t bring them to the Shadow Realm.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “You guys are insane. How did you even—”
“We’re your mates, Love,” Alister said, his voice low and intense. “Did you think you’d get rid of us that easily?”
I swallowed hard, guilt pressing down on me. “I’m sorry. I had to do it. I had to stop Eris, free Lia, and save everyone from Eris.” I turned to Hecate. “Please, let Lia live. I’ll do anything.”
Hecate remained stoic.
I clenched my fists, desperation clawing at my chest. “I did what was required. I sacrificed myself. I trapped Eris. I paid the price. Lia has suffered enough—more than enough. Please, Hecate. You know what we’ve done. The blessing and curse have been broken. The balance is restored. What we saved. All the lives we protected.” My voice wavered, but I pressed on, “Surely, after everything, you can bend the rules just this once. Please.”
A long, suffocating silence stretched between us.
Then, Zade stepped forward.
“I’ll pay the sacrifice for Lia’s revival,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ll be her guardian angel.”
Hecate glared at him. “You already were. And you failed.”
Zade’s jaw tightened. “I won’t fail her again.”
Hecate shook her head, lacing her fingers together. “You speak as if your presence alone will save her. It won’t. The taint of Eris’s magic lingers within her. Do you truly understand what that means?”
“Yes.”
Hecate stepped closer, her voice lowering with an implied challenge. “Are you ready to accept the cost of what you’re asking of me?”
Zade hesitated—only for a second. “Whatever it takes.”
Hecate’s gaze flickered to Lia’s still form before turning back to Zade and sighing heavily. “Zadkiel, you need to understand that by taking this path, you forsake your place among the angels. And should Lia fall to the darkness, you will fall with her.”
I glanced at Rafe, then at Zade.
Rafe’s brother stood firm, squaring his shoulders as he met Hecate’s gaze. “I accept the consequences. And I’ll make sure Lia doesn’t turn evil.”
For the first time, a flicker of something—pity? doubt?—crossed Hecate’s face. She studied Zade for a long, tense moment before inclining her head.
“Very well,” she said, her tone low and grave.
My mates exchanged glances before Rafe stepped forward, addressing the goddess. “We’re also willing to pay to get Evelyn back. I’ll give up my longevity.”
Ryker said, “My strength.”
“I’ll give up some of my stamina,” Chad said. “But not in the bedroom,” he added with a wink.
Lucien rolled his eyes. “Whatever is needed.”
Alister looked pained. “I’m human now. I have nothing to give unless you want my life.”
Love swelled in my chest, nearly choking me with the lengths they were willing to go to bring me back to life.
These idiots. My idiots.
I looked at Hecate. “Not Alister’s life.”
Hecate’s gaze swept over us, and for the briefest moment, her lips twitched with what almost looked like a smile.
“I suppose, as a gesture of gratitude, I can make an exception one last time,” Hecate claimed, a trace of warmth in her voice. “Thank you, Evelyn. For everything.”
The goddess waved her hand, and the world spun.
Suddenly, we were back on the battlefield.
I stumbled, disoriented, then spotted Lia nearby. I rushed to her side as she stirred.
“Lia!” I gasped.
Her eyelids fluttered open, showing brilliant blue eyes—not the stormy gray I’d known for years.
Lia blinked up at me, confusion etched on her face. “Evelyn? Your eyes…they’re brown.”
The curse was truly broken.
“We did it,” I said, helping her sit up.
My mates crowded around us, and for a moment, we just held each other. The weight of everything we’d been through crashed over me, and I let out a shaky laugh that was half sobbing.
“Wait,” I said suddenly, looking around. “Where’s Zade?”
Rafe’s gentle voice answered with a hint of pride in his tone. “He’s on duty now. Remember?”
I smiled, picturing Zade’s stoic face. “I hope Lia appreciates his sunny disposition.”
Chad snorted.
I felt a warmth spread through me. We’d faced death and gods, and somehow, we’d made it through.
Together.