Chapter 50
Alaric
A few minutes earlier…
My arrogance had killed me, taken me from my soul-bonded mate before our time.
By the goddess, if I could go back, I’d make damned sure my witch understood exactly what she meant to me.
And I’d kill my fucking father while I was at it. Brianna too.
Darkness cloaked me as I staggered forward, listening for sounds of angels singing or anything, really, but there was nothing but deathly silence. Like literal death.
Was this heaven? Honestly, it was unimpressive. The books I’d read on the topic had mis-sold the idea of heaven as paradise. I’d seen more attractive dumpsters.
When I turned around, a small pinprick of light bloomed in the darkness. The harder I stared at it, the brighter it became. Instinct pushed me toward the light, a feeling in my chest that this was the right path. I stumbled forward through the heavy silence, my feet making no sound.
The light ahead grew stronger until I could make out thin, spiky trees. Everything seemed dead. A bit like me. Shadows billowed around me like sentient things. They swirled and danced, caressing my skin, whispering as if they knew me.
If I could feel and hear them, surely I wasn’t totally dead?
The shadows thickened, becoming ropes that tugged me toward the beacon of light ahead. An ache burned in my chest, reminding me of what I’d lost, but the shadows soothed my pain.
“Come back to me,” my witch whispered. At least that’s what I heard as the shadows purred in my ears. “Come home, I need you.”
I broke into a run, certain time was running out, and if I didn’t reach the light soon, I’d be stuck down here in purgatory forever. Alone. Trapped in the in-between.
Inky shadows wrapped around my limbs, pulling me faster. The energy surrounding me hummed, making my bones ache. I tumbled through a dazzling spiral of light so bright it hurt my eyes, jolting as I fell back into my body.
Sucking in a breath, I steeled myself for the pain. But the awful smothering sensation of Brianna’s dark magic had disappeared, leaving me weak but suffering no ill-effects.
It took everything I had to force my eyes open because I was terrified this was my version of hell, being forced to experience seeing my mate only to lose her all over again and again.
“Raven…you brought me back.” It was more of a question than a statement, but as her salty tears joined my own, I knew she’d done the impossible.
My beloved had given me a second chance at life.
And I swore to the goddess in that moment that I would not waste the opportunity.