Chapter 93 Dianna
DIANNA
My every nerve ending fired with pain, my skin feeling as if it was being peeled off layer by layer.
I felt like I’d been tossed into a star, made and unmade, born and reborn.
Bone crafted to bone, muscle to muscle, as my body reconstructed itself and screamed to life.
Or was that just me screaming? The floor came into view, and I panted, air filling my lungs.
The first thing I became aware of that didn’t hurt was a soft, warm scent that reminded me of cookies.
Then I heard the sweet sound of birds singing.
My chest still heaved as I looked around, trying to focus my blurry vision.
It took a moment, but a small multicolored rug came into view below me.
What the fuck?
No, this was wrong. Was I dreaming? I was with Samkiel, and we were fighting Nismera. He needed me, and I …
I looked up and blinked again. A scatter of magazines and two cups littered a low table.
I pushed to my feet only to fall back to the floor with a thud, my body struggling to keep up with itself.
Feeling like a wobbly baby with new legs, I tried again.
It took a few minutes, but I finally managed to remain upright and get my knees to stop shaking.
Keeping a steadying hand on the wall, I looked around the room.
It wasn’t very big, but the light off-white color made it seem a little more open.
Someone obviously lived here. Framed pictures and diplomas were neatly organized on the walls.
A TV sat on a long white and brown entertainment center, and I could see a fully stocked kitchen from here.
My heart started to pound, and I didn’t think before rushing to the window and pulling back the blinds. The sounds of a bustling city filtered in through the glass, cars honking as they passed on the street below. People talked as they walked, either to each other or on their phones.
No. I wasn’t with Samkiel because I was on Onuna. I heard a key fit into the lock, and the front door opened.
“Yeah, let me call you back.”
I turned and forgot how to breathe as Gabby walked in, groceries in hand, and her cheek pressed to her shoulder, holding her phone. Her eyes met mine, a distracted smile curling her lips.
“Dianna?” she said, wrinkling her nose. “What are you wearing?”
Her question was valid, considering I was still in my dirty, battleworn armor, but I was too focused on the fact that my sister was alive, breathing, and talking to me to be overly concerned with my wardrobe.
I stalked toward her, unable to keep my distance.
I had to make sure this was real. How could this be real?
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in tight, crushing her to me.
She grunted with the impact against my armor and dropped her bag.
The scent of her was nearly overwhelming, and I pulled back to meet her confused eyes.
“Is this asteraoth?” I asked.
She looked at me as if I had lost my mind, then her hand went to my forehead. “Are you sick? Can Ig’Morruthens get sick?”
I shook my head and hugged her again. “Oh, gods, I missed you, but …”
Samkiel. If I’d died and was in asteraoth … No. He’d … no.
She tipped her head and smiled at me, seeming happy but a bit bemused by my behavior.
I opened my mouth to question her further, but then noticed the bangs along her forehead.
My brows drew down because I remembered when we’d cut them.
We’d watched a show and wanted to copy one of the characters we thought looked cool.
Fuck. I didn’t need the calendar on the fridge to tell me what I already knew.
I wasn’t in asteraoth. I was somehow in the fucking past.
Loud bangs and the shatter of wood and glass came from down the hall. If it weren’t for the loud curses, I would have thought a beast had risen in the apartment and was struggling to escape. I moved out of instinct, pushing Gabby behind me.
“What is it?” she asked, peering cautiously around me.
“Shh. I don’t know, but stay behind me,” I said, summoning a blade.
“Whoa! That’s new!” Gabby said excitedly.
I braced myself as I heard heavy boots pounding down the hall toward us, but nothing could have prepared me for what appeared in the doorway.
Kaden and Isaiah stepped into the room. They were covered in blood and dirt, scraps of brightly colored clothing hanging from the spikes and sharp edges of their battle armor.
It looked as if they might have ported in Gabby’s closet.
We stared at each other for a long moment, then my shoulders dropped.
“Oh, fuck.”