Chapter 33
Alexander
It was finally happening.
Alexander stared at the sun as it rose over the horizon, painting the sky in bright shades of orange and gold that slowly faded into white.
He drew in a steady breath of the morning air, though it carried a faint, bitter scent of sulphur, and allowed himself a brief moment to feel the warmth on his skin.
It was a beautiful day to die.
He turned to his right, his eyes searching through the crowd until he found Boaz somewhere among them, standing ready to face whatever would come through the veil.
His love.
Alexander’s gaze lingered on him. He hoped Boaz would survive this. He hoped his sacrifice would be worth it.
Whispers filled the silence as the sun climbed higher, and Alexander could feel the weight of every gaze on him. He looked around and saw shock reflected in their faces. They couldn’t believe he was standing in the sunlight.
Manlius stepped up beside him. He was dressed in a white robe, his hair neatly combed back, every inch the sorcerer he was. Only a pointy hat seemed to be missing.
“You really are something else, huh?” he said, placing a hand on Alexander’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I didn’t wake up the same,” Alexander said.
“I can see that,” Manlius replied with a quiet laugh. But his smile faded as he looked toward the horizon, his expression tightening.
“Can you see it?” Alexander asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Manlius said. The sorrow in his eyes tightened something in Alexander’s chest. “I’ll make it visible now.”
He held Alexander’s gaze for a tense moment. “You’re going to feel it, Your Majesty,” he warned. “My powers are going to consume your life force. You may want to stand back.”
“No,” Alexander said, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. “I’m going to fight for as long as I can.”
“Alright,” Manlius said quietly, then turned toward the horizon.
He began to chant, his voice rising and spreading across the field. Goosebumps rose along Alexander’s skin, and the hairs at the back of his neck lifted as if an invisible hand had dragged nails down his spine.
The air around them shimmered. Silver threads began to appear, catching the morning light as they stretched into view.
A gasp went through the field as everyone turned toward the slowly appearing veil. The tear in its center widened, resembling a yawning chasm, but it was not fully open. Nothing could come through. Not yet.
Manlius gasped and lifted his hands higher, his voice dropping deeper as he chanted faster.
Alexander staggered slightly, a sudden wave of lightheadedness washing over him. He forced it down, tightening his grip on his sword as the veil became clearer and clearer until it pulsed before them like a living wound in the air.
Killan came running toward them.
“I can see it. I can see the veil. You got your powers back,” Killan said, a smile spreading across his lips. “Perhaps we can win this fucking war.”
Hope surged in Alexander’s chest, but it faded quickly when he saw what was happening in the underworld.
“Shit,” Manlius murmured as they looked through the chasm.
It was a bloodbath. Demons were being slaughtered, their blood smearing across the veil. And right before their eyes, the chasm began to grow.
“They’re widening the chasm!” Alexander shouted, moving to stand a few feet from the opening. He heard footsteps behind him as everyone moved to flank him.
“Killan, help me reinforce the barrier. If they break through before I lose the veil, we can keep them trapped,” Manlius said, already running toward the edge of the field where the fae had conjured a barrier the night before.
Alexander turned back to the chasm and watched it widen further as more demons fell. The smell of sulphur grew stronger in the air.
Manlius returned a few moments later with Killan and several witches and fae. He glanced at Alexander before stepping in front of him, blocking the chasm from view.
“How are you holding up?” he asked as he raised his arms, and the others did the same.
“Like I’m slowly dying,” Alexander said with a faint smile.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Manlius said, shaking his head, though admiration shone clearly in his eyes.
“Close the fucking thing before they break through,” Alexander said, dragging in a shaky breath.
“Okay,” Manlius said, turning back toward the chasm.
Beyond them, the demons moved faster, slaughtering and smearing blood across the widening tear.
“Whatever comes out of the chasm, kill it!” Killan shouted, his voice echoing across the field.
Roars erupted around them as everyone prepared for battle. Werewolves moved to the front, snarling and pawing at the ground, muscles tense and ready.
Alexander felt a wet nose nudge his free hand. He looked down and found a black wolf staring up at him.
He would recognize Boaz’s wolf anywhere.
“Be safe out there,” he said, sinking his fingers into the wolf’s fur before turning back to the chasm.
They all held their breath as Manlius, the witches, and the fae began to chant. The sound of their voices rolled through the field and down Alexander’s spine, making him shiver.
He took a deep breath as his heart began to race and his knees weakened.
“Alexander! Alexander! Where are you?” a strained voice called out.
Blade.
Alexander looked up and saw Blade running across the field, searching frantically.
“Blade?” he called, moving toward the vampire. Blade looked disheveled, his hair a mess as though he’d been pulling at it for hours.
“What happened to you?” Alexander asked, realizing he hadn’t seen him since the night before.
“He’s coming… he’s coming,” Blade said, his eyes wide.
“Who’s coming?” Alexander asked, gripping his shoulder.
“Drago. He’s coming.”
“How do you know that?” Alexander asked.
“I fed on you and Boaz’s sexual energy. I induced another vision,” he said.
“You did what?”
“I’m sorry. I know it was wrong. I just…” Tears filled his eyes. “I wanted to save them. You have to help them.”
Alexander stared at Blade, then lifted his gaze as he felt the weight of the entire field shift. People were watching them.
Damn. He’d forgotten they weren’t alone.
And judging by their expressions, they had heard everything.
The field buzzed as the news spread like wildfire.
Fuck.
They couldn’t deal with this right now.
Alexander took a deep breath and turned toward the crowd that was slowly gathering around him, the widening chasm momentarily forgotten. He could already see the determination in their faces. They were willing to risk everything for the people they loved.
He wanted Drago back too, but he wouldn’t put anyone else’s life on the line for it. He couldn’t ask them to fight just so he could save his brother. He had already endangered too many people. He couldn’t do it again, even if it meant losing him.
“Is it true?” Killan asked, appearing beside him so suddenly Alexander hadn’t even noticed him approach. “You saw them?”
Blade nodded. “And they’re fighting their way to the veil. We need to give them time.”
“How much time?” Killan asked.
Blade shook his head. He didn’t know.
“Shit. We can’t risk keeping the chasm open for too long. And we can’t leave them there again.”
“We fight for as long as we can,” Alexander said. “But if it gets bad and they’re not here, we close the chasm.”
Everyone around him nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” Killan said, before running back toward Manlius.
Alexander turned to Blade, who stood with his arms folded tightly across his chest, looking shaken.
“Are you alright?” he asked, pulling him closer.
Blade let out a sharp breath and buried his face in Alexander’s chest.
“Everything is going to be fine. You did good,” Alexander said, smoothing a hand down his back. “Go to the monastery. You’ll be safe there.”
“Okay,” Blade said quietly.
Alexander gave him a gentle push back, then turned toward the chasm again. In the short time he’d been gone, the demons had made progress. The tear was now almost fully open.
“Fuck. Are we really doing this?” Manlius asked.
“I would rather we close it now,” Alexander said, “but I’m not going to stand in anyone’s way if they want to save their loved ones. Just be ready to close it when things get bad.”
Manlius was silent for a beat. “Thank you for your sacrifice,” he said.
“Stay alive,” Alexander replied, patting him on the back. His eyes found Boaz’s wolf in the front line. “Please, take care of him for me.”
Manlius followed his gaze and nodded. “I will.”
Alexander took a deep breath, then another.
The veil trembled, and then tore fully open.
“Here they come!” Killan yelled as the demons poured through the chasm.
The ground beneath their hooves, feet, and paws shook. Grass withered and turned brown the moment they stepped on it. The red-skinned beasts snarled, jaws opening wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth as they lashed out with their talons, striking at anything in their path.
Everyone attacked as one, meeting the creatures head-on as they flooded into the field.
Alexander stepped into the fray, swinging his sword with everything he had.
Rage roared through him, and he let it take hold, burning through his blood and sharpening his focus.
His claws lengthened into talons as he tore forward, abandoning caution as he met the demons head-on, cutting through them as if they were nothing.
Magic crackled through the air as witches cast their spells, melting demons where they stood.
Alexander cried out as the beast within him surged forward, taking control of his body. He fought viciously through everything in his path, pushing toward the chasm.
But the demons fought back just as fiercely, raking into him until his body was marked with bleeding wounds.
“I see them… I see them!” someone shouted over the chaos.
Alexander didn’t look up. He kept cutting through the demons, striking down anything that came within reach. His chest tightened as Drago flashed through his mind. He hoped his brother would forgive him for leaving him behind.
He hoped…
His limbs suddenly gave out.
He dropped to his knees, gasping as a sharp pain tore through his chest, as if something were pulling at the very core of him. He tried to push himself up, but his body would not respond.
This was it. He was dying.
Alexander tried to lift his head to look for Boaz, but from his vantage point all he could see were rushing feet and scorched ground. The ground seemed to rise toward him.
It took him a moment to realize he was falling.
His face hit the ground first, but he barely felt it. His entire body was going numb, his heartbeat stuttering as if it were slowing to a stop.
“No!”
“Boaz?” Alexander gasped as the darkness swallowed him whole.