Chapter 60
SIXTY
DEVLIN
“ W hat the fuck is happening to her?” Bash demanded for the one millionth time in the last five minutes.
And like the one millionth time in the last five minutes, no one had an answer for him.
All seven of us stood in a semicircle around Z and Aaliyah, who had gone perfectly still. Z gripped the copper handle of the hell dagger, her eyes squeezed shut, while Aaliyah stared blankly ahead.
But whenever any of us attempted to venture towards them, a wall of magic pushed us back. Our mate was right there…but just out of reach.
Absolute panic rushed through me. The last time Z had used this dagger, she’d consumed dark magic and became twisted. What would happen this time?
The world around us was perfectly silent, as if everyone collectively held their breaths. The only light was that from the moon, slicing as cleanly through the darkness as a knife through bread. It illuminated the gold of Z’s hair, as well as the pitch-black veins writhing just beneath her skin.
Evidence of the dark magic coursing through her.
Corrupting her.
“We can’t lose her. We can’t,” Bash snarled yet again, forking his fingers through his ash-blond hair.
“Shut the fuck up. We’re not going to lose her,” Ryland snapped.
The shadows surrounding him flickered in tandem with his anger. Or maybe it was his fear. Heaven only knew I felt both emotions.
“Ryland’s right. We’re not going to lose her. We’ll figure this out, just like we did before.” The frost in Dair’s tone could rival that of a winter storm.
“We nearly lost her when she consumed the kings’ magic. That was only a fraction of what Aaliyah possesses,” Killian pointed out.
His voice sounded choked and wobbly, and a part of me wanted to punch him. How dare he give up on our mate? How fucking dare he?
But I forced myself to take a deep breath, to calm down and look at things from his perspective. After all, he was the one who’d dealt with her the first time she consumed dark magic. He saw the corruption firsthand.
“Why are they just standing there?” Lupe asked. “What’s happening?”
“At this moment, your mate is trying to decide whether or not she’ll accept the dark magic,” an unfamiliar voice remarked from behind us.
All seven of us spun, prepared to fend off the newest threat.
Peter arched his eyebrows in a knowing way as he glanced from one face to the next before finally focusing on Z.
I hated the way he looked at her. It wasn’t in a lecherous way or anything like that, but it emanated a familiarity that made me see red. How dare he act like he knew her, after what he’d done?
I stealthily moved to step in front of the two women, blocking them from Peter’s prying eyes, and Lupe joined me, his arms folded over his chest.
“Z’s very strong, isn't she?” Peter brimmed with pride, practically puffing his chest out.
I wanted to eat his damn soul.
“What do you want?” A guttural growl vibrated Lupe’s chest as he glared at the angel.
I knew what we were doing was risky and borderline suicidal. After all, this was an angelic entity, not a random nightmare. We had no idea what power he possessed or how he could utilize it. He could obliterate us in a blink of an eye if he wanted to.
But I didn’t give a fuck.
I wouldn’t cower or hide away, not after I’d learned what he did to Z a long time ago.
Bile inched up my throat at just the reminder.
“Z’s strong,” Peter continued with a lazy grin. “But she’s not strong enough to resist this. She’ll give in to the influence of the dark magic, just as she did before, and lose her mind. But this time, there’ll be no saving her. You’ll need to put her down in order to save this world.”
Anger licked up my spine, and power manifested in my palms.
“You watch your mouth,” I hissed.
Peter gave me a droll look. “It’s the truth, Greed.” He paused, allowing his meaning to sink in, before smiling. It wasn’t a nice smile. “But I can help.”
“Explain yourself.” It took considerable effort to keep those two words calm but assertive.
But god help me, that smug smile on his face was a detriment to my self-control.
“I can drain the dark magic from her,” Peter said, arrogance dripping from every pore. He hefted his chin up imperiously. “And you already know what I want in return.”
“No, we don’t know what you want,” Jax snapped. “You won’t tell us.”
Peter shrugged a single shoulder, the corners of his lips twitching up microscopically. “You can either accept my deal or watch your mate die—but only after she loses her mind first. Your choice.”
There was an incessant pounding in my head, as if my heart had taken up residency there and was beating against my skull. I felt both cold and hot simultaneously, and a strange pang lit along my sternum.
Could I handle losing Z to the darkness? Peter had insinuated that there would be no saving her this time around, but I refused to believe that.
Maybe the seven of us couldn’t save her, but Z could damn well save herself. She was stronger than anyone I’d ever met before and had proved time and time again that the word “impossible” didn’t apply to her.
The thought of losing Z made a vicious pain burn through my chest, but I had to trust my mate. She could survive this. I knew it in my soul.
“No.” The single word came out on a whoosh of air.
One of Peter’s eyebrows arched. “No?”
“No,” Jax agreed, his lips thinning. “Z’s stronger than you give her credit for. She’ll survive this. I’m certain of it.”
“You’re willing to bet your mate’s life on it?” Anger flavored each word Peter hissed out.
I could tell he hadn’t expected us to deny his offer.
“I’m willing to bet all our lives on it,” I said firmly.
“So take your deal and shove it up your ass,” Bash snapped.
Z would pull through this.
And if she didn’t…
I swallowed roughly.
No, I couldn't think like that. I had to have faith in Z’s strength and ability. Too many people had underestimated her over the years, and look where that got them? Z had a plethora of monsters at her beck and call and was seconds away from claiming her crown.
Come on, Z.
Fight this.
Fight like your life depends on it.
All we could do now was wait.