CHAPTER 27
Frankie
My rib cage screams for release as Zarreth crushes me in his arms. That’s okay, I’d rather have a few broken ribs than be lost to this chaos. I hold tight. Thank God his wings are blocking the debris from tearing into my skin.
The wind finally dies down and my stomach settles enough for me to open my eyes. He’s gone. A tight panic grabs my chest and I twist, searching the space.
“Zarreth?” My voice cracks. “Jess?”
No answer. Only the faintest sound of wind chimes as light gathers around me like a prism.
“They can’t hear you.” A gentle voice rolls through, but something about it makes my skin crawl.
My knees buckle, pulling me into a bow, but I don’t feel the ground. It’s like gravity itself obeys her. A luminous hand comes into sight. I’m not sure if I should take it, but something pulls at me. Lightening flickers beneath her skin when my fingers touch hers.
“My child.”
I melt into her voice, soothing yet so fierce…and familiar. I don’t know why. I’ve never heard it, but it feels like that place deep inside you. That place you can only reach when you’re fully present, when everything else fades away, leaving only you behind. She feels like…me.
I finally look up and freeze, caught between wonder and disbelief. Her skin glitters like it's dusted in diamonds. Gold hair falls in soft waves, reflecting the light around us. Wings made of pure light span wide behind her, lightning flashing through them.
But it’s not the wings that hold my attention, it’s her eyes. They’re bright emerald green, the same shade as mine when I lose control. It must be a coincidence, but why does she feel so familiar?
“Do you know who I am?” She kneels beside me, her wings blending into the shifting light.
I want to say yes. She feels familiar in a way I can’t explain, but I’ve never seen her in my life. I shake my head, swallowing down the nerves. “W-where are my friends?”
“They’re waiting for you, and they will continue to wait. I need to see my granddaughter.” She pushes my hair back. “Look at you. You look just like her.”
Granddaughter? There is no way she is a demon. How can I be her granddaughter? “But I’m a demon.”
Her smile sends a warm ripple through me. “You are, but you also have valkyrie blood in you…my blood.”
Wait.. she said valkyrie, as in a freaking valkyrie. But I thought only Theia and Erebus could have valkyrie children. Does that mean… “Are you a descendant of Theia?”
“You could say that.”
“How is that possible? I thought the valkyrie died after the portal closed; plus, my parents are human.”
Her wings come to life once again, crackling like a storm.
“Not all of them. Right when the Gods were banished, I sent my last-born child to the Mortal Realm for protection. She lived, bore many children and grandchildren. Over the centuries, the valkyrie blood thinned—until you. My blood runs in you, Frances. You are as much valkyrie as you are demon.”
My stomach knots. I’m related to a goddess. Holy shit! A god’s blood runs through me. No wonder I’ve always felt a little off. “Is that why I’m here?”
Her face softens, giving me a small nod.
“The portal did not reopen by chance. A scream rose—a cry so raw it split the silence between realms. A soul that should have crossed into the Realm of Hollowed Spirits instead clung to life. Its bond refused to break, even as the veil closed around it. And when your grief answered his, the sound was enough to shatter what the primordials had sealed.”
What does she mean when my grief answered his? Is she talking about Zarreth? Was it our bond that refused to break when I…when I took his life?
Her eyes are warm now even though they hold the weight of centuries lived.
“Your grief awakened me, and I could not abandon my last blood. I rose to stop his soul from crossing and return him to you. But in doing so, I cracked the seal and the portal tore open. Now, something has begun feeding on it, disrupting the harmony and spreading corruption. The only thing that can fix it is the balance of light and dark living inside you.”
I must be misunderstanding. Something’s feeding on the portal, and she expects me to fix it? I can’t even control my own magic. “If it needs balance, then I don’t think I’m the one for the job.”
Her gaze lingers, a small smile forming like she’s waiting for me to see what she already does.
“Balance isn’t flawless symmetry. At times, one power yields and another rises.
They don’t have to be equal to be balanced, so long as they remain bound together.
Nothing in life is ever truly black or white.
Most of what endures is forged in the gray between. ”
Okay…so balance, not symmetry. I guess that makes sense, but I still don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to fix it. “So, what do I do?”
“You’ll know. The portal was first forged from my blood, the same blood that runs through your veins. That’s why it recognizes you, why you feel its pull. It won’t turn against its own.”
I glance around. The light inside the portal seems calmer now, almost like it’s listening. “So, it won’t hurt me?”
I catch a flicker of sorrow passing through her features. “Not as it does others,” she says. “But it will demand a price.”
A price? I don’t like the sound of that. What could I possibly have that it would want?
Her gaze lingers. “There’s one more thing you must know…”
As she speaks, her words hit me so hard I almost stagger backwards. I think I’m in shock, but I can’t focus on that now. The light begins to fade and Theia’s form breaks apart before I can speak.
The world rips apart and I stumble forward, hitting the ground hard. The glow is gone, swallowed by shadow. Voices echo around me, and it takes a moment to realize I’m no longer in the portal. A line of warriors surrounds something in the dust. I push myself up, blinking grit from my eyes.
“Zarreth!” I scream.
His wings are spread, fire alive in his hands. He’s ready to kill. His head snaps in my direction, flames flaring brighter when he sees me. Jess stands frozen behind him, fingers digging into Graven’s arm while he crouches, one hand near his sword.
“Stand down!” someone shouts when he takes a step forward. The voice belongs to one of the females who have them surrounded. They all wear breast plates made of gold, their spears pointed directly at my friends.
Zarreth takes another step forward, voice low and dangerous. “You won’t keep me from my mate.”
The female nearest him steadies her spear, but her expression falters as she inhales “Wait,” she says, almost to herself. “That scent…”
Another glances at me, eyes narrowing. “She’s not human…and not demon either.”
The first one’s gaze sharpens. “Light and dark, both. I can smell it in her blood.”
Zarreth freezes mid-step, fire pulsing under his skin. The warriors exchange wary glances, eyes like cut jewels as they lower their spears a notch.
My pulse hammers as I edge closer, careful not to startle anyone. “What are you talking about?”
No one speaks. It feels like hours before the one with golden hair finally answers. “You’re the one Theia spoke of.”
The others murmur, lowering their spears a little more. “The one who can restore the balance.”
I freeze, forcing myself not to react. How do they know what I am? The last thing I need is to let strangers in on something even I don’t understand yet.
One warrior shifts toward me and Zarreth shoves past her, taking advantage of the opening.
He’s at my side in a heartbeat, his hands cupping my face.
They’re trembling like he’s terrified to let go.
His forehead presses to mine. “Melita! I thought I lost you.” His voice cracks, and the sound wrecks me.
His breath sharpens, confusion shifting across his face. His gaze settles on me with a searching expression I know too well, the kind that means he senses something. There’s no way he knows already. His eyes flick to the female warriors. Whatever thought crosses his mind, he keeps it to himself.
“I’m okay,” I manage, thankful he’s not questioning what they said. I just need a little time to process it all.
His eyes sweep over me again, searching for injury. “Sure you’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine, I promise,” I reassure him, but he doesn’t look convinced. “What’s going on?”
The one with silver hair steps forward, her voice cool and even. “That’s what we’d like to know. Why are you here?”
“You could’ve led with that question,” Jess mumbles, one hand braced on Graven’s arm. She’s pale and taking shallow breaths, but it doesn’t look like the portal affected the potion at all.
“We’re looking for a healer,” Zarreth says, his wings finally tucked back in. “One who can remove poison from the bloodstream.”
“Don’t you have healers in your realm, demon?” Her sapphire eyes burn into his. A thick silver braid runs down the center of her head like a mohawk, flanked by two smaller braids. The rest of her head is completely shaved.
“Not one who carries the light,” he says as everyone comes down from the initial confrontation.
I finally look around, wondering where we are.
The ground’s scorched, split open in places where faint light seeps through the cracks.
The trees are twisted and black, their branches sagging with ash.
A hot wind whips through, scattering black dust across the ground.
“Are we…” I swallow. “Are we in the Light Realm?”
The silver-haired one nods once. “You are,” she says sadly. “What’s left of it.”
“It looks like the same thing that’s happening in the Dark Realm near the portal,” Zarreth says.
Another female frowns, this one with golden hair. She also has braids, but hers are on both sides of her head, giving way to a mix of long waves, beaded knots, and more braids. “We wondered if it reached the other side. All we know is it’s spreading faster every day.”
Graven mutters, “Guess we picked a great time for a visit.”
Her gaze snaps to him, but she doesn’t bother replying. She just secures her spear behind her shoulders. “Come. The Queen will want to see you.”