Chapter Forty-Two
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Val
“ C arve this, bitch.” For the past few heart-pounding moments, I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to use the hatchet tucked tightly against my side.
Any second thoughts I’d had about murdering Theo’s psycho sister vanished when Monty…I can’t think about Monty right now, or I’ll break down sobbing which will end with me dying and Gilly winning.
She’d made sure I suffered while teleporting, ripping me through dimensions with a thousand times the roughness Theo used on my first trip to hell.
The moment Gilly warped us into this realm, I’d hit my knees and barely managed to swallow the sickness churning in my gut.
Now, I’m ready to send her back to whatever After Worlds pit she crawled out of.
Swinging the hatchet, I yank back and knock her blade away from my neck, ignoring the pain of hair ripping from my scalp. The trick works. It’s progress, but not a victory. Not with Gilly’s claws and the shadow monsters still swarming. They’re like creepy cousin Reggie multiplied by a million.
“Val.” Theo calls my name, yet his voice rips away as something hits him with the force of a speeding truck.
No .
Shadow monsters take him down, shoving him over the cliffside. Brimstone flames shoot from where I last saw him, blazing like a comet arcing through the sky. Heat pulses through the battlefield in a scorching roar.
My thoughts scatter in a million zipping directions. I can’t save him and stop her.
I have to end her.
For Theo and his family.
For my realm.
“Catch.” I toss the hatchet at her. “By the way, it’s cursed.” She reaches for it but releases it the moment the word cursed passes my lips.
Using all the pointers Ora and the others taught me in the last two weeks, I snatch the hatchet and swing with every ounce of strength I possess. I might’ve sucked at magic lessons, but I rocked weapons training.
It connects, sinking into Gilly’s shoulder, and the awful squelching sound turns my stomach.
“Stupid human.” She sinks her claws into my gut, aiming below the armor of my vest.
Shock hits me, and for a heartbeat, I feel nothing. Then, pain—intense and all-consuming pain—floods me, making me scream.
She twists her claws, gouging the open wounds and digging deeper.
A glimmer of magic nearby sends despair through me. If she opens another portal or if one of those shadow monsters come for me, I’m done.
Tears burn my eyes, and blood seeps through my clothes.
A copper and gold streak comes flying toward us, wings glittering in the light of purple flames. The shriek of a pissed-off dragon fills me with hope.
Monty.
He barrels into Gilly, knocking her off me.
Now, she’s the one screaming in pain.
Good .
Monty rips at her wings, tearing at them as though they’re made of the chains he broke off me.
Gilly slashes at him, and he bites at her claws before burning the shit out of her face. Cutting off his flames, he flies to me, nudging me with his snout.
Ugh, he reeks of something vile. I could kiss him.
“It’s good to see you too, buddy,” I say.
Gilly staggers to her feet, and I can’t risk her opening another portal or siccing one of her monsters on Monty. Or me.
“Let’s finish this,” I tell Monty, and he gives what I take as a supportive screech.
Pushing past the agony of what feels like a thousand daggers still tearing my middle apart, I stumble forward. My palm has gone slick with sweat and blood, so I adjust my grip on the hatchet.
Don’t think about the gore, the violence, or the fact that I’ll be a murderer. Just concentrate on ending Gilly’s reign of horror and Theo not having to live with being the one to kill her. If he can live with me after I do this. If I can survive it.
Monty attacks, and I hack until she falls to the ground.
A shadow monster takes form beside me, his white eyes glowing and scary claws longer than my arms. He slashes and I duck, but not before the whir of those bone-like claws zip way too close to my head.
I go to my knees, knowing I don’t look like a cool superhero from an action flick or one of Meg’s games. No, I look like a woman on the verge of bleeding out. Monty covers me while I chop with the hatchet until I’m sure Gilly won’t be getting up ever again.
I’m covered in blue and red blood, muck, tears, snot, and whatever the hell might be dripping off the shadow monster. But it’s over.
Except the shadow monsters are still here, battling the demon army Theo brought with him.
Why couldn’t the awful monsters go poof when I killed the villain like they do in the movies? The one closest to me is still very much alive and present.
Where is Theo? Why hasn’t he come back? Sure, he’s been gone probably a minute that feels like an eternity, but I need to see that he’s okay. That the shadow monsters haven’t killed my mate.
What kills shadow monsters? I remember my failed attempt at taking out Reginald with bolts of light magic, the way I burned from within after the Valley of the Gods, my friends talking about coming into their magic.
I miss my friends.
Pain has me rolling to the ground away from Gilly. It appears I won’t be getting up again either. I press my hands to my stomach, but I can’t stop the bleeding. The pain—it’s less than it was before.
That’s good.
Exhaustion hits.
Or maybe that’s bad.
Through my tunneling vision, I can only make out parts of the shadow monster. Monty breathes fire at him, and he swipes at my little dragon.
I won’t lose Monty again.
I won’t lose Theo.
Even if it means breaking the promise I made him about not to using my magic. How many times has he broken his promise not to leave me? I can’t remember. Hell, I can’t think of much of anything except how loud the ringing in my ears is. The pounding pulse from earlier is gone.
That can’t be good.
Theo will forgive me.
Just as I’ll forgive him.
Funny, right now, I don’t have any problems focusing at all.
“Close your eyes, Monty,” I try to yell, but my voice comes out a rasp.
I draw on my magic, blasting it brighter than I’ve ever dared before. The world goes blindingly bright.
An agonizing burn rips through me, and everything blinks black.