Chapter 17
Dante was a scream in my head and I could feel his agony burning along the bond and tearing me to pieces in the process.
I had to get to him, but I’d given Kaito my word.
It was time for a compromise.
Reaching out to Hendrik, I tugged our fragile bond. It held, mostly, and I ventured along it in search of the Dark Mage.
Hendrik? I whispered through the crisp air, an ethereal connection whenever I thought of Dante.
A response pinged back. Lily?
Using my bond this way felt strange, at least with Hendrik, but I didn’t have time to track him down. Dante suffered every moment that passed by and I wasn’t going to let Cole break him. I recounted as much of the evening’s events as I could while I kept a brisk pace at Kaito’s side.
I’m not sure if you’re brave or insane, Hendrik countered, making me smirk. But sure, I’ll come to you. I know where Dante will be headed.
There was my snarky Dark Mage.
Satisfied, I slipped out of the heady connection and returned to the chaos of the Academy.
Demonspawn fought in the distance and students scampered across the streets, weapons in hand or claws drawn, whichever was most pertinent.
Although, the attack wasn’t as brutal as I sensed it could have been.
They’d come in smaller numbers tonight, designed to instill fear, not to win the battle.
Because Cole wanted to win the war and he would bide his time.
Along our bond, his mental anguish pulsed a fiery red and I bit my lip as another wave of pain came from Dante’s connection.
I didn’t think Cole had intended to play this card just yet, but I wasn’t the only one struggling with my rage.
He had it in spades and he was all too glad to take it out on my Hunter.
“I’m coming,” I whispered, focusing on the bond between us.
I upped my pace, the pump of adrenaline pushing me into a light jog.
Wheeling around the building with Kaito at my side, we came to a staggering halt only to stare at sheer carnage painting the streets.
If I’d ever had a soft stomach, it had long ago been hardened. Even what memories I’d managed to unlock had flickers of terrible violence in them, but nothing had prepared me for anything like this.
Blood painted the street, the walls, and even lingered in the air, dancing along the thick fog.
The thick black ichor suggested that at least this was Demonspawn blood, the carnage not our own, but it still turned my stomach when I stared at the macabre display.
Dante had done this, scattering pieces of his prey behind him in his rage. I felt his anger and his violence like I felt my own heartbeat.
A low groan of pain from nearby caught my attention and I moved toward it, my gut clenching into knots as it came again.
There was a blackened, charred piece of ground, a perfect circle, and I warily stepped into it. The crumpled bodies of three Demonspawn—or was it four—yes, four—shifted as something… someone… beneath them moved.
A hand pushed free and the scarred wrist caught my gaze.
“Dante!” I cried as I yanked the bodies away. Kaito silently assisted until we unearthed the Hunter. I pulled him into my lap, my whole body shaking.
Cole hadn’t been hurting him.
He’d been tormenting him with his own rage, forcing him to fight more Demonspawn than he could handle.
Black blood streaked down his face and I brought one of my wings over us, cleaning him with my feathers. “Lily,” he groaned, his face turning into the soft quills.
Hushing him, I stroked his hair from his eyes, his molten gaze locked onto mine. “I’m here now.”
He looked up at me, lids low as he reached up to touch my cheek.
“Am I dreaming?” he whispered, voice hoarse. “Or did I finally get my wish?”
“What wish would that be?” I asked.
He smiled, genuinely happy for just a moment. “To die and find you in the afterlife.”
My heart shattered into a million pieces. It broke me on a spiritual level and I kissed him, willing my life force into him.
It reminded me of when we’d first come to Hell, when I gave him the power he needed to survive through my mother’s Blood Stone.
I would do that for him again, but this time the power would come from me.
“Come back to me,” I whispered, desperate for him to shake free of Cole’s influence. “Come back.”