NINETY
CAZ
I feel Selah growing weaker. I see the panic in her eyes as I swing my sword, as I punch, kick, and wrap her in flames.
I catch one of her arms and twist it hard enough to crack it.
She howls, but it’s cut short when I grip her by the throat, ready to end this once and for all.
“Even if you do this, you’ll have nothing,” she croaks, her voice vibrating beneath my palm. “Life won’t be the same for you without a mate. In fact, you’ll never mate like that again.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I grip tighter, and her pale face reddens, the fire fading from her eyes.
“I…was wrong…about you...” she rattles on. “All this…time…I thought you were…w-weak. But Yuri…” She tries to swallow. I don’t let her. “Yuri…is there. I feel him.”
I press a hand to her head, allowing my palm to produce heat.
“You…let me live…and I’ll bring…her…back.”
At that, I falter, and the fire in her eyes disappears completely. She reveals her true self, attempting to appear softer.
“I…made…you. I…made…her. I…can do…it.”
My frown deepens, and my nostrils flare. “It’s too late for that, you demented bitch.”
I feel Hassha coming. I release Selah’s throat just in time for Hassha to slam a fist into Selah’s face. Blood gushes from her nose and mouth.
Hassha doesn’t wait for her to settle. She aims for her again, throwing rapid punches. She whips a sword out and plunges it deep into Selah’s chest.
“That’s for Korah!” she hollers.
Hassha starts to stab her through the chest, but before she can, Selah conjures a sword wrapped in orange flames.
“Hassha!” I call, flying toward them.
But it’s too late.
Selah’s weapon sinks through Hassha’s belly. She freezes above her, and Selah smirks, vanishing from beneath her. Hassha sails downward just as Selah appears on the other side of the sky, bleeding heavily.
Shit. I can’t go after them both.
I chase Hassha while throwing up a hand to try to wrap Selah in chains. It doesn’t work. She dodges them.
A yell rips out of me as I near Hassha, and just before she can hit the ground, I catch her. I swoop through one of the forests and don’t stop until I reach the beach where several survivors are swimming to shore.
“Don’t worry about me,” Hassha says, breaths ragged. “I’ll heal myself. Just don’t let her get away.”
I nod and leave her, soaring to the sky again to search for Selah. She’s nowhere to be found, but I sense her.
“Stop being a coward and show yourself!”
A prickling sensation builds under my skin. Then my ears burn.
I turn just as Selah rushes me, aiming her sword for my chest. I catch it by the blade, roaring as the flames sear my palms.
“You are no Regal,” she barks in my face, thrusting harder. The blade pierces my armor but I hold steady. “You are nothing but a commoner . You don’t deserve the power within you!”
The sharp tip plunges into my stomach, but I don’t stop resisting her. I conjure chains behind her, and they wrap around her throat. But even as they tighten around her, she doesn’t stop plunging the sword in.
“Your power will be mine , Seed of Yuri.”
My back slams into a mountain, and it cracks from the impact. Rocks fall, slamming into us, but they’re nothing compared to her sword.
The pain rips through me, and when she has me pinned, jamming the sword into my ribcage, she slaps a hand to my forehead.
“You’re weak,” she growls in my face.
My energy begins to transfer. I can feel her trying to drain me.
Do not let her win! Yuri commands.
I raise a leg, trying to kick her off. I search for that energy I used before, wanting to strike her with lightning, but it doesn’t happen. She’s draining me.
Fuck . I’m losing.
Her eyes spark to life again, fire building within them. A sneer drags across her face. “That’s right. Look at me while I watch you die .”
But then that fire fades from her eyes. She gasps and whips her head just as a flurry of gold crashes into her, yanking her away from me.
I snatch the sword out, groaning as I send it hurtling away. Blood runs out, but I press a hand to the wound, closing my eyes and letting it heal. When the pain disappears, I open my eyes again.
Selah is off in the distance, but she isn’t alone. That flurry of gold is with her, and it’s striking her at every angle and drawing more of her blood.
I can’t make out what it is, but it’s relentless. Selah tries stopping it, but she’s not quick enough to catch it.
Then, the burst of gold reveals itself, and I can’t believe my eyes.
Willow.
My mate.
The love of my life.
She’s alive!
Willow floats behind Selah, wrapping an arm around her chest and pressing a burning gold dagger to her throat. My heart beats to life, and my stomach swirls as I fly in her direction.
She presses the dagger deeper into Selah’s throat, her brows dipped and her breaths thick and fast.
“You’re supposed to be dead!” Selah jerks in her arms, but she’s no match.
“Yeah, you tried,” Willow says, shrugging. “But like always, you failed, bitch .”
“Willow,” I breathe, staring into her eyes. They glow brightly, like gold rings reflecting in the sun.
“Hey, babe.” She smiles warmly. “I can’t believe I almost died.”
“Yeah,” I say. “And fuck, did I feel it.”
She presses the dagger even deeper to Selah’s throat. “What should we do with her?”
“I know exactly what to do.” Hassha’s voice rises before she does. With a scowl, she comes to Selah, grips one of her arms, and yanks it from her body. Her flesh rips and blood pours out as Selah screeches.
Hassha goes for the other arm, then she goes for her legs. Willow continues holding her upper body, waiting for Hassha to finish. I notice Hassha moving slower with each action, like she feels this too.
“Shit,” I muster.
“Do it,” Hassha commands, blood spilling from her mouth as she eyes me. “Now.”
“But it’ll kill you too, Hassha,” I counter.
“Just do it!” Hassha shouts.
I grip Selah’s head, swallowing thickly as I glance at Willow.
“Hassha,” Willow murmurs.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Hassha assures us as she floats farther away. “This must be done.”
Willow’s eyes flick my way, brimming with tears.
I lock eyes with Selah and press down harder on her head. She hisses and snarls at me as I match her stare, just as Hassha told me to do.
I draw out what’s left of her energy, listening to Yuri as he encourages me. I don’t stop, even as she shrieks and begs. Even as her limbless body thrashes. I feel her energy fueling me, igniting parts of me I didn’t even know could be touched.
I’m flooded with visions of her past with Kronos. The destruction they caused, the wars they were in. Her arguments with her sisters and Yuri.
Then I see her private moments with Kronos, curled around him, looking into his eyes, hoping for more to come between them. She was hopelessly and foolishly in love with him.
I feel the betrayal in her heart when she realized that his banishment was her siblings’ doing. I feel the hatred burning inside her as she drifted through Vakeeli, wanting more—wanting love —but unsure where to find it. I feel the loneliness that she concealed with all that anger and rage.
Her longing for the days when they were simply siblings who looked out for each other. Her hurt when she realizes she can never forgive them.
Selah’s eyes soften as mine do.
And then her body crumbles to ash.