Chapter 25 #2
He stands still for a moment, catching his breath while staring at the master bedroom door. That room used to belong to Gabriel. The room beside it is where I stayed before the wedding ceremony. The suffocating darkness radiating from behind the door confirms that Alastair’s there.
“Yeah. I can feel him. That aura’s crushing everything around it.”
Harlow’s expression hardens. “He’s waiting for us.”
The connection breaks as he opens the door. I step into the room behind him. The first thing that hits me isn’t the sight. It’s the smell.
Rot.
The stench assaults me so violently that I throw an arm over my nose. Moonlight spills weakly through the window. Near it, a dark silhouette sits motionless in a chair. I force myself to look deeper into the room.
Then I see what is causing the smell. My stomach lurches violently. I gag.
“Oh, Goddess...” Mythril groans. “This is horrific.”
“I... I can’t...” I choke out, covering my mouth.
No. This is insanity.
I never believed Alastair could descend this far into madness. The room looks exactly like the labyrinth cave where Harlow and I discovered the corpse before. Exactly the same, except this time there are far too many bodies to count.
These bodies are offerings. Sacrifices for black magic. Flies swarm everywhere. Maggots crawl across pale flesh scattered along the walls.
Whoever did this left the corpses here to rot slowly. Dried blood stains the floor. Crimson magic circles are painted onto their bodies.
Their faces are gone. No one can be identified anymore. Only their clothing and shoes remain recognizable.
“You okay?” Harlow asks quietly through the link.
He turns toward me and instinctively raises a hand, trying to shield my eyes from the nightmare. I catch his wrist before he can.
“No,” I answer. My throat tightens. “But at this point, I’ve seen everything.”
A low chuckle echoes through the room. The sound cuts through the silence like a blade. The figure by the window slowly rises from the chair. Then he turns toward us.
Harlow and I shift into fighting stances. Ready for battle.
“Alastair! Stop this madness right now!” I shout at the figure.
“Well now, Alexa. I’ve missed you something fierce.” The voice that answers is hoarse, nothing like the Alastair I once knew.
“You already lost that chance.” My words come out in a threatening hiss.
Alastair stops walking. “Aw, I heard all about the wedding.” His mouth twists into a smile. “Shame I gotta make Harlow my next offering. You still had yourself a choice, Alexa. Marry me and become my Luna, or lie down here beside Harlow.” The massive man gestures toward the row of corpses.
“In your dreams.” Harlow growls. “I’ll kill you before I ever let you lay a hand on her.”
“Did you really do all this?” I demand, raising my voice. “You used black magic to summon the Lord of Darkness?”
“There y’all go again.” Alastair sighs dramatically. “The Lord of Darkness ain’t near as bad as folks make him out to be. Believe me. He just wants to reclaim what’s rightfully his.” He tilts his head. “Ain’t that exactly what you’re trying to do yourself?”
“Whatever his goal is, nobody has the right to use magic like this!” My voice echoes through the room. I thrust a hand toward the horrific remnants of the ritual surrounding us. “They had families, Alastair. People who loved them, and you destroyed all of it.”
“Did I?” Alastair asks quietly. “Trust me, sweetheart. They were already alone.”
He snaps his fingers. The chandelier overhead bursts to life. I inhale sharply. The room becomes fully illuminated, and my entire body freezes.
Heads. Mounted on the wall like a hunter’s trophies. My heartbeat slams against my ribs so violently it feels as though my chest might crack open.
“Goddamn it, Alastair.” Harlow’s voice comes out rough. “What the hell is this?” Both his hands rise to his head. His fingers clutch his hair as he stares in horror.
My gaze moves across the wall. One face after another. Mrs. Geeny. Lorraine. Gabriel. And... Alpha Romero.
The breath leaves my lungs. Heat rushes into my face. My blood boils beneath my skin. Tears blur my vision before I even realize they’re falling.
“Why?” My voice breaks. “No... no, no, no...” I can’t stop the sob that escapes. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry until this is over, that I would stay strong. But seeing them displayed like this, stripped of every shred of dignity, destroys something inside me.
“Why?” I choke out between sobs. “Why would you do this?”
Alastair frowns as though he’s the one being unreasonable. He raises one hand into the air and speaks like a prophet delivering divine truth.
“What else was I supposed to do?” he asks. “I got tired of being trapped. We were always stronger than humans. We could’ve ruled this world. But that Moon Goddess whore wouldn’t let us be free.”
“Hell no. Did that bastard just call the Moon Goddess a whore?” Mythril snarls inside my head.
The thought alone sends a violent surge of fury through me. Her rage explodes through our bond, pouring into my veins like wildfire.
“That’s it. You’re going straight to hell,” Harlow growls.
His body expands, bones crack, and muscles swell. Gray fur erupts across his skin as he transforms into a massive Lycan.
Alastair answers with a crooked grin. “I was already in hell.”
His body twists and expands. Gray fur tears through his skin. Within seconds, a towering gray Lycan nearly seven feet tall stands before us, his head almost brushing the chandelier overhead.
I react instantly. Shadow magic surges from beneath the floor. Black tendrils erupt around Alastair’s ankles and lock his feet in place. The shadows tighten like chains.
It’s enough to give Harlow an opening. At super speed, Harlow launches himself forward. Claws flash through the darkness. Flesh tears. Blood sprays.
Alastair’s body is shredded before he can even fully react. But while his legs are trapped, his arms remain free. Too late, I realize my mistake. His massive arm swings. The impact comes so fast I barely see it. Harlow’s body crashes into the wall hard enough to shake the room.
“Harlow!” I instinctively react toward him.
“I’m fine. Stay where you are.” His voice enters my mind even as he grimaces on the floor, clutching his ribs.
Alastair slowly turns toward me. “Funny thing,” he says. His eyes narrow as he studies me. “Why didn’t you attack me too?”
His gaze drops toward the shadows wrapped around his feet. Then understanding flashes across his face.
“Well, now.” He smiles. “You’re the one holding me here.” His eyes rise back to mine. “So that’s the price, ain’t it? You bind me with shadows... and bind yourself right along with me.” He knows how my magic works.
Alastair opens his jaws wide. A monstrous growl erupts from deep within his chest. Red energy gathers between his teeth. The power swells so quickly that the air itself seems to tremble. Then the crimson beam tears across the room straight toward me.