Chapter 38
DARCIE
Time keeps its brutal, agonizing pace, but a wave of calm washes over me. My eyes flutter closed.
“Stay awake,” Des’s voice booms in my mind.
My eyelids fly open.
Des remains in the doorway. His burning stare focuses on something behind me.
I tilt my chin up and rear back at the vitriol waiting for me in Adir’s enraged glare.
“Finish it!” he shouts at the Elder before releasing an arc of red light to deflect Des’s incoming attack.
But it costs him.
Adir clenches his jaw and staggers back from the force of Des’s power.
And yet, through all of this, the Elder continues to chant.
Not even his tone has changed.
It’s like he’s in a trance, and nothing short of lack of oxygen will cease what he’s begun.
“Faine?” Lome calls out.
I turn and watch the Immortal race into the room. Green flames lick his arm, and his jaw drops. “You?”
I’d forgotten about the quiet Original.
I try to sit up to see her, but my head spins. Warmth flows down the side of my face.
I lift a shaky hand and wince when I touch my temple. My fingers come away red.
That’s not good.
Dizziness strikes, and discomfort continues to assault me from the golden light trailing up my arms. It’s reached my chest, and I feel it trying to dive beneath my ribs, to reach my heart.
Instinct screams at me not to let that happen.
I shove every ounce of willpower I possess into focusing on the unwelcome intrusion. I ignore the bolts of light flying above me, Des’s vicious snarls, Adir’s hisses, and Lome’s shouts.
The chants continue through it all, but the golden light halts.
That’s it, I address the power. Go away. Retreat.
It doesn’t. But it doesn’t advance, either.
It’s…waiting.
A haze distorts my vision. I blink to clear it away, but the effort falls flat.
Blurs of light soar. Crashes and booms and yells echo in my mind. Dust chokes me when I inhale, and coughs wrack my body.
For a moment, I’m back in that alley in Portland. Helpless. Waiting for the rebels who attacked on the night of my twenty-first birthday to be defeated.
But this fight isn’t between ordinary rebels.
Originals are fighting.
And I don’t know who will win now that Bella is…
A furious roar bellows, preceding a wave of volatile blue light crashing into the room.
My scream catches as I choke on debris, but a different feminine shriek reaches my ears.
Faine.
I grunt and get to my hands and knees, gripping the edge of the concrete slab for balance when my head spins.
Strands of white and green wrap around the quiet Original’s torso, binding her arms to her side, and her smooth skin is marred with burns.
Faine doesn’t fight. She keeps her head high and watches the chaos unraveling in front of her with a resigned expression.
“This is over, Adir!” Thane shouts, striding into the room, taking position on the left. Des stands one step away from the door. Lome stands on the right.
The brothers surround Adir. There is nowhere for him to go.
A shaky breath passes my lips, and my head drops.
“NO!” Des yells.
My neck snaps up, and a gasp lodges in my throat.
A red bolt flies through the air.
I throw myself down.
My hip bone screams when I strike the ground, and my heart is racing, but I dodged Adir’s strike.
At least, I think I did.
Until furious heat scorches up my arm.
“AH!” I cry out.
Red lighting zips up my arm, burning me from the inside out.
“YOU’RE DEAD!” Des roars. A loud clap booms. Blinding white light floods the room.
Pain dominates my senses, but Adir’s scream breaks through the agony. “Finish the bond!”
No!
I try to roll away from the altar, but the pain is too much. I curl into a ball, gritting my teeth, begging the Creator to end my suffering.
The ground under me shakes. Debris falls from the ceiling, but I can’t even lift my arms to shield myself.
My muscles seize. The golden light resumes its ominous crawl over my skin, and panic grips my chest.
The tendrils that will bond me to Adir reach my heart. The edges poke and prod, preparing to weave through my soul and link it to the treacherous Immortal forever.
I whimper.
Please…no!
“You must intercept it, Des!” Lome’s shout pierces my mind. “Claim what is yours!”
“NO!” Adir screams.
A gust of air blows over me, and arms slip under my back.
Time suspends.
I’m lifted up, and my heartbeat slows.
Pain dulls, but it won’t last.
Danger hovers on the edge of awareness, patiently waiting for the chance to overwhelm me.
My eyes crack open. Tears soak my face, blurring my vision, but I’d know the owner of the emerald eyes hovering over me even in the dark.
“Des,” I sigh.
His firm lips press together. “Please forgive me.”
“For what—”
His mouth crashes against mine.
Time snaps back to its normal pace.
Agony returns.
I buck in Des’s arms, but he doesn’t release me.
This kiss isn’t soft or affectionate.
It’s desperate, but not in a good way.
The golden light around my heart sparks, then dives through my chest.
I yelp, then flinch when Adir’s infuriated scream hits me before it's cut short.
I want to look to see what happened, but Des’s arms hold me tight. I can’t move.
The Elder’s chants rise.
Sparks pepper my flesh.
Des yanks his head back, eyes searching mine before dipping down to my injured arm.
I follow his gaze and gasp at the lack of burn.
“W-what—AH!” White-hot power slices through my skull.
The golden light has shifted its path to my mind. It weaves through every cell, burrowing deep, taking possession of me.
Dark flecks burst across my vision.
I grip Des’s shirt, desperate for answers, but unable to utter anything that isn’t a cry of pain.
“I’m so sorry, Darcie.” His breath brushes my burning forehead. “I’m so, so sorry.”
What is happening?
The Elder’s aged voice crescendos. Every nerve in my body fires at the spark of power that emanates from deep within my soul, right before a soft pillow of peace drifts over my mind.
It’s so sudden I almost don’t trust it.
Then a familiar, strong hand settles over my chest. “Breathe, Darcie.”
I inhale a staggered breath. The pain…it’s gone.
I barely have time to register the relief before the world explodes into a whirl of color.
Then—
A black curtain drops.
And I fall into nothing.