Chapter Twenty-Three
Farren
“Mate, you need to back the fuck up,” Khaos warns. “The only reason you are getting some leeway right now is because we like you.”
Nico shakes his head and takes a step toward me. “What the fuck is he playing at?”
“I don’t know what is going on, but that’s the name that Nico told me to tell you,” I explain calmly. I know that I need to handle this delicately, but I also know that he needs to know that I am being serious.
Rast roars. More of a beast than a man right now. Instinctively, I know that he would never hurt me, but saying Nico’s name has clearly affected him.
Nico moves between us quicker than the eye can see, puts his hands on Rast’s chest, and pushes him backward so he’s no longer all up in my face.
Rast stares up from the ground in shock as he lands with a thud.
“You didn’t push me,” he mutters, sounding confused.
There wasn’t much space between Rast and me anyway, so I start to lose my balance and grab onto Nico’s shirt, pulling it free of his trousers. My fingertips brush against his skin, and he shudders, glancing over his shoulder at me in wonder and pure shock.
The realm trembles beneath me, and my magic swells like it usually does when I arrive here injured. I have no control, and I try to move my hand to move away from Nico, but before I can, a blast of magic releases from me into Nico.
He glows and shudders, spinning around and giving his back to a deathly pale Rast.
Nico’s hands gently cup my face.
Panicked, he asks, “What did you do, Pretty Girl?”
“Nico?” Rast whispers brokenly.
“I . . .” I open my mouth to hopefully deliver a scathingly brilliant, sarcastic comment, but before I can, pain seizes my whole body, a scream lodges in my throat, and my world goes black.
I’m briefly aware of arms catching and frantic questions before I’m pulled into a nothingness like nothing I have felt before.
Nico
“What the fucking is going on?” Hades asks sharply as Rival takes Farren out of my arms, and I reluctantly let her go.
I don’t want to let her go, but I don’t want to make the situation worse, and I know that this doesn’t look great.
Before I can answer anything, I’m pulled into a tight hug, and I hug Rast back just as tightly.
I’ve been with him since I died, right up until he left the realm on the orders of those twisted cunts.
I had no idea if I was ever going to see him again.
I thought he was dead, that’s what they intended to happen to him after all.
I tried my hardest to warn him about what was really going on, but he never heard me.
It’s going to take me a while to process what the fuck just happened.
What the fuck just happened?
“Rast,” I say urgently as I pull back. “I want to have this reunion with you, but she brought me back.”
Rast’s eyes open wide in horror as the realisation of the consequences of what just happened hits him, and his gaze searches Farren’s form.
“I don’t like that fucking look,” Reaper growls, Ryu at the forefront. “Tell me what the fuck is wrong with Farren right now, or I’m going to start eating people.”
I grimace. He’s definitely going to eat me.
“Is she breathing?” Rast asks before I can explain anything.
Rival nods, “Yes.”
“I was dead,” I reply. “Farren somehow made it so I’m not dead anymore.”
“Is that what’s wrong with her? She used too much magic,” Loki asks, but there’s fear in his eyes like he knows what’s really going on.
Rast’s voice is dead as he replies, “A life for a life.”
Horror darkens their features, quickly followed by dark rage as they all step forward. I don’t move, I don’t try to defend myself, I never would have wanted her to swap my life for hers.
Never.
Maybe if they end me, then she will be okay?
Maybe that would undo what’s been done before it's too late.
The same thought is clearly crossing their minds as well as they all ready their magic to attack me.
A deadly howl echoes through the shadows as a beast I thought to be long extinct leaps from the surrounding darkness and stands in front of me.
Protecting me?
Suddenly, Farren appears in front of me and the beast, Rival looking shocked as he stares down at his arms, which are still in the position they were when they were holding her.
The beast moves to the side, out of the way of Farren as she keeps her eyes on her men, and takes a step backward towards me.
My fingers twitch, wanting to reach for her, and I ball them into fists and shove them in my pockets.
What the hell.
The beast is watching us both closely, while still keeping an eye on Farren’s men who have all frozen.
“How the fuck did she get over there so quickly?” Mayhem asks, staring at his twin who was holding Farren only moments ago.
Farren sways on her feet, and I immediately reach out, steadying her. She surprises me as she leans back on me, and the others growl loudly.
She points at them, “Don’t touch, Nico. Not a threat.” She looks at the beast beside her and pats it like it’s a dog and not a creature of fire and brimstone. “Good boy. Don’t let them hurt Nico.” She looks up at me, “Catch me, I’m going to pass out again.”
I have seconds to react as she does exactly what she says and passes out cold. Catching her in my arms, I lift her up as I look at her with a confused frown.
What the fuck just happened?
“I think that you two had better do some explaining,” Storm says, and while he sounds calm, he very definitely isn’t.
“She shouldn’t be alive,” Rast says as he stares at her with concern. He’s closer to me than any of the others are, but he just looks lost.
I don’t blame him. In the past few minutes, his best friend has been brought back from the dead, the woman he’s falling for has sacrificed herself in order to do it, although she’s not dead yet, which is also confusing, and a creature from the ancient times has appeared and is guarding his ex-dead best friend and the woman he’s falling for.
Damn.
“Of course she’s alive,” Laikynn says as he moves out of the shadows with Poca.
Poca and Laikynn both pause as they look at the ancient beast still guarding Farren and me, and then I could swear I see amusement flash through their expressions.
Laikynn is another member of this group who is a lot more than he appears, case in point, he doesn’t look surprised to see me, and he definitely should.
“So she isn’t going to die?” Mayhem asks, his voice deceptively calm and quiet.
I think out of all of them, it may be him that I would be the most cautious around.
The others wear their violence for all to see, and while Mayhem does that to a certain extent, I sense that he is hiding a lot.
It’s always best to be cautious around creatures like that.
Laikynn shakes his head, “No, she isn’t going to die. But she is likely to be unconscious for a while. She expended a lot of magic that she hasn’t ever used before.”
“Thank fuck,” Khaos breathes out, running his hand through his hair and looking like the last few minutes took years off his life.
I can’t say that I blame him.
Loki steps forward and gestures to Farren. Reluctantly, I start to shift her in my arms so I can hand her over. She isn’t mine to hold.
“No,” Farren mutters as her fist clenches in my shirt.
My eyes widen.
Loki shakes his head like he’s not really surprised, but I frown and try to hand her to him again.
This time Farren growls, an honest-to-goodness growl, and it’s the cutest damn thing that I have ever heard.
I can’t keep the smile off my face, and I’m not the only one.
Loki smiles, “She’s not going to let any of us take her.”
“Probably because she’s worried we’ll eat him,” Reaper grins, but there is nothing pleasant about the expression as he snaps his teeth at me.
For some reason, I don’t feel like I’m actually in danger. Which is odd because it certainly looks like I am.
None of these supernaturals are the kinds that should ever be messed with or underestimated.
The beast sitting next to me lets out a low rumble at Reaper, but stays where he is, and to me it sounds like it’s a half-hearted kind of rumble, a warning, not a serious one.
Ah, maybe that’s why I feel safe.
There’s a giant ancient beast that’s under the control of the passed-out woman in my arms, guarding me.
Yep, that’ll do it.
I think I’ve lost it.
I suppose that dying and then coming back to life will do that to a person.
Fuck.
I’m alive.
My ass hits the floor, Farren barely jostling in my arms as I make sure to keep her safe.
Sympathy crosses some of the guys' faces.
Ah, good. They don’t completely hate me, then. I’m glad, although I’m not sure why it matters to me, but then again, I’m really not sure of much anymore.
I haven’t been for a long time.
“Do not worry, I will guard you while you get to the bottom of this,” Laikynn says. He adds, “I have a feeling that not much would dare to come near you while you are being guarded by the beast.”
“What is it?” Rival asks curiously, as he looks at the beast.
“Ancient.”
That’s the only answer that Laikynn gives before he turns and disappears into the darkness with Poca, Meri curled up on his back still, and I watch as Oryn flaps his wings, but instead of following them out into the surrounding darkness, he shocks me by coming to land next to the beast.
“Alright, why don’t you two fill us in?” Storm suggests, looking between Rast and me before his eyes settle back on Farren.
“Maybe start with how you know each other,” Mayhem adds when both Rast and I stay silent.
“We grew up together,” Rast explains rather sparsely.
I roll my eyes, “As awesome as ever at sharing shit, mate.” Moving my attention to the now amused-looking others, I add, “We’re best friends, brothers.”
“Not actually related,” Rast adds.
I smirk, “I think they got that.”
“You’re not explaining it right,” Rast shoots back.
I try not to look amused as I fall into the easy routine of this argument. “You weren’t explaining it at all.”
“I was!”
“Yeah, you two are definitely as close as brothers,” Loki smirks.
“So, what happened?” Kill asks.
My grin falls off my face. “I died.”
“You were murdered,” Rast corrects, anger flashing across his features.
The silence that falls over us all is heavy. I steel myself, ready for their questions.
“And somehow Farren managed to bring you back,” Hades mutters, his eyebrows drawn down in confusion.
I try not to look surprised, so they don’t realise that they haven’t asked me about it and want details.
If I can help it, I really don’t want to have to give them any details. It is not a pleasant tale to tell, especially since I remember it so vividly.
I mean, why did I have to remember my death so clearly but not what I learned when I was in Tèarmann?
“She should be dead,” Rast repeats. “Everything needs balance. Hence, if this realm dies, it could throw the true balance off. Farren brought someone who was dead back to life, which should mean that her life is forfeit, and yet she’s not dead.”
“Maybe it’s because this realm is on the edge of oblivion anyway?” Kill asks. “So the usual rules no longer apply here?”
“Or it could be that Nico was never supposed to die,” Mayhem says thoughtfully. “If he wasn’t supposed to die, then the balance would have been off anyway, and actually what Farren did was fix it.”
This time, we all fall silent for a different reason as we stare at Farren in awe.