The Fire of the Fated (The Chosen Series Book 3)

by K. C. Hamby

  “You did wait an awful long time to Burn. I’m afraid, in doing so, you set your humanity up for failure. The Shadow Reaper and Death goddess part of you was to house your darkness and give it a place to live and work in tandem with your light. And I’m sure Ash’s refusal to balance you by taking his spot as the other Death god isn’t helping you regain control of your shadows.”

  I wait, but there is no comment from my brother. He doesn’t step up to help me get rid of my darkness. I don’t blame him, anyway. I wish I could unchoose this bullshit.

  I could never get mad at Ash for wanting to have some semblance of normalcy in this fucktastic shithole world.

  You don’t need him. He is nothing.

  “I wanted to see if she could regain her humanity without me…” Ash mutters before I can scream at him, per the Monster’s wishes.

  “I’m sure Falen could indeed find her humanity on her own,” Hades interjects, bowing his head toward me. “If she truly wanted.”

  My anger is returning after my lapse of judgement. Why would I ever forgive this bastard?

  Because you understand how easy it is for your demons to control you, is a whisper from the deep pits of my thoughts.

  “Look, is there anything you can do?” Nina asks Hades, pleading with her beautiful lips and ripping me from my warring mind. “Fal is still in there. The Monster hasn’t won.”

  Hades’ eyes soften when he gazes at my Mate. It chafes me, but at least he isn’t trying to kill her, I guess. “I’m afraid I have no control over Falen’s humanity. I barely have control over my own.” He flicks those red eyes to me, still with that disgusting sorrow and regret all over his face. “My dear, you lost it, so you are the one who has to find it.”

  “Come on, man,” Ash cries and walks up to the god. His eyes are wide and pleading, tears brimming on the edges ready to break open the dam and flood out. “I’ll do anything. I’ll fucking be the other Thanatos if it can do something.”

  My brows furrow. I’ve been so horrible to my brother and yet he would do something he hates to help me. He loves me that much.

  Who cares? He is weak making himself vulnerable.

  “I sincerely wish I could help.” Hades puts his hand on Ash’s shoulder. “As I stated, I have much to make up for when it comes to Falen. But I am afraid, even if you chose to become the Death god with your sister, she is lost in the darkness of her demons.” He walks over to me and those red eyes meet mine. “I truly wish to help you, dear. But I’m afraid this is your own battle. You must accept all parts of yourself. You are not able to be a full soul without both light and dark.”

  I stare him down, wanting so badly to believe that he actually gives a flying pig’s shit about me, but I can’t. Not after everything he put me through; I have scars I fear will never heal because of the torture I endured.

  “Your sentimentality is really disconcerting,” I chide and take a step toward him, arms spread out to my sides, gesturing to myself. “Your hands are not clean. I am the monster you helped create. I am the product of some divine need for a sorry soul like me to be immersed headfirst into darkness to combat the darkness in others.” I scoff at him and look him over, disgust making me petty. “You expect me to find light in my shadow-covered world, but you’re the one that helped shut it out in the first place. How hypocritical, wanting someone to see goodness in you when you aid in removing it from others.”

  He doesn’t react at first and this angers me. My life has been turned into a clusterfuck of bullshit because of him. No, he isn’t the only one who made me this way, but he is the only one here I can take my rage out on. He is the only one I would be okay choking the life out of other than my father.

  Hades smiles, but it in no way is comforting. I guess his sorrow only goes so far. I’m reminded of how wrathful he can be as the air around us is weighted entering my lungs. My skin prickles painfully as he takes a step forward, eyes burning red and crown of flames slowly turning blue with heat.

  He clasps his hands in front of him and regards me with the patronizing gaze of a disappointed parent. “How typical of you to find blame in others instead of claiming responsibility in your own catastrophe. Yes, I aided in drenching you in shadows, but again, I did not have a hand in the loss of your humanity. Your actions and the paths you chose to take weakened your resolve to fight for your goodness. And, oh, do you have goodness. Despite what you think of yourself, you are good. Everything you do is for the betterment of the lives of those around you. Even when you are chained to your worst self, you seek to make the world more wonderous.”

  Slap me first and then pat me on the back, why don’t you.

  “Who are you really angry with, Falen?” he asks, watching me without the slightest trace of anything but godliness on his face.

  I clench my teeth and glare at the ground. I deserve to submit right now. I should have hopped off my pedestal a long time ago.

  Being called out on my own bullshit makes me bristle. I’m an Alpha through and through. I don’t like to be challenged. I don’t like to be wrong. But Hades is right in this.

  I have been making excuses, blaming others for the darkness that has overtaken me. I never wanted to admit to myself that this is in anyway my fault. I would never let the Monster take over, right? This is just a hand dealt to me by those who created me.

  I’ve been stupid.

  You’re not stupid, Nina whispers across my thoughts. She grabs my hand and pulls, making me look into those wonderful icy eyes. You’re human…in a metaphorical sense, I mean. No one is perfect and that’s okay. Everyone fights with darkness within themselves and no one wants to believe it’s because of something they did. I looked for excuses for my own pain for years. And of course, I had outside sources that caused me to fall into the darkness, but I was the reason I stayed there for so long. It didn’t make me a bad person. It made me…a person. That’s what we do until we come to our senses and realize we are able to have control over our own darkness, we just have to believe we have the power to tame it.

  I remain quiet, squeezing Nina’s hand. She stands beside me as she always has, even when I’ve been an absolute dickhead.

  Her hand tenses in mine.

  “Uh,” Nina whispers and I squint at her wide growing eyes. “Something is wrong.”

  “Ach, what do you mean, lass?” Eddie asks, walking up to us and studying Nina’s face.

  I resist the urge to rip her fucking eyes from their sockets.

  Come on, Fal. Get it together.

  Nina’s brows furrow. “I don’t know. Something…is happening. I don’t know how to explain it, but I think we need to get back to Olympia.”

  “Shit,” Ash swears and observes me with wary, dark amber eyes. “I guess we have to take the roller coaster of doom again.”

  “You’re so dramatic,” I joke, but it comes out as a snap.

  Goddess, it’s like I’m the unsocialized asshole I was before I met Nina. I’m slowly waking up from this darkness induced haze and realizing I’m being a fucking asshat.

  “I do wish you luck, Falen. I know you are stronger than your monsters,” Hades says and gives a small, genuine smile.

  I hate it and I hate him, and I hate that he is trying to apologize and be my friend when all I want to do is smother him under a concrete pillow.

  “Now, go. Come back soon! I do so enjoy your visits.”

  And in a puff of red smoke, he is gone.

  Chapter 70

  Ash

  We land in the clearing and it’s dark. I check my watch. Three in the fucking morning.

  At least we didn’t have to walk up the stairs of bullshit. And this time when we land from Moving, I don’t want to get sick and empty my stomach.

  Progress, I guess.

  Nina blinks, her eyes glowing bright and a little feral. “Do you guys hear that?”

  Gunshots. Lots of them.

  Eddie snarls beside me and pulls her sword from its sheath. I think I hear Fal growl a chuckle beneath
her breath as I pull my axe off my back.

  My body does a subtle shift, readying for battle. My eyes dilate, muscles loosen, and heartbeats run at a steady pace to center my mind.

  “Let’s go,” I snarl and run into the dark fray on the other side of the grove of trees. Eddie, Nina, and Fal follow.

  But we all stop short when we step out of the darkness.

  They are everywhere.

  Lupi and Poachers alike litter the ground with blood covering their skin.

  “Holy shit,” I mutter.

  There are hundreds of Poachers. Fucking hundreds. There are maybe seventy-five Lupi living on this island.

  Winema and Sloane face off with Poachers, taking them down by disarming them and running them through with their weapons.

  Winema screeches as she flips over a Poacher and slashes their neck with her tomahawk midair. Sloane quickly knocks an assault rifle out of one’s hand and shoves his sword mercilessly through the Poacher’s chest. Thane moves quietly, snapping the necks of unsuspecting Poachers while Hida tears through them with her knives and samurai sword.

  Lilith roars, flipping around Poachers and taking heads off with her katanas, blood all over her face and eyes glowing a sinister emerald, promising death to all who encounter her.

  Corin is his wolf, maple and terra fur drenched in blood, maw snapping into stomachs and throats, spewing gore in all directions.

  “No,” Nina whispers, eyes frantic as they look over this massive shitstorm. “No!” She takes off, leaping and shifting into a white wolf midair. She pounds into the mess of the fucking year without a hint of hesitation.

  “Nina,” Fal growls, and I think I can hear the old Fal in her voice; the Fal who would tear apart the universe to protect someone she loves is still there somewhere. She pulls the rod from her jacket and, when she twirls it, it turns into her deadly scythe. She runs after Nina, blurring out of focus with her speed.

  “Ashy,” Eddie whispers and I look down to her. Her eyes are glowing fire, ready for the battle ahead of us. “I love you.”

  I pull her to me and kiss her with everything I have. “I love you. Let’s go.”

  She nods once before shifting into her wolf and we dive into the mess of bullets and blades. The bullets zoom past my ears, getting way to close to my fucking head.

  I swing my axe, barreling into a group of Poachers who think sticking together will save them. I take off their heads and dodge bullets aimed for my face as I tear the group to shreds.

  Blood soaks the ground beneath my feet. It’s as if I’m running on syrup.

  Bullet casings fly off the ground while I slide by a guy and slice through his Achilles tendon with my dagger. He falls to the ground and my axe is dropping hard onto his neck as soon as he lands.

  Blood dots my skin and I keep going. I keep moving and I keep killing.

  I hold the axe over my head and throw it forward. It slams into the back of a Poacher about to aim their gun at Sloane.

  He gives me a nod of thanks, beard nearly matted with the blood of Poachers, before running a girl through with his blood-soaked longsword.

  Nina takes down Poacher after Poacher, leaping on their backs and ripping through their necks with her sharp teeth. Blood coats the white fur on her chest, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She shifts back to her person like she’s been doing it her whole life and slings arrows from her full quiver in backs, chests, throats, and faces.

  “Corin!” Lilith shouts as she runs full force toward him while sheathing her katanas down her back. Corin shifts to his person just in time to catch Lilith’s foot in his hands and slings her high into the air. Her scream is horrifyingly wicked and she grabs five throwing knives from her waist, flinging them practically through the necks of five guys running up on Althea. When her feet touch the ground again, her katanas zing out of their sheaths and come down fatally on two more Poachers, pretty much slicing them in half.

  Fal makes her scythe into a spear and jams it into the ground before grabbing the pole with both hands. She slings herself around on it like a professional dancer and slams one of her feet hard into a woman’s face. Bones crack as the woman screams. Fal jerks the spear from the ground and, in one swift throw, hurls it through the face of a guy running toward Nina.

  In the same second, she Moves beside a female Poacher. Both hands shove into the woman’s mouth, one clawed grip on the lower jaw and the other on the upper…

  Oh, goddess.

  With a snarl, Fal yanks her hands in opposite directions, ripping the top of the woman’s head away from her bottom jaw and off her fucking body.

  Blood flies, spewing in the air like a morbid geyser.

  The top of the Poacher’s head rolls away, eyes wide and a bit disbelieving.

  Yeah, me fucking too.

  Fal’s face is dotted bloody and calm as she watches the result of her handywork spin before halting in a pool of dark blood.

  Fal has always been brutal. When she kills, she doesn’t do it cleanly.

  But goddamn.

  She is enjoying the destruction she wields around her. She’s…happy even.

  Happy to be a goddess of Death in an absolute bloodbath.

  Chapter 71

  Nina

  Switching back and forth between my person and my wolf is so easy when adrenaline and anger have their hands in my emotions.

  I’m really angry. We warned the Council that something bad would happen. I told them about my vision.

  And what do you know? Something bad happened.

  But it’s only a thought, changing from running on paws to sloshing through the bloody madness on my feet. My arrows always ring true, taking out Poachers with their points piercing through eyes, throats, and heads.

  I should be having a serious mental breakdown right now. But now that I can shift, it’s like I have an inner switch that can be flipped in me. I am not normal Nina right now.

  I’m a warrior.

  Don’t think, just move. Don’t make it anything other than what it is.

  Defending my home.

  A Lupi I’ve never spoken to before is shot in the stomach right in front of me. She falls to her knees, blood flooding from the wound and through her fingers as she clutches herself.

  I slide to a stop. She won’t last long.

  I get the responsible Poacher in my sights and fire an arrow right into his eye socket. I’m down beside the Lupi girl, knees dropping into the blood-soaked ground, before the jerk drops down dead.

  “Hi,” I breathe and put my hands directly on the girl’s stomach.

  She whimpers beneath my touch and makes to pull away. “Hey,” she groans.

  “I’m Nina and I’m going to heal you. This may feel weird.” My hands heat, pushing my energy through the wound and extracting the bullet before stitching the monstrous hole in the girl’s stomach back together.

  She gasps and holds her newly healed skin with shaking hands, blood no longer flooding through them. “Thank you, Nina. I’m Rey.” She gives me a toothy smile and shifts into a earthy-multicolored wolf before attacking a nearby Poacher.

  When the Poacher is dead and her maw is bloody, Rey turns and gives me a yip of thanks before darting off.

  I watch after her, realizing I can heal other Lupi too in this massive, as Fal would say, cluster fuck.

  “Nina!” is screeched behind me and I turn, still on the ground, in time to see someone firing a gun right toward my face.

  I only have a half second to scream.

  Hida steps in front of me and hits the bullet full force with her sword, knocking it to the ground, useless. She takes a knife from her belt and flings it into the forehead of the Poacher responsible for trying to kill me.

  Hida turns and holds out a hand for me and I grab it, letting her help me to my feet.

  “Thank you,” I breathe and heal all her minor wounds before she lets me go.

  She smiles a little before running off again.

  On and on I go, healing, shielding, firi
ng arrows. I try not to zap Poachers because healing is a more important use for my energy right now. I can fight plenty without it anyway.

  I leap into my wolf and run full speed, jumping on the back of someone too close to Althea for my comfort. My teeth rip into their throat and their hot blood coats my chest when I twist my head, tearing apart the muscles and blood vessels that would otherwise keep them alive.

  “Nina, you are magnificent!” Althea yells, wielding her rapier like a goddess of destruction.

  I yip before sprinting toward Fal. She’s taking on three Poachers at once. Of course, she’s plenty capable of taking care of herself…

  I shift back to my person to shoot at least one of the Poachers with my bow and arrow but am immediately tackled to the bloody ground. Me and the guy roll for a few feet, him grabbing my throat and trying to choke me when we stop. He pushes me into the ground, face bloody and smiling.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” I rasp and slam my forearm into the creases of his elbows. His grip loosens and I smack my head right into his nose.

  Ouch.

  Fal makes it look so easy and painless.

  It’s definitely not.

  The Poacher falls onto the ground in front of me, clutching his bloody nose as I kick myself onto my feet. He’s slow to rise, but not slow enough for me to use my bow. I front kick him in the face and jump on top of him, pulling the sgian dubh from my boot in one fluid motion. But I’m not going to be able to get his kidneys…

  So, I stab him in the side of his throat.

  Blood pours out as soon as I yank away the blade.

  I just..I just stabbed someone in the…

  No! Don’t think about it. Keep moving!

  I jump off the Poacher, only giving him one hard parting glance.

  When I turn, I find someone sneaking up on Fal as she faces off with more Poachers.

  Protect our Mate.

  I shift, launching myself in the air, and land on the asshole right before he takes a knife to Fal’s back. I rip out his throat and toss his head to the side.