“Really, Reese. It doesn’t have to be this way. Just let the light inside you go, accept only the Darkness and join us. Bow to me.”
“We’d rather die than bow to you.”
His lips pulled into a tight sneer. “Fine.” I unsheathed the blade on my back, the one that had been made to destroy him. He eyed it and smirked before pulling out his own. I sailed through the air, meeting his blade head on. Sparks burst free at the impact. He matched my moves, each thrust and each strike. Our arms tensed as each tried to push their blade forward.
“You are no match against my strength.” With an effort that tore a triumphant scream from him, he shoved me backward. I staggered, barely catching my balance, and was met with the tip of his sword. My legs bunched beneath me as it dug deeper, slicing through each layer of tissue and muscle in my side. The pain grew. I dropped to my knees, face crushed with affliction as the sword fell from my grasp. With one step, he placed his boot in the middle of my chest and slowly pulled the weapon free. The blade, now stained crimson, rose into the air. The Magal appeared at his side and placed an object within his dirty fingers.
The relic. He had the relic.
Before I could clamber to my feet, black mist engulfed me, blinding my sight. This was what Lavarus had been training me for. Instead of fighting against something I knew couldn’t be beat, I closed my eyes. Slowing my breathing to an almost nonexistent rate, I zeroed in on all the sounds around me. The thump of my heart faded, along with the oozing of the blood seeping from my wound. There was nothing but silence now. The blade pierced the air from my left. The contortion of his body popped as blood pumped through his veins. He was poised to deliver the final blow. One to kill me.
My chin jerked back, the blade only making a small nick across my neck. I took a deep breath, dragging it to my toes as the anger took over. I curled my legs and rolled before he could retract and attack again. As my feet planted on the ground, I ripped two blades from behind me and hurled each one in his direction. A thud from each one caused a sharp intake of air to escape his lips.
The black mist fell from around me and was replaced with the war still raging on around us. I kneeled, planting both feet and hands on the ground. Every muscle in my body went rigid. Focusing on the hilts of the protruding weapons in his chest, I bolted forward. When I reached his unsteady body, I bent and sprang off the ground. My legs pulled close to my midsection before extending and kicking the hilts forward, driving them even deeper into his cavity. I landed on the ground and rolled back into a crouched position. Without taking my eyes off him, I snatched the sword from where it lay and stalked toward him. He teetered back and toppled over. His bloody fingers curled around the relic, squeezing it. I raised the tip of the blade to his throat.
“Give it to me.”
With a knowing smile, he raised his arm in my direction, offering it. I grabbed it. A gurgled laugh rolled out.
“That was your mistake,” he choked out.
35
Reese
He winced. “The only thing needed to use this relic and open the portals was the two of us holding it at the same time.” When his eyes opened, they looked vacant. He blinked once and focused on me.
I sucked in a breath. What had I done? I stared down at my enemy. The person…or thing, I should say now, that I had been fighting these past years looked fragile. His harsh demeanor was taken from him with a lethal blow. Now the impenetrable shroud of hostility and anger were gone. The blade felt heavy in my palm. I dropped my arm to my side, letting my guard down. He wasn’t going anywhere. There was no fight left in him. He only had moments before he was completely gone.
He coughed, spraying a generous amount of blood. His head dropped and rolled over to the side, but his eyes remained locked on mine. “You remind me of her, you know?”
“Who?”
“Nabea,” he answered before his body surged into another fit of coughs. “She was also naïve in the beginning.” His voice was soft, pain laced in his words. “I wish she would’ve stayed that way.”
I hesitated, and then stepped closer. His lips trembled as his body sagged in defeat.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Uneasiness washed over me. This was the end of our war, but why did it feel like something was looming before me? I knelt beside him and took his hand. It was a dangerous thing for me to do. At this distance, he could have easily hurt me if he wanted. But I wasn’t afraid of him any more. Now I was afraid of what he might tell me.
“The Darkness didn’t choose me. It picked her. She was like you. Had so much determination to beat it, but she couldn’t. I was forced to side with her. Sent here to prepare things for…”
I felt my eyes widen as my heart picked up. I scrambled away from him. It seemed to amuse him as his words sank in. He laughed, which caused another onset of coughs. Red now covered most of his face. With one last smile, he sucked in his last ragged breath.
I stood, staring at his lifeless form.
“Reese! Are you okay? I can’t believe you killed him. It’s finally over,” Shayla said, coming closer.
I remained silent, continuing to look straight ahead. Without breaking my gaze, I squeezed the hilt of the sword even tighter. Sweat dotted my brow. The air seemed to still around me.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice frantic.
Dermetheus’s body began to change. Skin withered away from the bone, turning into a black dust-like substance, which started to eat away at the rest of his corpse.
So many words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I was barely hanging on to what sanity I had left. My head throbbed at the temples. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She was the one who wanted to stop this. I was the way I was because of her. It didn’t make sense.
Once there was nothing left of Dermetheus, the substance dropped the ground and turned into liquid. It moved, forming a circular shape before lifting into the air.
“What the fuck?” Shayla screamed. “Tell me what’s happening!”
Before I could open my mouth, the clock at the top of what was left of the bank rang out. The war around us seemed to freeze before every Valk, human, Snake Demon, spirit, and other creatures dropped to their knees. A thunderous rip shredded through this realm, leaving a gaping hole. The sun darkened overhead, turning a crimson shade.
Everyone watched.
Creatures from all the locked realms poured out. There were too many. They slaughtered through those that were still fighting. A burst of fire hit their army and obliterated a huge chunk. The howl of horses pierced the air as their hooves thundered over the ground. I turned to find four reapers leading an army of their own. I recognized two of them. Cade and Steele. I squinted as one other struck me as familiar. Liam!
“Oh my, what a mess you caused, little one.” I recognized the voice instantly. Nabea stepped out the portal, dressed from head to toe in a slick black outfit.
Before I could open my mouth, shots fired in her direction. My eyes darted to Shayla, trying her best to sneak in an attack. Nabea stopped the bullets midair. Each one dropped to the dirt.
“Talgon.”
As if on cue, the beast appeared and drove his blades through Shayla’s midsection. Her eyes widened as blood dripped over her bottom lip. She looked over to me and managed a smile. “Beast mode. Bleed mode. It’s time to end this.”
“No!” I darted forward as she hit her knees and Talgon pulled both blades free. His arms went wide and came forward, slicing through her neck. Her head toppled from her shoulders and rolled in my direction. Heat erupted from my wrists. I screamed as I directed it in his direction. The blue flames burst forward and exploded him into chunks of charred meat.
Acting on rage, I turned my flames at her and pushed forward. She matched my attack with her own, stopping me in my tracks. I strained as she started to overpower me. I bore down, digging my heels into the ground. With a thrust, she sent me airborne. I hit the asphalt with a grunt as the flesh tore from my arm and cheek.
Ignoring the fresh burn, I rolled to my side. She stalked toward me and grabbed my head, digging her fingernails into my scalp as she yanked me to my feet. Pulling down, her knee collided with my face. Something cracked and blood pooled, filling my mouth with the taste of copper. She delivered a body shot, this one to my ribs. Ripples of pain exploded through my torso.
I jerked to the left and swung around Nabea. At her back, I curled my legs into her body and angled myself toward the ground. Pulling backward, I tossed her over me. She skidded across the land in an uncontrolled fashion. Her skull cracked a pile of broken concrete. She touched the back of her head and pulled her hand away; blood covered her fingers.
Growling, she tensed and zeroed in on me, then launched her body at mine. We tangled, throwing punches. She delivered a swift kick to my knee. I bent forward to catch an uppercut and a jab to the solar plexus. The blows took a toll and dropped me to my knees. Nabea kneeled in front of me and squeezed my neck. I slapped at her hands. The blood carrying much-needed oxygen was not making it to my brain, and the darkness was closing in.
“That’s it. Join your little worthless friend.”
Through my watery vision, my eyes bore into her. I shoved back and jumped to my feet. We traded blows as I moved forward. Twisting in the air, I caught her with a quick jab to the temple. She took two steps back and when she came forward once again, she drove a blade into the already bloody wound inflicted by Dermetheus. She withdrew it and stabbed me a few more times. I felt lightheaded.
“Nabea, stop!” Fuzz screamed. He carefully took one step in our direction. “This isn’t the woman I left behind.”
She blinked at him as if coming out of a cloud that had been polluting her mind. “Fuzzaran.” She touched her cheek and looked down at me. “What have I done?” He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her shaking body.
“Fuzz, no. She’s playing you!”
He made a strangled noise and backed away. A bloody spot formed at his chest and slowly grew larger. “Reese.” He collapsed.
A newfound determination overtook me. I rolled over and closed my eyes. The power within me prodded all the electrical impulses. I let both the light and dark take over.
“Give up, Reese. You’re like me. You want power. The Darkness can give you that power.”
I reached for the sword and defied gravity. My feet left the ground. I rose into the air as my body became blue fire. “You underestimated me. I was never like you. I’m so much stronger.” I held the sword out, slowing wrapping each finger over the hilt. Darting forward, I drove the long blade through her heart. Nabea crumpled to the ground and didn’t move.
It was over. Finally over.
36
Steele
I paced back and forth across the room for what seemed like the hundredth time today. Ever since we had arrived in Plamethia, the people here had been pulling Reese in all directions at once to prepare for her honor ceremony. Tomorrow she would take her rightful place on the thrown. A Lordess. Who would have ever thought all those years ago when I met her, this was where she would end up? Of course, I didn’t think I would end up as one of the four horsemen either. But being War suited me just as being a Lordess would suit her.
I stilled. I could sense his presence without turning around. “Cade. What took you so long to pop in and say hello?” I turned around to face Grim. “Been wondering where you’ve been keeping yourself.”
He jumped down from the balcony railing. Funny, the guy had a fixation for hanging out on those things. Of course, if I’d been locked away in a dark cell for all those years, I assumed I might be the same way.
He took a few steps in the room, and one hand swept across the thick material draped over the doors. “You know how Izzy can be sometimes. Tries her best to keep me from doing my duties. So how is everything going so far?”
“Fine.”
I knew he disapproved of me choosing to basically lead a double life. But there was nothing he could say to convince me that I was doing the wrong thing. I had tried to stay out of Reese’s life for her own good, but every day that passed, she became more and more lost. She needed me like I needed her. I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him to tell me what I was doing was stupid. That I should come back to Nekroun Earth.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Cade said as he stared down at me with a knowing smirk. He knew the answer without me saying it aloud. I already knew that.
“Life between two worlds can’t be that hard, can it?”
A slow smile spread across his face lighting his dark eyes. “I’m sure how hard it is won’t matter much to you. You’ll find a way to make it work.”
As if on cue, the door opened and Reese entered. Like every time I drank her in with my eyes, she took my breath away. She was the reason I would do this, the most important thing in my before life and now my life as a reaper.
Her bright blue eyes darted between us. She sucked in a breath as pink stained her porcelain skin. Skin that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. I licked my lips, dragging my teeth across the bottom one. She caught sight of my gesture and turned an even darker shade of red.
Her gaze dropped to the ground, smothering a smile behind one of her hands. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back when you guys are finished.”
“Nonsense, Lordess. I’m only a guest in your home, so you can never interrupt.”
“I’m not Lordess yet, and I’ve only been here a few weeks. I would hardly call it my home.”
After the battle was over and the portals to Rigamor and Agathra were sealed, we had come here. Reese thought this was the best place for her to be now that Nabea was gone. After the ceremony was completed, the portal to Plamethia would be sealed, then all of them would be destroyed. We couldn’t risk someone finding a way to reopen one of them somewhere down the road.
Cade stepped in front of her and took her hand in his. “But it is.” He glanced back at me and winked. “I was really about to go anyway. Seems you two have things to take care of without my presence. Steele, I expect you back when you’re needed, but I know you won’t let me down. See you around, War.” He scaled the balcony banister once more and jumped. His body vanished from sight.
“So you’re really here to stay, huh?” Reese asked with hesitation.
I turned to meet her gaze. “If you’ll have me.”
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
I closed the gap between us and wrapped her in my arms. She practically purred as she straightened and pressed her lips to mine. Within seconds, she was against the wall. My hands trailed from her shoulders to her waist and then dropped to her ass and squeezed.
“We can’t do this now. Edi will be in here any minute…”
I muted her with my lips.
She melted into me once more as I pressed up against her. Placing her hands on my shoulders, she gently pushed me back. “There’s not enough time. I barely got away from her to come in here.”
I raised my brows at her challenge. “Have you forgotten our little visit to Shayla’s bathroom that time? If I recall correctly, I was able to make you scream my name in only a matter of minutes. Don’t tell me I can’t make you come right now.”
She visibly shivered. I took one step toward her. She was my prey, and I was the predator that wanted to devour every single inch of her body. One of my fingers hooked underneath the strap of her camisole. “All it takes is one touch and you’re ready for me, aren’t you?” Her body leaned closer to mine, but I remained planted in my position. I wanted to hear her say she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. It had been so long without her. Sure, the moment in the woods was indescribable, but it felt so short. I wanted forever with her.
Her plump lips parted, the words ready to pass through that sweet mouth I yearned to claim as mine. The door swung open without a knock. Edi burst into the room, surveying the area until her eyes landed on Reese. She sent me an apologetic expression.
I nodded and rubbed the back
of my neck. If waiting was what I needed to do, then waiting was fine. Hell, I had waited for over a year to touch her again; a few more hours wouldn’t kill me.
Edi shuffled over and wrapped her fingers around her wrist. “Come now, Reese. We’ve got much, much to do to prepare for tomorrow. You’ll have time to visit later tonight.”
She looked to me to make sure it was okay that she left. Though it fucking killed me, I knew she had responsibilities. “Go.”
Without a word, she was whisked from my room, leaving me feeling empty.
The hours crept by slowly. I ventured out over the grounds, taking in the sights that this new place had to offer. Then I went back to my room and grabbed a shower before deciding to settle down with a book. I was several chapters in when the sound of the doorknob twisting piqued my interest from across the room.
Reese slipped through a crack scarcely big enough for her body. She wore nothing but a white silk robe and a pair of bright red heels. Our eyes locked. She pushed the door closed without breaking our stare. For a moment, she leaned against it, her chest heaving up and down in a hypnotic pattern that was impossible not to notice. She took a few graceful steps toward the bed.
As she drew closer, tiny hairs stood up on my arms. There was no looking away. I was transfixed with this flawless feminine wonder. Grasping the neckline, she very slowly and deliberately inched the fabric downward. She loosened the belt over her waist. The material slipped over her shoulders and pooled at her feet, leaving her completely naked. My eyes prowled over every curve and dip of body, drinking in the sight.
War Page 23
