It was odd living with a man she was in love with, especially considering he slept on the couch they were sitting on so she could sleep in his bed. He would take her shopping for new clothes after school despite his hatred of malls. He stocked the fridge with her favorite foods. On a particularly rough day, he had drawn her a bath so she could relax and be alone.
How could she ever doubt wanting to be with him? How could it have taken her this long to figure it out?
“Ollo,” she said, turning to face him. She briefly entertained the thought of changing into a cuter outfit before she said anything, but on second thought, decided to get this out now since too much time had already passed. “I wanted to talk to you about—”
Except, something interrupted her. Something important.
“… the person responsible for the bomb at Underwood Mental Institution is none other than Bombshell, Noir’s partner,” a reporter said over shaky footage of an explosion probably taken off a phone. “As you can see, the bomb goes off … now, killing three people and injuring several others.
“But that’s not even the most interesting part. See the standoff here?” The video was fast-forward to cops surrounding Noir and Bombshell at gunpoint. “Officers begin to fire, and in the blink of an eye—Horace, slow this down, would you?—you see Noir sacrifice himself for Bombshell. Now, the minute the bullet hits him where his heart should be, he’s gone. Disappeared.” Reese watched the surprised look on Keirah’s face before using the moment to her advantage and running before getting caught by the gob smacked officers. “Is Noir gone from Onyx? Is his reign of terror finally at an end, or is this one of his games? And who is Bombshell? We don’t know—”
Ollo turned off the television before the reporter had a chance to finish her thought. “That’s it,” he said.
“What’s it?” Reese asked, turning to face him.
“Noir just sacrificed himself for Keirah,” Ollo replied. “An Excom chose Purgatory over a human’s probable death. For a human.”
“So …” Reese quirked her head to the side, still not understanding the significance.
“So that’s it,” Ollo said. “That was the start of the war. The catalyst.”
Epilogue
White. No, not white. Nothing.
Nothingness expanded as far as the eye could see.
It would seem he was … stuck.
He turned to explore his new surroundings and saw a mirror. He hadn’t seen his own reflection in … Well, he couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter what he looked like, it only mattered that everyone saw.
He craned his neck to the side, at his usual forty-five degree angle, and hunched his shoulders, eyeing the mirror as though it was his prey. He took a step toward it, and then slid his other foot, following the first. One movement after another until he was directly in front of the mirror. But instead of his marred face, he saw …
Her.
The woman who haunted his dreams.
The woman he died for.
The woman he both hated and loved simultaneously.
She looked perfect, too perfect for his taste, but his J stained her cheek like her fingerprints stained his heart—if he had had a heart. Her deep chestnut brown hair was up in a bun, errant strands framing her full, square face. Her deep-set brown eyes were looking directly at him, penetrating his very existence so even he —a demon, Satan’s creation—believed in the prospect of souls. Because she certainly was looking at his if she looked at him in such a way. Her neck was long and sloped and his lips yearned to place brutal kisses along it, marking his territory, making her moan. Her shoulders were bare and ripe, a peachy-pale color he now believed was the definition of a perfect color.
And that was it. That was all he saw. The mirror curved out, preventing him from seeing anything more.
“You desire her.”
“Wha-t?” Noir drawled, slowly turning back around and positioning himself in front of the mirror, as though protecting Keirah’s image from everyone else’s eyes.
“This mirror reveals your heart’s true desire.” A man walked through in a sharp grey suit tailored to fit his body. “And your desire is that woman in the mirror.” He nodded his head at the silver-framed mirror. “She’ll be the one to save your soul.”
“Hummm … I don’t have a sssoul,” Noir said before smacking his lips together. He hardened his gold eyes, taking the man before him in. Copper colored hair, midnight blue eyes, stocky and strong but shorter than Noir. Handsome, sure, but nothing special.
“Ah.” The man nodded as though he understood. “No wonder you’re here then. I don’t get a lot of you. Normally, you just die and then pfffft, goner. You don’t exist anymore. But you, you’re here.” He pointed at Noir. “You’ve got a savior, my friend. Thank your lucky stars. I’ve never heard of one of your kind having a personal savior.”
Noir narrowed his eyes, cocking his head to the side once more. “Um, who are you?” he asked.
The man kept smiling. “Wilson,” he said with a firm nod. “Tucker Wilson. You might also know me as Hades. Pleased to meet you. Welcome to Purgatory.”
Acknowledgments
I dedicate this book to my readers, and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. This is my first official sequel, and without the love you had for Awaken, there would be no Catalyst. In fact, without the love you’ve shown for Saving Smiles, Brighter than Anyone, Fatal Attraction, and Closer, there would be no Awaken. So thank you for sticking with me, reading, and reviewing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
My mom and my brother. Patrick, you’ve taught me more than I could ever imagine, and you challenge me to be a better analytical thinker.
Italy and Barcelona, where the majority of this book was written. You were beautiful, unforgettable.
Desi, for her amazing cover design. As usual, her designs take my breath away.
Melanie, for taking the time to go over my work, giving me your comments, and having a conversation about this story and characters. I trust you implicitly. Thank you.
Frank, as usual. My husband. My soul mate. My everything. Thank you for being exactly who you are and making me a better writer with your millions and millions of questions and points. I love you.
Kylee, my love. Jacob, my bae. Josh, my smartypants.
Sacrifice: Book 3 in The Dark Paradise Trilogy
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Catalyst: Book 2 of The Dark Paradise Trilogy Page 31
