Broken Knights: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 4)

by Michelle Hercules

  “What?” we all ask in unison.

  “I don’t have time to explain. Just follow my lead. Daisy and Bryce, get in the middle of the circle. Quickly!”

  I do what he says, unsure of how this will play out. It’s the only chance to get out of this alive though. Bryce and I join hands and wait for Morpheus to continue. He’s joined our group and, together with Rufio and Phoenix, reforms the circle around us.

  He closes his eyes briefly and starts to chant in a foreign language. As the strange words pour out of his mouth, I sense a new type of energy surround us. It tingles against my skin, connects me to Bryce more than ever. Morpheus’s eyes fly open, glowing a warm yellow that reminds of the sun. My skin gets warm, and then the sleeves of both my jacket and Bryce’s catch fire. Only they don’t burn.

  Now our forearms are bare, and on them, peculiar symbols glow the same color as Morpheus’s eyes. Gold energy billows from my wrists and Bryce’s, forming a lasso around our joined hands. I lose the sensation of my body, almost as if my soul detached from it. Bryce and I are soaring above the circle below, still linked through our hands but now also through our essences. He’s glowing like a star, so beautiful and radiant. He smiles at me, making me burst with joy.

  “We’re finally together now for all eternity,” he says.

  “For all eternity,” I repeat in awe.

  Our spirits inch closer, meeting in the middle. His ethereal face leans into mine, and when he kisses me, an explosion of lights takes place. We’re enveloped by a vortex of raw, primal magic. I close my eyes to feel every single emotion coursing through me. The moment only lasts a few seconds before we’re jolted back into our bodies as if the elastic band connecting us to them stretched too far.

  My eyes fly open at the same time that the tornado becomes violent again. Bryce is torn from my hands. Our circle breaks, and each one of my soul mates disappears from view.

  BRYCE

  The time Erebus bought us is up. The ritual of the infinity band must have alerted Chaos of what we were up to. My body is spiraling out of control. I’m tossed around like dirty laundry inside a washing machine. Pieces of debris hit me, and every time they do, it sends me in a different direction. I can take those blows, but my brother can’t.

  “Rufio!” I call out. “Where are you?”

  I hear no response besides the deafening howling of winds going at two hundred miles an hour. Then Chaos gets into my head.

  “You’re too late. He’s dead.”

  “No!”

  “Your little vow means nothing. You can’t defeat me. Nothing on this planet can. I’m everything and nothing. I’m the void.”

  “Bryce!” I hear Daisy’s voice. It’s muffled but strong.

  The link of the infinity band flares up, and I use it to guide me to her. She collides with me in the next moment, going so fast that she almost slips through my hands.

  “We have to find the others, but especially Rufio,” she says.

  “I know. I can do it. Don’t let go of me.”

  “Never.”

  I close my eyes and focus on the connection I’ve always had with my brother. I thought my ability to sense him was linked to our powers, but it didn’t go away after he was unmade. It’s hard to concentrate when there’s so much noise in the background and Chaos keeps laughing perversely in my head, the sound akin to nails against chalkboard.

  I’m giving my all, stretching my awareness to the max, when a burst of power enters my body, enhancing my reach. It’s Daisy, infusing me with her energy. Together we go much farther into the mayhem until I sense Rufio’s life force, close to the ground. He’s not alone. Phoenix and Morpheus have found him.

  “I see him. Let’s go!” I shout over the cacophony.

  We fly downward, swerving left and right to avoid the shit that’s inside the vortex. I have a visual of them, but before we come within reach, a bolt of lightning arcs down the funnel and hits Rufio straight on.

  “No!” I shout, or maybe Daisy does. I don’t know.

  His body convulses as the energy blast crackles around his body. Morpheus and Phoenix keep holding him, but Rufio’s head already hangs low, and the charred hole in his chest is unmistakable.

  As if our thoughts are also connected, Daisy and I reach our arms forward and attempt to pull the energy from the lightning blast from Rufio. The electric current converges back to the point of impact and then shoots straight to us. The blast is jarring, and it makes all my muscles spasm. I end up biting my tongue, drawing blood in the process, but those sensations are nothing compared to the raw agony of not sensing Rufio’s essence anymore. I feel Daisy’s pain as if it were my own, which is amplified by her still-raw feelings over Rosie’s passing.

  Everything is so rotten; it has to end.

  Chaos has to end.

  RUFIO

  I’m in a tunnel made of light. The translucent walls keep rushing by, becoming a blur. There’s a bright glow ahead, beckoning me. I want to answer the call, but something holds me back. I glance down, noticing a gold cord wrapped around my waist. It’s taut, keeping me in place as my body is sucked forward.

  Something is coming to me, and at first, I can’t make out its shape. As it gets near and the brightness fades, I see my mother floating in front of me. She’s washed-out, transparent.

  “You have to go back, Rufio. You aren’t done with your task yet.”

  “What is this place?”

  “An in-between.”

  “So, I’m dead?”

  “Not yet. You must return to the island and do what I couldn’t.”

  The cord yanks me back, but I can’t leave, not yet. There are so many things I want to tell my mother, so many questions I didn’t get to ask.

  “What about you? Can’t you come with me?”

  Her expression falls. “Oh no, darling. I can’t come. I’ve completed my mission. My time is done.”

  My eyes burn and I don’t understand why. I’m so fucking confused. There was a time when I loved my mother unconditionally, but I’ve hated her for too damn long. And yet my heart is breaking, knowing if I go, I’ll never see her face again.

  “Go now, Rufio. Your brother needs you. The whole world needs you.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  “I know you are. I am too. Tell your brother I love him. I love you both. Now go.” She lifts her hand, palm facing forward, and creates a gust of wind that sends me back.

  The tunnel begins to move again, this time in reverse. I lose the feeling of my body for a moment as I’m sucked into a vortex. And then I’m back in the middle of Chaos’s hell. But instead of being half dead, I’m filled with a primordial power that runs through my veins with the strength of lightning and the fury of thunder. I release it, and it emerges from my body in beams of light. His odious laughter ceases abruptly when a ray of pure energy pierces through his darkness. Instead of being consumed by the void, it cracks it down in the middle.

  “You won’t defeat me. I am everything.”

  “You’re nothing.”

  “If I end, your friends die. The love of your life dies.”

  “You’re a liar.”

  I give everything I have, and the first crack multiplies to thousands, spreading rapidly through his mass. He roars savagely, the sound like an earthquake destroying an entire city. But there’s nothing he can do to save himself.

  I’m the God-killer.

  43

  Daisy

  It’s done. Chaos’s malevolence has vanished in the aftermath of an explosion of pure energy, leaving me in the vacuum. Bryce’s hand slipped through my fingers, and now I’m floating in the middle of nowhere, suspended in time and space. It’s neither dark nor light. It’s nothing. But my powers, my ability to unmake Idols, is flowing out of me unrestrained, and I don’t care.

  I’m not sure how long I stay floating, disconnected from everything and everyone. It feels like I’m slowly fading. But then a featherlike touch brushes my cheek, infusing my body with warmth
. The beautiful face of Phoenix appears in front of my eyes. He tells me to come back to him, kickstarting my heart once again. I hadn’t realized it stopped beating.

  I begin to spin rapidly while I regain the feeling in my body. Tingles spread all over my skin, eradicating the numbness from before. My mind is whirling as my scrambled thoughts try to come together into something that makes sense.

  The crash comes suddenly, leaving me breathless. My eyes fly open, but almost immediately I shut them again, unable to handle the brightness. I swing my arm over my face, covering my eyelids. It feels good to be solid once more. Warm sand cushioned my fall, or maybe that didn’t happen for real. The impact was only in my head, just like in a dream.

  “Daisy, my love!” Phoenix brushes a strand of hair off my forehead. “Are you okay?”

  I uncover my eyes and slowly open them. Phoenix is hovering above me, blocking the sun. His face is shadowed, but it’s impossible to miss the frown marring his forehead.

  “I’m okay now.”

  He helps me to a sitting position, allowing me to see the aftermath of our battle. Only there’s nothing to see but the peaceful white sand beach. The monsters are gone, and the jungle that felt foreboding and evil is not as dense or dark. It’s normal.

  Bryce, Morpheus, and Rufio walk over, coming from different directions. My heart expands, finally released from the barbed wire wrapped around it. I jump to my feet, glad my legs are stable enough to hold me upright. Phoenix’s hand is on my lower back though. My boyfriends surround me, and for a moment, all we do is stare at one another in awe.

  “Is it truly over?” I ask.

  “Yes, I killed him,” Rufio says.

  “I thought you died,” I reply through a choke.

  “I almost did. But then my mother sent me back. She told me I wasn’t done with my mission.”

  “You saw Mom?” Bryce’s eyebrows arch.

  Rufio nods. “I’ll tell you more later.”

  It’s impossible to miss their sadness. Morpheus steps closer to Rufio with eyes narrowed. “Your powers. They’re back.”

  Rufio’s brows furrow. He presses his hand against his chest, dipping his chin. “Shit. You’re right. I hadn’t noticed it until now.”

  “Daisy!” Xavier is running toward us. There’s a gash on his forehead that bled and dried. His clothes are torn in some spots, but other than that, he’s in one piece.

  He pushes the boys aside and engulfs me in a bear hug. “You’re okay. God. I thought I had lost you too.”

  I hang on to his last word. Too. Rosie. It wasn’t a nightmare. She’s gone.

  I suppress a gasp, burying my face in his chest. But I can’t fight the tears that are burning my eyes and drenching my face. I broke my promise. I didn’t keep her safe.

  Guilt and shame take me over. I pull away from Xavier’s arms, avoiding eye contact with him. Slowly, I head toward the edge of the jungle, to the exact spot where I last saw my sister. My heart is heavy and bleeding again. My throat constricts, making it hard to breathe.

  I’m almost at the end of my trek when the jungle parts, revealing the peaceful village I saw before. Children run freely near the small lake the village surrounds, laughing and splashing water around. I see a familiar blonde head in the middle of the fun.

  “Rosie!” I take a step forward, ready to break into a run, but Eris appears, blocking my way. Her hair is as black as ever, but today she’s wearing white clothes, and her face isn’t so pale.

  “You can’t follow your sister, honey.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s gone beyond the veil. She’s at peace now.”

  Eris steps to the side and allows me to see Rosie running toward our parents. They look exactly as they did seven years ago; the only difference is that they’re happy, worry-free. They hug Rosie fiercely. The vision pulls at the strings of my heart. Jealousy mingles with yearning. I miss them so much.

  The village disappears, shimmering out of sight. I wonder if I truly saw that or if it was all a figment of my imagination.

  “Where did they go?” I wipe my wet cheeks with my fingers.

  “Mortals aren’t meant to see Starlight Island until they’re ready to become part of it. I let you see, hoping it would ease the pain in your heart.”

  “The pain will never go away.”

  Eris eyes shine with empathy. “I know.”

  “How could you possibly? You’re a god. Immortal.”

  “But not without feelings. It broke my heart when Magia chose a mortal life.”

  I turn away, unable to withstand her stare. Magia was her daughter, and I’m her descendant. So I’m related to Eris, but I can’t summon an ounce of emotion toward her, and that makes me feel guilty.

  “You’d better return to your boyfriends. Bryce is about to do something foolish.”

  I whirl around. Bryce is kneeling next to Renata, who somehow hasn’t passed away yet.

  “We’ve defeated Chaos. He can try to heal her now.”

  “Oh, Daisy. Can’t you see? Every time Bryce heals someone, he’s shaving off years of his life. If he keeps it up, he won’t live past thirty.”

  “No,” I breathe.

  “You can stop it, you know. You could take away his ability to heal.”

  “Do you mean I could unmake him?”

  “No. Just that part of his gift.”

  I shake my head. “I can’t do that to him. It’s wrong. Besides, we’re the same level. He can block me.”

  “There’s always a way around that.” She shrugs. “If you change your mind, I can help you.”

  I watch her through narrowed eyes. Now that her archnemesis is gone, she has no reason to spare us her mischievous ways. She’s Strife, after all.

  “I’ll pass. Thanks,” I snap.

  She rolls her eyes before vanishing. I glance back where the magical village was, feeling the sharp pang in my chest.

  “Daisy?” Toby calls out.

  He’s walking over, and seeing his devastated expression is akin to a steely knife piercing my chest. He loved Rosie so much, and he didn’t even get to see her at peace like I did.

  “Are you okay?” I meet him halfway.

  His eyes are filled with tears. He shakes his head, trembling from head to toe. I pull him into my arms, and then he breaks down. His cries are desperate and heartfelt. It amplifies my own sadness. I don’t hold back. I let it all out, knowing this is the first step of the long recovery process, even if deep down I know this wound will never heal completely.

  MORPHEUS

  “Should we go after her?” Phoenix asks.

  “No. Daisy and Toby need time to process their feelings,” I say.

  From the corner of my eye, I catch Xavier staring at the ocean with a fisted hand covering his mouth. My mother steps close to him and places a hand on his back in support. They remain silent for a long while, just looking ahead. My eyes begin to prickle, forcing me to look away. I can’t become overwhelmed by my emotions. I need to remain strong for Daisy.

  I sense Erebus’s presence near the jungle. He’s watching Mom from the shadows, and for the first time, I wonder if he ever loved her.

  “Yes I did. I still do,” he answers in my head.

  “I didn’t know you could read minds,” I reply, annoyed.

  “I can when you ask me a question directly.”

  “Did she love you back?”

  He doesn’t answer right away, but when he does, it’s not what I expect from a fucking god. “It’s complicated.”

  I snort, earning questioning glances from Rufio and Phoenix. I raise my index finger, asking for a moment.

  “Well, her husband is a piece of shit. If you still love her, maybe you should do something about that.”

  “What makes you think I’m better than him?”

  “I know you are.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Shit. Is that Andromeda and Stephan?” Phoenix points in the distance.

  I glance toward the duo, who are walk
ing toward us with difficulty, clutching each other. Stephan looks worse for the wear, with lacerations all over his face.

  “What are they doing here?” Soren takes off to meet them halfway.

  I want to know as well, since I didn’t have time to ask Stephan why Nathaniel brought Andromeda here. But Daisy and Toby are finally heading back to us, and that gets my undivided attention. They veer in Bryce’s direction, who’s sitting next to Renata, hugging his knees with his head hanging low. She’s asleep but alive. Bryce was able to heal her, which means he must be on the verge of passing out.

  The ground shakes suddenly, and the small hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

  Xavier and Mom let out gasps of terror. I follow their line of vision, getting caught in their distress. A giant tsunami wave is fast approaching the island. It’ll hit us in less than a minute. My stomach bottoms out. Fuck!

  “You need to go,” Erebus tells me. “Now that Chaos is gone, there’s no need for this island anymore.”

  “What about the village?”

  “It doesn’t exist on this plane. It won’t be affected.”

  “Can’t you send us back like before?”

  He sighs heavily. “Yes. So can you.”

  “I don’t know how, and we don’t have time for me to learn!”

  “Fine. I’ll do it this once, but you have to practice, son.”

  “I need a teacher,” I say, hoping he knows I’m talking about him.

  “We’ll see. Now gather your friends.”

  “Come on, guys. Form a circle.” I wave them over with urgency toward where Bryce and Renata are.

  “What are you doing?” Soren asks.

  “Getting us out of here.” I look in the distance, locking gazes with my father. He nods, and a moment later, we’re standing in front of Poppy’s Joint.

  It’s still in one piece, even though it’s smack in the middle of Norm territory. I can’t believe it survived the destruction and looting whereas every single building in the vicinity was raided. When a beacon of light shines over the diner’s neon sign, I recognize the deity responsible for the preservation of this place. Gaia.