Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
I stand rooted to the spot as Raighne’s other arm reaches toward Adeth, and he forcefully keeps her pinned to the wall.
Light shoots from Finian, stunning her, and before Finian can stun Ares, Griffith again snaps, “Ares is with us. Free him, Raighne.”
Oh my God.
My eyes flick wildly over my chosen ones before I shout, “Dylan, Jason! Get the chosen ones out of the room. Now! She wants to kill you.”
Doug picks Sarah up, and they’re the first to rush past me. Jason herds Matt and Sky away from the danger while Dylan pulls out his gun and trains it on Adeth.
“Get out of here, Dylan. You can’t kill her with a bullet.”
He gives me an unsure look and moves closer to me. “I’m not leaving y’all to fight alone.”
Before I can say another word, shadows fill my mind, and I hear Adeth.
“Have you missed me?”
My eyes flick to her. “No.”
“They won’t dare kill their precious dreamer.” An evil smile tugs at her mouth as she keeps her gaze locked with mine. “Let me in.”
Chapter 27
Raighne
The moment I can’t feel Alchera, my eyes flick to her.
There’s a lifeless expression on her face as she slowly takes a step toward Dylan.
“Alchera,” I snap, at first thinking she’s blocking me from her mind.
Her eyes remain glued on Dylan as she keeps moving closer.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asks her, an unsure expression on his face.
Adeth lets out a maniacal burst of laughter, and a knife appears in Alchera’s hand.
“What the fuck!” Dylan exclaims, turning his weapon on Alchera.
“Awo. No!” I whisper when I see the blade of death in Alchera’s hand.
Roark and my father dart toward Alchera, and I can feel Ares trying to use his power to shimmer so it will free him from my hold. I have to focus harder on keeping him and his evil mother in place.
“Alchera!” Roark shouts as he closes in on her.
Ares breathes heavily as he tries to move. “She’s under Adeth’s control.” He fights my power and manages to climb to his feet, strain showing on his face. His eyes lock with mine. “Kill. Adeth.”
Needing to focus on the woman I love more than anything, I free Adeth and Ares.
Roark gets to his sister first, with my father right behind him. As I focus all my power on Alchera, she darts forward.
Ares shimmers, disappearing before reappearing right behind Alchera. He takes my focus off Alchera, and as I use my power to rip him away from her, Roark darts between Alchera and Dylan, and she buries the blade of the knife in his side.
“No!” Brenna shouts as she grabs hold of Dylan, yanking him away from the danger. Finian grabs hold of her before she can get near Alchera.
It all transpires so fucking fast it takes a moment to realize what just happened.
Adeth’s laughter fills the room, then Ares disappears again. This time, when he reappears, he’s right by Alchera, and ripping the bloody knife from her hand, he throws it at his mother.
The blade slams into her throat, and a second later, she makes a gargling sound as shock tightens her features.
Roark drops to his knees, and Dad catches him.
Adeth slides to the floor, and she manages to pull the knife from her neck, her eyes locked on Ares.
“Thank you,” she whispers, a peaceful expression making her look like the aunt I used to know before she turned dark. She keeps staring at her son, and her words are so soft, I have to read her lips as she says, “I’m sorry.”
Ares nods, his expression filled with a mixture of relief and heartache as he watches his mother struggle through her last breath.
Alchera snaps out of whatever control Adeth had over her, and letting out a cry, she falls to her knees. Her eyes fill with horror as she stares at her dying brother.
“What have I done?” she gasps, her face torn with agony.
It takes one hell of a swing at my heart to see her like this.
When Ares takes a step toward her, I use my power to throw him to the other side of the room as I quickly close the distance between Alchera and me.
I wrap my arms around her, but then she starts to struggle against my hold. When I let go of her, she crawls to Roark, heartbreaking sobs tearing from her chest.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpers. “I’m so sorry.”
With the last of his strength, Roark tries to shake his head, then his final breath ghosts over his lips.
Brenna yanks free from Finian and falls down beside Alchera, too horror-struck to make a sound.
“NoNoNo!” Alchera cries. She grabs hold of her brother and holds his head to her chest. She chokes on sobs, and with my eyes locked on her, I force my way into her broken mind and start to take the pain from her.