by S. A. Moss
“You’re a monster!” My blood heated, my vision narrowing to a pinpoint on Akaron’s face. I wanted to kill him so badly.
“That’s what she told me. Before she locked me away. When she decided to sort the trapped souls into “good” and “bad” and decided I didn’t make the cut. She built the Haven and began calling souls to her. She built portals for them to return to Earth—but she reserved that privilege for those she deemed worthy. For the rest of us, we were left to fester and rot in the Shroud.”
Agony burned in Akaron’s red eyes. His bony hands clenched and unclenched.
“Don’t blame the Seer for your own faults. The Shroud kept you from returning to Earth, not her,” I spat.
“The Seer trapped me in a sea of sand and fire for millennia!” Akaron’s shout made me jump. If he was getting under my skin, at least I could claim to be returning the favor. His lips curled back in a snarl. “I almost succeeded in returning to Earth once. But she stopped me. She set all her Guardians against me, and they dragged me into a vortex of sand and fire. They sacrificed themselves to stop me. They’re trapped there still.” He was almost panting now, working himself into a rage. “But I got out. And I found a way out of the Shroud, like she always knew I would. Stupid woman!”
Beside me, Arcadius and Sada were both slack-jawed. Had they not known this? Not known about Akaron’s previous attempt to escape, or the Guardians who had sacrificed themselves, trapping themselves in a vortex with him to prevent his escape to Earth?
There was no time to question them now. Akaron was as distracted as he would ever be.
“Now!” I screamed. Akaron’s eyes narrowed, just as Arcadius and Sada unleashed twin blasts at him. He threw up an arm, blocking their attack with a shield. Will leapt from my shoulder, joining the fray.
I threw a blast that hit the ceiling, causing chunks of plaster to rain down on the vampires. They snarled and raced forward, fangs bared. I spun on my heel and raced away from them, throwing another large blast over my shoulder. It hit the ceiling too, and larger pieces of debris fell into the middle of the room.
Arcadius and Sada traded blows with Akaron, but I had been right about one thing—we were outmatched. His shields were too strong for any of their attacks to get through, and he’d already hit both of them twice. Sada had a deep gash over her eye, and the blood flowing from it impaired her aim.
A vampire lunged for me, and I threw out an aether whip, wrapping it around his waist and dragging him away. An idea occurred to me, and I snapped the whip, sending the vamp careening first into the ceiling, then the floor. He hit the already damaged part of the ceiling with a sickening crunch, and when he fell to the floor, sunlight streamed in through cracks in the roof.
I raised my hands again, but before I could unleash another blast, they were yanked back to my sides, the familiar sickening sensation of a bind falling over me.
No! Not when we’re this damn close!
Focusing all my energy, I forced out the tendrils of aether my father was attempting to weave into my being. I yanked my hands up, wresting them out of the bind.
Then I opened up every pore in my body to the energy of the universe and sent it all straight toward the ceiling. It flew out of me like a wrecking ball, blowing a gaping hole in the roof. The cloud of plaster dust danced in the bright sunlight that streamed through.
A soft whump-whump-whump sound became audible over the din of fighting inside. Helicopter blades.
My chest tight with adrenaline, I ducked an aether blast thrown by my father then threw a bind on him. He grunted, shaking his head slightly as he fought off the bind.
The giant woman opened her mouth, her bronze skin sparking. Fire poured from her lips. I yelped, ducking into a roll and popping up in front of the remaining vampire. It drew its head back just as Arcadius and Sada hurled twin blasts at Akaron, forcing him back a step until he stood under the hole in the ceiling.
Please let this work.
My heart leapt into my throat as a figure plunged through the opening in the roof, landing directly on top of Akaron.
35
Alex’s aim was good. He hit Akaron like a bullseye, wrapping his arms around the ancient Fallen’s neck and dragging him to the ground. They collapsed in a tangle of limbs, but the high pitched howl that erupted told me all I needed to know.
Akaron was mortal.
The giant breathed another blast of fire, and Sada and Arcadius pivoted. One blocked the attack while the other threw an arcing blast, splitting open her abdomen.
Not wanting to risk hurting Alex with an aether blast, I pulled the dagger from my boot and raced toward him and Akaron. But before I could reach them, the remaining vampire leapt into my path, its crown of antlers tipped in blood. It lunged for me, wrapping me up in a bear hug as it sank its teeth into my neck.
“Alex!” My voice was a pained, gurgling cry. “Use your other power! Kill him!”
Akaron let out another loud shriek as Alex began pulling the life force from his body. He twisted in Alex’s grip, slithering out of his cloak and darting away. His hunched back was even more pronounced without the cloak over it, and his spindly body looked almost insect-like.
Alex leapt after him, catching him around the waist and bringing him to the floor.
I choked as the vampire bit harder. I could feel strength ebbing from my body. I hooked one of my legs around the vampire’s, then I twisted sharply, using a trick Alex had taught me. The bloodsucker went down, but he pulled me with him. He teeth were wrenched from my neck in a spray of blood, and a wave of nausea rolled through me.
Above me, Sada was thrown across the room by the giant, crashing through a wall. Several feet from me, Alex wrestled with Akaron. The Fallen leader’s face was pale, and his labored breaths sounded like shrieks. But he didn’t seem to be weakening.
Shit. How long would it take him to die? Could he even be killed?
The vampire rolled, ending up on top of me. His lips were smeared with my blood, and he bared them again, about to rip what remained of my throat out.
But before he could, a blast of aether lifted him off me, sending him flying across the room. My father shouted, “Mine!”
Before I could resist, a bind was thrown over me. Sirius dragged me across the room toward him.
Focusing all my energy on the lines of aether woven into my being, I tugged and pulled at them. I needed to get out of this before I reached my father, or I’d never be able to fight him.
But the binds still held me as my body came to a stop in front of my father. He didn’t attack me, though. He just stared at the bloody, ragged wound on my neck, his brows furrowed.
Will crawled up my body, coming to stand on my shoulder and leaning toward my father. He unleashed a torrent of high-pitched squeaks and chirrups, as if he were challenging Sirius to fight. My heart ached with gratitude that my little friend wanted to protect me. But there was nothing he could do.
“Camille.” My dad was still staring at the wound on my neck, a horrified look on his face. “I never meant for—”
A high pitched laugh echoed through the room, and I craned my neck toward the source. Alex and Akaron were still locked in a deadly embrace. But Akaron had managed to lock his hands around Alex’s neck, and even as Alex pulled the life force from his body, Akaron tightened his grip.
Alex face was red, and his eyes blink heavily—once, twice. On the third blink, they stayed shut.
No.
The unbeating heart inside my chest cracked wide open. I struggled to undo the bind my father had on me, but I couldn’t focus. The giantess had Sada and Arcadius pinned. They couldn’t help.
Wildly, I tried to throw a blast of aether at Akaron. But without being able to use my hands, I couldn’t shape it or direct it. A weak blast hit him, but he barely moved. And his hands never left Alex’s neck.
Tears leaked out of my eyes.
We were going to lose. Akaron, even when mortal, was too strong. It wasn’t just his supernatural st
rength, it was strength borne of millennia of rage and thirst for power.
What could stand up to that?
Alex’s body was limp. The ashen look had faded from Akaron’s face, although he was still breathing heavily. His body remained mortal, but I didn’t think Alex was draining his life force anymore.
The Fallen leader looked up, triumph flashing in his red eyes. “Bring her to me, Sirius. Before I kill this human, I’ll kill her. No need to waste his precious gift.”
Sirius’s gaze flicked to Akaron. Then to Alex. Then to me.
For a moment, my father looked almost confused. As if he’d been in the midst of a terrible dream and had just woken up to discover everything he’d dreamed was real.
“Please, dad. Please…”
My voice was raw as the wound at my throat healed slowly. I wasn’t sure what I was even asking for. But this man was my father. Once, he would’ve done anything to protect me.
“Camille.” He repeated my name, and a tear slipped down his cheek. “It was never supposed to be like this.”
“It doesn’t have to be, dad. You don’t have to do this.” Tears streamed down my cheeks too as I stared into his familiar eyes.
“Sirius!” Akaron’s voice cracked through the room like a whip, and my father’s body jerked.
“He’s not your boss, dad,” I pleaded. “You can decide for yourself. Is this what you really want? What mom would’ve wanted?”
Something shifted in my father’s expression. His face became hard, and he blinked away his tears. Then Sirius gestured stiffly, and my body floated alongside him as he walked toward Akaron.
Agony and despair filled me, and I renewed my struggles to undo the bind holding me. Will clung to my ear, chittering in distress.
“Good.” Akaron smiled. “I may have missed the Seer’s death, but I’m going to enjoy watching these two die.”
We stopped a few feet from them. Akaron still straddled Alex, hands around his throat. His teeth were bared as he glared down at the human lying almost lifeless before him.
Finally, his gaze turned to us. “What are you waiting for?”
My father sucked in a soft breath. Had I ever heard him breathe before?
“I don’t know, old man.” Sirius’s voice was low. “I don’t know what I was waiting for. I should’ve done this a long time ago.”
“What are you talking about?” Akaron snapped. “Bring her—”
He never got to finish that sentence. Before I could register what was happening, my father’s hand whipped out. A perfectly shaped aether pike pierced Sirius through the forehead, right between the eyes. His body jerked slightly, his eyes freezing wide open in shock. Thick black blood oozed out of the hole, sliding down his face.
Then he collapsed.
I blinked, stunned.
Alex was pinned underneath Akaron’s limp body, and I threw myself to my knees beside them as Will hopped off my shoulder, not even registering the fact that the bind around me had dropped.
Akaron seemed to be almost shriveling up, his body mummifying itself in fast forward. But I didn’t care. All he was right now was an obstacle between me and Alex. I shoved the Fallen leader’s corpse away, skimming my fingers over Alex’s neck, searching desperately for a pulse.
I felt it.
For three heartbeats, I felt his pulse flutter under my fingertips.
Then I felt it die.
36
No. No, no, no!
Interlacing the fingers of my hands, I pressed hard on his chest in a steady rhythm, forcing blood to pump through his heart. I blew breath into his mouth, salty tears collecting in the space where our lips met.
My focus was so intent on Alex, I’d ignored all the other possible threats in the room. But I jumped when my father crouched down beside me, fear rising in my stomach. When he reached for Alex, I moved to grapple his hands away.
Instead of binding me, my father caught both my hands in his, wresting them gently away from him.
“He’s dead, Cam. Nothing I do can hurt him now.”
His words were harsh, but his voice was soft. Numb, I let him move my hands away and rest his own on Alex’s chest.
My father closed his eyes. I stared at him through teary eyes as he breathed deeply.
“Do you know what I loved most about your mother, Cam?”
“No,” I whispered, my lips barely forming the word.
“She was never satisfied with just making do or getting by. She wanted the most out of life, the most out of love, the most out of family. No day with her was ever ‘just another day.’ While I was with her, I was truly alive. And not just because she made me mortal.”
Sirius dipped his head slightly, his breath coming a little faster now.
“She taught me that happiness is something you create for yourself, not something that’s given to you. And she created happiness for herself every day. She lived her life with joy and hope.” He tilted his head, cracking his eyes open to look at me. “Even her death was full of hope. She didn’t want to leave you, Cam. And she didn’t want to leave me. She just wanted the most out of love. She wanted eternity.”
I shook my head in confusion, watching as sweat broke out on my father’s brow. His voice was strained, the veins and muscles in his neck popping with apparent effort.
Shock crawled over my skin. “Dad, what are you doing?”
His head drooped again, and he didn’t look at me. “Atoning for my mistakes. Your mother wanted forever, Cam. She gave up her life attempting to get it. And I let that loss ruin me. But I don’t have to let it ruin you.”
As my father spoke the last words, Alex’s eyes flew open and he dragged in a shuddering breath. His green eyes were so bright they almost seemed to glow as he looked around wildly.
My father gave a choking gasp and fell back, landing heavily on his elbows. He slowly collapsed onto his back, his body relaxing. I scrambled over to him, lifting his head onto my lap and smoothing his hair back.
He had just forced Alex to take his life. All of it.
“Dad, why?” I whispered, my voice choked.
His eyes slid closed, the muscles of his face going slack. When he spoke, I had to lean closer to hear his words.
“I’m tired of being angry. Love him… forever, Cam. I’ll be with your mother again. I hope she can forgive me.”
Sorrow and regret tightened my throat—for all the years my father and I had been apart, and for all the unsaid things between us that would never be spoken now. I didn’t have any words to reassure him. I wasn’t sure my mother would forgive him, wherever she was. But I hoped she would.
I hoped, someday, I would.
My hands rested lightly on my dad’s chest, and when his eyes slid closed and he stilled completely, I leaned over him and wept.
Long minutes passed before my sobs turned into hiccuping gasps and my gasps turned into steady breaths. I wiped away my tears, looking down at my father’s face. He looked peaceful like this, all the harshness and anger drained from his expression. Maybe this had been what he’d been searching for ever since my mother killed herself. Freedom from his own immortality—from the gift that had become a curse.
A strong arm wrapped around my shoulders, and warm lips pressed a kiss to my hair.
“I’m so sorry, Cam.”
Alex’s soft voice filled the hole in my heart, and I leaned back into his embrace, relishing the way his grip tightened around me. Protecting me from pain the best way he knew how.
“I’m sorry too, Alex.”
“For what?” he murmured.
“For getting you involved in all of this. For asking so much of you. For making you jump out of a helicopter. And for not being able to save you from Akaron.”
He chuckled lightly, his breath stirring my hair. “Oh, is that all? Well, for your information, I’m glad you got me involved. And you did save me.”
“No.” I shook my head, gesturing to Sirius’s prone form. “He did.”
“He saved m
e because he loved you, Cam. Even after all those years apart, even with how crazy misguided, angry, and full of grief he was. He loved you. I felt it.”
I twisted in Alex’s arms to gaze up at him. “You felt him giving you his life?”
“Yeah. I was gone. Floating away. It felt like…” He trailed off with a laugh. “Well, I guess you know exactly what it feels like. But before I drifted away entirely, I felt life pouring back into me, dragging me back here.”
Turning around entirely, I drew him up to his knees, pressing our bodies together as I wound my arms tightly around him. I kissed him, putting everything I had into the meeting of our lips. His hands ran through my hair, cradling my head as he kissed me back.
When I drew back, I was breathless. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the—
Wait.
Where was it?
I moved my head a little, pressing my ear to his chest harder.
There was no heartbeat.
Panic flared, making my stomach dip. My gaze flew up to his face, expecting somehow to see his eyes closed, his face pale and still as the grave.
But his green irises shone with bemusement as he looked down at me, a puzzled smile lifting one corner of his mouth.
“What are you doing?”
I swallowed. “Your… your heart. You don’t have a heartbeat.”
Alex blanched, loosening his grip on me to press two fingers to his neck. Now that I was watching for it, I saw that no pulse thrummed in his artery.
His eyes widened. “How…?”
“I don’t know. My father gave you his life. I saw him.”
Alex’s gaze drifted down to my father, a well of emotion in his eyes. “Maybe he didn’t give me his life. Maybe he gave me his immortality.”
That thought shocked me into silence. I gaped at him for a moment, before my attention was pulled by movement on the other side of the room. Arcadius and Sada stumbled out of an adjoining room of the penthouse suite—although so much of the wall between them had come down, the rooms were barely separate now.