Fate of the Fallen (The Lost Royals Saga Book 5)

by Rachel Jonas

  The tantrum had finally garnered Blaise’s attention, and the look of horror that spread across his face was almost as sweet as the one that had been on his father’s. All it took was that one moment of distraction to give Declan the advantage he’d been fighting for and, in an instant, his broad wings sprang forth and with the sharp edge of one, he opened Blaise’s throat. The poetic justice of this moment wasn’t lost on me, remembering how I’d nearly ended him the same way a short time ago.

  He staggered back, clutching the wound. Within seconds, he picked up speed and I knew his plan. He intended to get away, hiding in the shadows until he healed and could avenge his father. However, I wasn’t the only one who noticed his attempt to escape. Before he got too far out, Ethan dashed toward him and wasted no time. He placed one hand on Blaise’s chin, and with one quick snap, ripped his head right off his neck.

  As Sebastian burned and sank to his knees, his eyes were trained on his son. I wondered what went through his mind, if he felt some inkling of remorse for letting his greed rob them both of a full life. I wondered if he thought of how simple it would have been to share the title of royalty with another original family, realizing it wouldn’t have diminished his right in the least. Or maybe … he only regretted not being one step ahead of me.

  He eventually slumped against a tree for support, but I promptly shoved him onto his back using the sole of my boot. His eyes were then fixed above on the stars, but he didn’t deserve even an ounce of peace in death. So, I stood over him and made sure the only emotion he felt as his final breath hissed from between his lips was hatred.

  His for me.

  Mine for him.

  Elise swooped down, the body of a now-deceased dragon hitting the ground seconds before she did. She was winded, but alert as she approached, seeing what was left of Sebastian, Blaise.

  Her hand pressed to my shoulder and I was pleased to hear that our priorities were still aligned.

  “We’ll deal with the rest and follow you when we can.”

  I nodded, glancing toward where we last heard Nick. I took one step and with four words, Elise let down her guard and exposed her heart.

  “Liam … save our girl.”

  I walked away knowing she was well aware that I’d do whatever it took to make that come to pass.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Evie

  It was Nick, but … he’d changed. His arms and neck had swelled, doubled in size as thick, black veins covered him completely. He hadn’t even shifted into his wolf—covered in the telltale silver fur—but there was no questioning whether he had fully succumbed to the curse of the Liberator.

  We, officially, had no place else to run.

  Blinking as Nick stared past Beth and Errol, directly at me, I took a step back. As soon as I did, my stomach rolled with movement, a small body inside my own reacting to the terror I felt, the stress of seeing Nick like this.

  He’d been such a good friend when I moved to Seaton Falls. Eventually, more than that, before the dust settled and I realized with whom my heart truly belonged. But now, as he crossed the threshold with murderous thoughts and hatred in his eyes, I imagined I was the only one who remembered any of those things. To him, I was now nothing more than a target.

  “You two have to get out of here,” I urged, going back to my original stance, one that wouldn’t require Beth—a loved one—to perish because of me.

  She ignored me, though, keeping an arm stretched in front of my chest, being the protector she always said she’d be. Errol held his ground right beside Beth, their bodies blocking me from Nick, like human shields.

  “Nick … don’t do this,” Beth pleaded, still managing to sound fearless as she all but begged her friend to resist his nature.

  But he didn’t listen. Instead, he took another step, closing the distance between us.

  I heard the faint rumble of Beth’s wolf from deep within. It was responding to the threat Nick posed and I imagined, had I not yet crested, mine would have done the same.

  There was a silent standoff as we watched, waited. I held out hope that Nick would be able to fight this, but when he lunged in our direction … that hope … it evaporated in the wind.

  His mass, formidable as it was, collided with Beth’s. She’d shifted in the blink of an eye and met Nick in the air. Fabric from her clothes, the cloak she’d worn to conceal her identity, tore and fluttered gently to the ground. The sight of the material falling so gracefully was a stark contrast to the violence that erupted right after. Errol didn’t have time to think. He, instead, acted on instinct, leaping to Beth’s rescue.

  Despite my condition, I barely even thought about myself, doing what I could to stop Nick, watching as his razor-sharp claws tore through Beth’s flesh like wet paper. She yelped in pain and I could hardly see through the blur of tears that welled in my eyes, watching her fall victim to his strength. I managed to grab hold of one of his arms, hoping it’d be enough to pull him away from her, hoping even to distract him by dangling the one thing he wanted most in this life right before his eyes.

  Me.

  My life.

  At first, I believed my plan worked, but then, when I was swatted away like a ragdoll, I realized it hadn’t been enough. My body flew through the air until a large pillar stopped me in midair, my back slamming against it with a deafening crash.

  Dazed, I struggled to get my bearings, but instead could only watch in horror as Nick raised one massive claw toward the ceiling. In a fleeting moment that seemed to pass in slow motion, he brought that claw down with swift precision … tearing right through Beth’s abdomen.

  Breathless … I stared.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  She could not die here, not like this.

  Not at all.

  She cried out in pain and the sound of it struck bone, hitting me in the deepest parts of my soul. Errol’s gaze shifted to meet mine and the shock behind it was mutual. It wasn’t until she was injured that it set in how helpless the three of us were, how vulnerable. Feeling desperate and out of options, I did the one thing still in my power to save them.

  “Get her out of here!” I yelled those words from the top of my lungs, praying Errol didn’t try to be a hero. My fate was practically sealed, but I had to hope that, if he moved fast enough, that didn’t have to be true for Beth.

  “Take her as far away from Ridge Borough as you can and get her help,” I added.

  I knew what I was asking him to do. Essentially, if he listened, I’d be left here to fend for myself.

  To face my demons alone.

  Errol was only frozen for a moment, paralyzed by the site of what had been done to Beth—her unconscious body completely still, blood beginning to seep from the corner of her mouth as she shifted back to human form. Things didn’t look good and I had to force my tears into submission. I’d fought this as long as I could, and I had to be at peace with how it would end. We’d done everything we could.

  Our fight to change the future had all been in vain.

  Errol scrambled to cover Beth with the torn cloak beside her, lifting her from the floor before Nick could turn his attention from me to them, possibly thwarting their escape. He held her to his chest and I breathed deep with relief. I had to hope for the best, because she was the best. The best friend, best sister, a girl could ever hope for.

  “Go!” I choked out.

  Before rushing off, Errol passed a sympathetic glance in my direction, and then, in the blink of an eye, it was just us.

  Me … and Nick.

  There was no place else to run. He was faster than me, especially now, so I didn’t stand a chance. As I accepted this as my reality, my fate, I didn’t think about myself. I thought only of those my death would cause pain—Elise, my brothers, Hilda, Liam.

  Especially him.

  It had broken him before. Losing me again would be soul-crushing, even more so the second time around. My only comfort was knowing he wouldn’t be alone. He’d have my family surroun
ding him, helping him cope with the loss.

  Both losses—me, our child.

  I moved away from the beam I’d been thrown against, keeping my eyes trained on Nick’s feet as he came closer, his heavy steps causing the old floorboards to creak and groan beneath his weight. I wished I hadn’t noticed how intently his gaze was focused on not just me, but my stomach, as if the sound of the baby’s heartbeat beckoned to him.

  Swallowing hard, I felt the wetness in the corner of my eyes beginning to run down my cheeks. While I saw what Nick had become on the outside, I still hadn’t forgotten who he’d been to me before—my savior on more than one occasion, my help when Sebastian took Liam and I had to go after him.

  But he’d only been any of those things because of one defining characteristic.

  He was a friend.

  A good one.

  Power swelled in his legs when he hunched toward the ground, and then thrust off his haunches in one seamless motion. He shifted from man to beast in midair, making it clear he intended to take me down when he landed. I closed my eyes, knowing how this would end, and just let go.

  I stopped expecting a different outcome, stopped thinking I’d beat this and just … found peace.

  My body slammed the ground with such force I gasped for air. He held me down, heat from his breath sweeping the side of my face when I turned away. I couldn’t look at him while he was like this.

  Those sharp claws of his sank deep into my arms as he kept me pinned, inhaling the scent of my neck when he lowered, evaluating his prey. That’s exactly what I was, his prey.

  His victim.

  In my last moments before it would all end, a wave of peace washed over me and my thoughts … they became so clear. It was in the midst of this moment of extreme clarity that I spoke from my heart, because there wouldn’t be another chance.

  This was it.

  “I forgive you, Nick,” I sobbed, letting that statement roll off my quivering lips.

  It was all I could do—a final gift for my friend locked away inside. I hoped that, once the deed was complete, once he was himself again and had to live with what he’d done, he’d remember this moment and would know I held no ill feelings toward him. Only the love of a friend. He couldn’t help what he’d become, what this curse had turned him into, and I understood that.

  The words seemed to go unnoticed. The proof of this was in his actions, as he raised his claws into the air again and brought it down, slicing through my cloak, tearing my skin with shallow gashes.

  When the material fell away, he stared. The now tight-fitting tee I wore stretched across my stomach, revealing the roundness that hadn’t been there a short time ago, not before the cresting. My pulse vibrated at the base of my neck and if I could have helped it I would have, knowing the sound of it likely pushed him toward the brink of insanity. It couldn’t be helped though, not as my mind flooded with thoughts of him snuffing out the light of the budding life inside me.

  My eyes closed, and it felt like the weight of the world fell on me, forcing out more tears as I lie beneath him. I hadn’t even had the chance to fully embrace the idea of motherhood, but still, I was oddly aware of the growing bond between us—this small bundle I’d never get to hold.

  I sometimes had a hard time grasping the concept of who I was, had a hard time accepting that I wasn’t quite a teenager like I previously believed. In another life, I probably would have embraced this experience openly, but as I considered the loss … the reality of it broke me, brought me to tears.

  Nick stretched his hand and I waited … waited for him to strike, waited for him to tear right through me, but …

  The sound of labored breathing that came next was not my own.

  It was his.

  My chest heaved as anticipation, confusion, and fear all overpowered me. Despite myself, I dared to open my eyes again, staring up as he gazed down, those piercing yellow eyes boring through me, but … there was awareness in them. As in, the real him, for one fleeting moment, seemed to be present. I had no idea how or why, but … it was him.

  “Nick …”

  His brow creased with frustration when he turned away from the sound of his name. Right after, his weight shifted. It had once pinned me to the ground, but was suddenly lighter. Light enough that I was able to free my arms. When he didn’t stop me, I quickly scooted away. Only a few inches at first, but then a few feet, bracing my back against the nearby pillar.

  “Nick, if you can hear me … fight it,” I begged. “You’re stronger than this.”

  His large shoulders heaved with each labored breath, but he didn’t speak, didn’t acknowledge that he comprehended my plea.

  Warm air breezed over my lip as I kept a close eye on him, unsure of what he’d do next, unsure of what had even stopped him. His gaze lowered, and I was trapped in his stare. I felt my eyes stretch wider when, to my surprise, his wolf further submitted to the man. The silvery fur that covered him from head to toe shortened and thinned, eventually revealing the skin beneath. Thick, swollen muscle shrank to near-normal size, and sharp canines receded. Those dark veins that signified the curse were still visible, but he was more himself than monster.

  Naked, he retreated into a dark corner and I wasn’t sure what to think, what to do. So, I tried speaking again.

  “Let me help you, Nick. I—"

  “Kill me!”

  A jolt shot through me when the harshly spoken words rang out in an unfamiliar voice. The statement burst from his lungs and ricocheted off the walls of the church, reverberating back to me like sound waves from a mighty bell.

  When I didn’t react quickly enough, he growled a second command, even more gruffly than the first time.

  “Now, Evie! While you can, while I can control it!”

  I no longer had a visual on him, but knew he had one on me as he fought this, as my heart raced a thousand miles an hour trying to process those words.

  A request that had officially rendered me speechless.

  “I—”

  “Kill me!” he roared, the sound carrying with it and air of authority.

  I sat straighter, unsure of what to do next. Instinct told me to run, but wisdom told me he’d only chase me and wouldn’t stop until he succeeded. I could, literally, feel that I was slower, weaker now, as I guessed much of my strength went to the rapid growth of the baby.

  Even if my heart would have let me do what he asked, it would take me shifting to one of my other forms and … I couldn’t.

  “I can’t hold it off much longer,” he confessed, and I heard how much admitting that grieved him. “Grab something. Something sharp and, when I come at you, just make sure it goes through me.”

  I blinked away tears as that visual hit me like a ton of bricks.

  “There has to be something else,” I sobbed.

  “There isn’t,” he said sternly, forcing my own emotions in check. “You’re gonna do this because—”

  His words cut off abruptly when a pained groan bellowed from his mouth. He gathered himself and forced the rest of the statement from his mouth.

  “You’re gonna do this because they need you. The clan, your family. I can’t be the one to take you from them for a second time.”

  When he finished speaking, he struggled for breath.

  This should have been an easy thing, choosing to put my own life ahead of his, but it wasn’t. It was actually the hardest decision I ever had to make. If it hadn’t been for the gentle flutter in my stomach reminding me I wasn’t fighting for me, I might not have chosen to fight at all.

  I might not have chosen life at the expense of someone else’s.

  I scanned my surroundings quickly for something to defend myself with, something sharp like Nick said to. The only thing I could get my hands on with so little time was a loose floorboard beside me. I tore it free, positioning myself just as a deafening roar shook the very foundation of the building. I settled one end of the makeshift weapon against the ground for leverage and I braced myself again
st the pillar.

  In one final show of power, my dragon broke through. I felt her energy as I watched Nick leap toward me from the shadows, unable to fight his nature any longer. The brilliant blue flame that shot from the center of my palm ignited the entire board within the fraction of a second. I held it tight, keeping the sharp, ragged edge aimed outward.

  It had come down to two choices. Only one of us could walk away from this alive and I couldn’t be the one to decide. But because he was good to the core, Nick made the choice himself.

  He chose me.

  As I lifted the board higher into the air like he said to do, I closed my eyes and would keep them that way until it was over. A powerful impact was accompanied by a horrific sound, that of flesh being torn open, ribs being broken.

  The force jarred my arm back, shoving my shoulder out of place and I cried out in pain, but the sound of my voice was the only sound in the entire building. A thick, deafening silence made my skin crawl with what it signified.

  Death.

  A heaviness peeled away from my soul, like a life-draining parasite had suddenly released me. I knew right away it was the feel of the curse being lifted. Tears rushed down my cheeks and … I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t make myself see Nick like this.

  His body and the plank both fell to the ground with a thud. Air sputtered from his mouth and my throat squeezed with emotion. There were so many bombarding me, like huge waves that came so fast I couldn’t catch my breath before another was on top of me, pushing me under.

  Somehow, he was still alive, although I knew it was only a matter of time until that changed. I forced my eyes open, finally taking in the sight of him, because this wasn’t about me and what I was comfortable with. This was about comforting a friend through what little time he had left. I chose to only look into his eyes, not at the board protruding from his chest, not at the blue flames that were beginning to spread over his skin.

  “I’ve got you,” I promised as he groaned. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I moved closer to settle at his side, clasping his hand in mine. My heart ached as the flames moved to his arms and neck, consuming him. The pain was nearly unbearable as he clenched my hand.