by Rachel Jonas
It’s common knowledge that the one thing no Ianite was impervious to is fire. Apparently, they’d had their fill of slicing flesh off my body to watch it heal, and leaving me submerged in water for hours at a time without relief. They were looking to cause some real damage. Damage that couldn’t be undone.
Or, maybe, they were going to bring the torment to an end for good.
As much as I wanted to fight the notion of having it all conclude like this, it dawned on me that Roman’s promise was coming true. He said I’d beg for death when all was said and done, and I was ashamed to admit I had reached that crossroads.
It devastated me to think of what this would mean for the princes, but I couldn’t bear the thought of taking any more than I already had. Especially knowing this could, literally, go on forever.
In that moment, as I came to terms with my own mortality, I needed something to grasp on to. The one thing I knew would outlive me was what we’d accomplished with the vaccine. From there, whatever loose ends still existed, those tasks would be left in some very capable hands. This was my only comfort, knowing that it hadn’t all been for nothing, knowing I’d completed the mission my parents and grandparents alike fought to bring to reality.
It had to count.
Had to.
A large, boulder-like body blocked my view. The Butcher—in stature alone—would have been chilling to encounter, but knowing what I know, living what I had lived … I firmly believed a more terrifying being had never existed.
It only added to the horror that he did it all for the pure pleasure of it.
Dr. Percival was more than a fan. The two had collaborated on many “projects” over the years. During one of my breaks from their games, they thought I’d be interested in their twisted version of story time, sharing how Dr. Percival keeps some of his most interesting creations here in the glass cells for the Butcher’s entertainment.
A sick gift shared among friends.
But honestly, as the days wore on, my fear of those creatures diminished in comparison to what I felt toward Dr. Percival and the Butcher. The beings locked in those cells were no different to me—victims.
The jarring roar of the torch being lit makes my heart beat steadily for the first time since transitioning.
Jon took slow steps in my direction before crouching in front of me. The sight of his upside-down smile seems fitting.
“We’re going to try a little experiment,” he said, excitement brimming in his voice. “We’re curious whether you have a higher tolerance to fire than most Ianites. While we’re sure you will still burn, we’d like to know if the process takes longer for someone like you.” He let out a lighthearted laugh that contrasted the weight of his statement.
“I’d like to go first,” Jon requested, speaking to Percival, but never taking his hands off me.
This will be all the more bitter knowing how much he’ll enjoy it, but I’ve done all I can do, fought as hard as I could fight.
My gaze settles on Roman and he’s visibly conflicted. I’m aware that his hesitation has nothing to do with wanting to spare my life, but has everything to do with the seed of doubt I planted the day before. What I said was true. The information regarding his sister would be forever lost with me. A reality he’d have to accept and would likely question forever.
Dr. Percival handed the torch to Jon per his request, and I let my eyes fall closed. While I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the memories of those I love once these hideous men began to have their fun, I’d cling to them while I could.
I pictured my team, nearly smiling at the memory of how Fe and I used to go at it, arguing with laughter in our voices because, at the root of it, there had only ever been love. I pictured Liv, the closest thing I ever had to a sister. I recalled the countless nights spent with my team, hanging out in the command center like the world around us wasn’t a terrifyingly scary place. We thrived on one another’s strength, survived on the notion that we would get through anything that came our way, together.
Then came Elle. She brought a sweet innocence to my life I hadn’t realized I needed. She taught me that showing heart had nothing to do with whether someone actually has one beating inside their chest. She was brave when I needed her to be, and stood by me and the princes without wavering.
A shining example of what true friendship should look like.
Next, I pictured Julian, and it seemed like so long ago that I kept him at arm’s length. His resilience and gentle nature eventually forced me to tear down my walls, and I haven’t regretted it a single day since. Levi taught me what true passion was, and I hoped I’d been able to make him feel my love for him like he’d shown me. Silas took my feelings to a different plane, stealing my heart long before a bond had been sealed between us. It was as real and true as anything else.
And then, there was Aaric, the mirror image of everything I held dear in this life. I regretted nothing I encountered with him. Not even the ugly moments because they spoke volumes about the length he was willing to go for the cause that I, myself, would lay down my life for. There was no way I could hold a grudge that he’d been so passionate, so committed.
I used to think I’d die feeling satisfied I had done all I could for the cause, but my friends, family, mates gave me so much more. My life was rich and fulfilling, and no matter what was done to me, no one could take that away.
Jon turned the knob to crank up the torch. I refused to cry. Breathing in deeply, I accepted my fate and…
“Stop.”
The voice I heard startled me and my eyes shot open.
“If anyone deserves to end her life … it’s me,” Roman interjected, taking unhurried strides in my direction.
My gaze volleyed to Jon and the disappointment on his face was impossible to miss.
“After all,” Roman continued, “I went through the trouble of bringing her here. And let’s not forget who’s to blame for my sister’s death.”
His eyes darted to me with those words.
Jon passed a glance toward Dr. Percival, as if awaiting Daddy’s permission to proceed, or be told he had to give up his toy. Much to his dismay, Percival did, in fact, grant Roman this wish.
There’s a brief standoff between Jon and Roman before the tank is handed over. Then Jon wore his disappointment on his face when he backed away to join the others. I could only guess he felt like he’d been cheated, had a golden opportunity stolen.
Roman’s gaze fell on me again, and I felt so many things, but, surprisingly, anger was not one of them. While I knew he had this all terribly wrong, I, too, would have gone to great lengths to avenge my family. Love makes us do crazy things.
A fact that had been proven to me so many times over the months.
His shoulders squared and his chest swelled with a breath, and when he released it, he spoke four, powerful words.
“This is for Regina.”
And with that, the torch burned bright again, but while I expected to be engulfed in a blaze, swallowed whole by the searing heat … I was instead staring at Roman’s back. He’d turned the stream of flames toward his partners in crime, sending two into a frenzy as they tore around the room in agony, two plumes of brightly burning fire.
Percival, managed to wedge himself beneath the gurney, unscathed. He crouched there, watching in confusion as Roman quickly snatched the I.V. out of my arm, and then draped me over his shoulder while undoing the straps that secured my ankles to the ceiling.
The room turned right-side-up and my feet were placed on the ground. Next, I was carefully shrouded with a sterile, white sheet pulled from the cart.
“Can you walk?” he asked frantically, keeping watch on the two he turned on in the eleventh hour, and also keeping the torch aimed toward Ian.
“I think so,” I nodded, putting most of my weight on him as we meandered toward the door.
“I won’t let you leave,” Percival choked out, still cowering beneath the table.
We came to a sudden stop and my g
aze landed on him, this man who had singlehandedly brought humanity to its knees, all so he could play out some maniacal social experiment.
He’d stolen so much from so many, I couldn’t leave without giving him a taste of the pain he’d rained down on others for five long centuries.
Turning toward Roman, I nodded in the direction of the door as strength rushed back to my limbs. “Go. Just release whoever the Butcher is holding here.”
The initial look of remorse that crossed Roman’s face told me all I needed to know, even before he answered.
“He finished her off last night. She was a Roamer who’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Hearing this, my gaze lowered, wishing I’d been able to do something sooner. My powers were building, but none were at maximum capacity yet.
Roman hesitated and it dawned on me why that might be. I wasn’t out of harm’s way, which meant the knowledge of his sister’s whereabouts was at risk of being lost forever.
“Find Glenn when you leave here. Tell him everything I told you about Dorchester. Ask him to get word to the female soldiers who were there that night, and I’m positive one of them is Regina.”
Roman breathed deeply, peering down at Percival, and then to where Jon and the Butcher now lie motionless, quickly being reduced to smoldering piles of ash.
“Take this,” he insisted, passing me the torch. I accepted it to appease him, but had no need for it. Not with what I had in mind.
After one last lingering glance, Roman opened the airlock, and then resealed it before darting down the hall.
Alone with the father of disaster, I turned to face him. He leveled a look on the torch I held, fear spreading in his eyes like wildfire. It was then that I realized it had been that particular emotion that drove him all along.
Fear of losing control.
Fear of dying.
It was pathetic, really. For a man with as much power and status as he possessed to be reduced to such basic desires. Even looking at him, he seemed small now. Weak.
I made a slow circle around the perimeter of the room, dropping the sheet Roman had given me, feeling my abilities strengthen even more. I felt lighter on my feet, stronger.
The most recent injuries I sustained had almost fully healed and pain was the furthest thing from my mind.
“You’ve made a name for yourself by ruining lives, stealing people’s choices, their hopes, turning the entirety of humanity against itself by introducing your plague. All the while, touting it as a gift from you to the wealthy.”
The cowardly stare he leveled on me was sickening, like he wanted to beg for his life.
That look turned even more desperate as I unlatched the first door. The beast behind it released a low grumble that ripped through the room, and I wasn’t surprised it kept its gaze trained directly on Percival.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice quivering.
“You love your work so much,” I answered, “I thought you’d like to see it up close.”
The scaled atrocity dropped down onto all fours, opening its mouth as it breathed in a swell of air, as if to taste its meal on the wind before savoring it.
The second latch came undone with a loud clank as I passed by.
“This is suicide,” Percival croaked out as a last-ditch effort to convince me to stop.
A statement that drew a satisfied laugh from my mouth.
“Maybe,” I teased. “Or, perhaps, they’ll only eat what they can see.”
Right before his eyes, my form began to fade. The last thing he saw of me, was my broad smile. Seconds before his own expression shifted to one of pure terror.
One by one, I released his collection, and they circled him in a swarm. Dr. Percival’s last words weren’t words at all, but shrieks of agony as the creations devoured the creator.
Justice in its purest form.
***
Julian
The sun burning on the horizon brought with it a sobering realization.
It meant she’d gone another night, living out whatever nightmare the Butcher had conjured in his house of horrors. It meant we were no closer to finding her than we’d been when we set out the night before.
“Empty.” Felix’s report through the com made frustration burn in my chest.
Our search brought us to a block of abandoned high-rises soon to be restored, and it had taken a team of thirty all night to comb through each one, floor by floor. We were down to a handful to investigate, but it became clear to me that Paige’s intel was no good.
“We’ll finish here, and then … I honestly have no idea what to do next.”
There was no sense in hiding that I felt defeated. I’d foolishly let myself believe we were out of the woods, that the worst was behind us. The false sense of accomplishment and security that came with the completion and distribution of the serum caused us all to let our guards down.
Now, we searching for Corina like a needle in a haystack.
“I wouldn’t mind going back through,” Elle suggested through the com.
“I agree,” Liv chimed in. “We can start at the beginning and see if we missed something. Some of the buildings could have hidden, underground tunnels we overlooked.”
Even with hope dwindling, I didn’t have the heart to say no. Because giving up wasn’t an option.
“We’ll regroup and then start again,” I confirmed. “Stay put. We’ll come to you.”
I cast a look toward my brothers, Aaric. All were unable to hide the agony of not knowing where she was. The only solace was knowing they felt this pain just as deeply as I did, and that they were just as determined to find her as I was.
We crossed the theater’s mezzanine and passed through the exit to join, Felix, Liv, and Elle at the arena. The others should have heard the plan over the com and headed there as well.
The sun peeked through the slender gaps between the tall buildings, casting shadows across the empty road as we walked, passing dormant, digital billboards and empty parking structures. But movement in the shadows up ahead stopped me dead in my tracks.
Mostly because I had a hard time believing my eyes. If I wasn’t mistaken, the reason we had all walked in circles the last twenty-four hours was coming straight for me.
Corina’s steps weren’t quite as spry as usual, but she was here, in the flesh.
She was also not making this trek alone.
“Is that who I—”
“It is,” I answered, cutting Levi off midsentence. The three of us who knew the history between Corina and Roman were shocked by what looked like an alliance of some sort.
If her arm around his shoulder was any indication, that is.
Before my brain could even signal my limbs to move, I took off running, full-steam ahead. The others were right on my heels and Corina broke away from Roman and sprinted toward us, too, clutching the white sheet that covered her.
The moment she embraced us, the world stood still. Just like it did the moment fate placed her in our path.
“How are you here?” I didn’t really need an answer, because her presence was more than enough for me.
“Roman. He … helped me,” she shared while clinging to my neck. “I told him to go, but he came back.”
Emotion strained in her voice, and I had no idea what any of this meant, but the details could wait. The one thing that mattered to me, mattered to any of us, was that she was in our arms again.
The love of our life had returned, and I think I spoke for us all in saying that we’re never letting her go.
Epilogue
One Year Later…
Corina
“While our Dynasty still recovers from the event that has forever changed our world, it is with great pride that I stand before you today, Presiding Emperor of the Lydian Dynasty, to announce that we will face this new era as we have faced all else. Together.”
I smiled, staring at Julian on the large screen. The speech had aired many times since he’d given it last week,
and I was still just as proud of him today as I was then. It was no easy feat to come into power at the precise moment the world was uprooted.
But that’s what he’d done, and in return, he had earned the Dynasty’s undying respect. To them, Julian stepped up despite the controversy surrounding our union, and rose above the fray to be the leader the world needed. But to us—those of us who had dedicated our lives for the mission—he was much more than that.
In the months that followed distribution of the cure, a great uprising took place. Much like a witch hunt, where many fingers were pointed in the wrong direction, many were named as suspects for what is now known in our circle as “The Reckoning”. However, in the end, the authorities never reached a clear conclusion as to how the serum had been created and distributed or by whom. The investigation began the day the first Ianites started calling in to report ‘strange side-effects they believed to be linked to the vaccine’. While that investigation would likely never end, a very capable taskforce known as The Federation—composed of Ianites and humans seated in the lowest and highest positions of power throughout the Dynasty—have vowed to forever guard the truth.
Our truth.
“Can we turn this off now?” Julian grumbled, joining me where I stood before the mantel.
I turned to face him—my handsome prince who saved me before I even realized I needed saving—admiring him like I believed I always would. Only, he liked to think it was the other way around. That I had saved him.
“Even if we do that, it won’t make you any less of a hero.”
My answer drew a smile out of him, and I couldn’t help but to place a kiss on his chin.
“It’s finally over,” I said with an unimaginable air of relief.
Pushing his hand behind my neck, he shifted the lightly spritzed curls Elle had so diligently styled.
“And we have you to thank for that.”
“No, we have the entire team to thank for that,” I corrected.
He didn’t respond with words, but rather a light kiss to my mouth. Reluctant, he backed away, keeping his eyes trained on my lips.