‘The good man I’ve always known is still here. He’s just terrified and giving in to that. When he makes his choice to walk away from that fear and accept the consequences… hell yes, I’ll trust him. There’s no stronger soldier than one who’s faced his greatest fear, and walked away.’
I felt my mate’s unease, but I was sure. I knew. I’d left Jann too alone, I could see that now. I’d let him walk too deep into the dark—but if he walked out now, nothing would stop him.
I let my nails dig into his shoulder, praying he’d see the truth. Praying he’d make the right choice.
Just as Jann’s eyes screwed tightly shut, and he shuddered under my hand, the sound of a door sliding open broke through the room, and in the corner of my eye, I saw Yilan pull a blade and shift, putting herself between me and the bedchamber door.
“Gall?” she said, her voice tremulous as if she wasn’t sure, which confused me. But then a shadow appeared over Jann and me, and the back of my neck went cold.
Yilan hissed as I startled—and to my horror, I drew the blade just far enough away that Jann slipped a hand under my wrist and pushed it away from his throat while he twisted.
We struggled, both grunting. Yet, it was the cold, calculating voice of Lucifer that accompanied the chill on my skin, and turned my stomach.
Jann and I both scrambled to our feet, watching each other, hands up—only I held a blade.
“Gall, have you been watching, Son?” Lucifer asked calmly.
“I… yes.”
“Do you see what happens when you try to outsmart me?”
Gall didn’t answer immediately, which raised my heart—he always hesitated when he feared his words would displease the hearer.
I didn’t want to allow Lucifer time to turn on him, so I interrupted to draw his attention to me—and prove something to Jann.
“This has nothing to do with Gall. This has to do withyourbullshit, deceiving all of us into doing your evil for you,” I growled.
I had the distinct impression Lucifer rolled his eyes. He sighed and half-turned, yanking my spear out of the wall where I’d left it, and threw it to Jann, who caught it and swung it up to his chest in a blink.
“This little chat is over. Do it,” Lucifer muttered. “End him.”
I stared into Jann’s eyes and begged my mate to send my words to Diadre so she could pass them to Jann.
‘Did you see that? Did you see how he didn’t kill me himself? How he ignored my claim of using others by pressing you to kill me instead?”
Jann’s eyes never left mine. He licked his lips. I let him see the pleading in me. Prayed the girls could pass it through the bonds. Prayed he’dlisten.
I felt the air shift behind me—that had to be Gall—and quickly prayedhe’dsee the truth here, too.
“Jann?” Lucifer hissed.
Jann nodded and took a firmer grip on the spear. “Are you ready, Melek?” he asked hoarsely, his eyes boring into mine. “Ready to meet your Maker?”
I nodded. “I was born ready.”We talked about this. When we were aligned we made a plan for exactly this moment. You don’t have to listen to him. We can still—
Jann nodded—in response to my words, or my thought? I couldn’t know. All I could do was pray, and bellow as I threwmyself into a jab with the knife—and Jann sucked in a breath and whipped the spear into position. With a roar that echoed in my bones, he thrust it straight into my chest.
My heart exploded in searing pain.
42. Mortal
~ YILAN ~
A sparkling, searing heat appeared in my chest, in the same moment Melek hunched. And before the image of my mate standing with a spear sticking from his chest became real to me, I felt it. A trickle, then a pour—not of blood, but oflife.
Melek suffered a mortal wound.
Mysouljolted as I leaped forward, but everything felt slow, like running through water.
