Is what?she asks obliviously.
Flying with the stars.I fly closer, not waiting for her to respond. I don’t wait for permission, instead taking it upon myself to land behind her, not able to go another second without her in my arms.
The moment my arms wrap around her middle, I feel the pressure from everything surrounding us vanish. When she rests her head against my chest, it’s like she’s breathed life back into me. And when I grab her jaw and force her eyes to meet mine, it’s like the missing piece of my soul has finally found its way home. “I love you.” The words feel like silk against my tongue, knowing it’s the most I’ve meant something in my entire existence.
I wasn’t expecting her to respond, but when she does, it feels like more than love. It feels like forever. “More than all the stars in the sky.”
I pull back sharply when the movie ends, and I don’t hear his next breath. But then it comes,“Find me within the stars, Princess.”
And I watch, unbelieving as Callum exhales his final breath. The pain—brutal and unforgiving, like the brute force of a knife—stabs me in the chest. It cuts so deep that he’s not just taking a part of my soul—he rips out the whole godsdamn thing.
“Callum?”I send out into the void. The gold tether I closed off for so long quickly diminishes. “Callum!” I say with more force. Grabbing him by the shoulders, I shake him vigorously. “Wake up! Callum, wake up!” It comes out on a choked sob, demanding but pleading all at once.
My fists pound on his still chest. “You can’t leave me! Do you hear me?” But he can’t hear me—or anything. “Youpromisedyou. Would. Be. Here!” I punctuate each word with a brutal hit. I lay my head on his chest, tears soaking his shirt. “I just got you back.” My comment is barely audible.
I can’t do this. Not without him. Not alone.Fuck you. Selfish prick. Are you dumb? How could you let him see? How could you leave me to bear the weight of all of this?They all go unanswered. But a part of me hoped.
This is what I get when I hope.
“Pity. He was such a good, obedient pet.” My body stills. “Come, Kalliope. There’s much work to be done, especially since your little temper tantrum.” In an instant, a switch flips, and all the pain, the heartache…it all gets pushed to the side.
For now.
It’s like an out-of-body experience. I’m not in control of my movements, and my limbs are on autopilot. One minute, I’m resting on Callum’s chest, then the next, I’m standing, facing Ambroyss, who doesn’t have a care in the world for anybody but himself.
Rage. Pure, maddening rage twists my insides, licking through my veins, merging with my blood. Right behind it…the anger—something I no longer care to keep buried but wish to unleash—blazes over its path.
Untainted, raw darkness, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, glazes my vision in obsidian. Ambroyss flicks his eyes side to side and gives a firm nod in command. In a flash, guards flank me on both sides, attempting to restrain me, but it’s no use. The moment a finger grazes my arm, both my hands fling outstretched at my sides with force—links from the chains flying in every direction.
Flames of glorious orange and black blaze a path toward the guards, and their screams only fuel the fire, until the notesvanish into oblivion.
Ambroyss’s face slackens briefly, but ultimately, his brows furrow with anger. “Why is it always the dramatics with you?” Suddenly, the flames I was keeping lit along my arms extinguish, but before I can relight them, most of my oxygen gets pulled from my lungs.
I fall to my knees, hands clasped around my throat, sputtering out gasps, trying to catch my next breath. Kate steps out from behind the wall, hand outstretched, keeping the air just out of my reach. I swear I can see where the wall was built, holding it captive.
Her face lights up as she turns her attention to Ambroyss. “Did I do good, Daddy?” If there was any oxygen in my lungs, it would’ve been steeled. Dad? Like, father?
He looks at her with admiration. “You did perfect. But we need her alive.” Her gaze swings back to me, eyeing how I’m fighting to stay conscious.
“I know. I’m just having a little fun.” The air constricts more. “Besides, she deserves worse for trying tokillme. No air, no fire.” But I don’t need fire. Of course it’s my favorite; however, there are others that can be just as deadly.
Prying one of my hands away from my throat, it’s heavier than I expected. Gravity takes hold, causing it to fall and slap against the concrete floor with my depleted strength. I ball my fist, raising it as high as my body will allow and smash it against the floor. The cement splinters, cracking toward Kate, and instantly, the invisible wall drops, and all the oxygen particles rush to me.
I gulp a lungful, too much too fast. Despite the coughing and sputtering of spit, I continue to push forward until the crack stops at her feet. Standing on shaky legs, there isn’t a single second of hesitation before I stomp my foot down with a vengeance. The ground crumbles beneath her, and she screams with fear.
But it doesn’t break through the white noise. I look behind me, hoping that it was all a nightmare, a trick to scare me. That’s not the case. The image of him lying there will forever be burned into my mind.
It’s blinding. All encompassing. My eyes squeeze shut as a scream rips through my vocal cords, the sight being too painful—debilitating to the point that my body feels like it’s tearing in two. I feel trapped, too confined.Shadows fly out of me, going every which way—and I have no control over it. Wind picks up speed, swirling the dust around the area, and even from this far underground, I can hear the distinct sound of thunder outside. My back feels like it’s on fire, like something is trying to claw its way out.
“What the—” I hear Kate start, but I block it out.
Finally, the pain stops and is replaced with unfamiliar weight. My chest heaves, breathing unsteady as I open my eyes. I stand on unstable legs, feeling unbalanced. Something brushes against my arm, and I jerk away from the touch, only to find the same feeling on the other side.
Feathers that are black as night—at least at the top. The farther they go, the lighter they become—the opposite of Voraxis’s scales. The weight of the wings is odd, but not uncomfortable, feeling like they should’ve been there all along.
Ambroyss takes a step forward, astonishment present in his gaze. I throw my arm out in his direction, blowing him back with a gust of wind. And much to my pleasure, he whacks his head pretty hard against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Following that, I throw up a wall of flames, keeping him contained.
I have plenty of time to deal with him later.
