The car stops, gravel spraying like shrapnel as I abruptly stop on the driveway.
Thirteen minutes.
That's all the time I have left to find Azrael and Damon before this twisted game reaches its climax.
During the entire drive here, Rhyland's been pounding on the walls of my mind, his fury and concern being a relentless battering ram. I've kept him locked out, shuttered away from the cold, hard truth. But when this is over—if I make it out alive—he won't let me hear the end of it.
Even Lucian attempted—he was trickier to keep locked out.
Not that I can blame him. I've gone completely batshit crazy on this one, flying solo straight into the viper's nest—exactly how Azrael wants it. Just me, the demented snake, and whatever sick scheme he has cooked up.
Well, two can play that game. I'm done being the mouse in this psycho's cat-and-mouse routine. Damon's life is on the line, and that line stops here. Azrael wants to tango? Let's dance, asshole.
I fire off a text to Damon's phone, my thumb hovering over the send button.
Where the hell are you? I'm here.
The reply is instantaneous.
Look at you, making it with time to spare. Bravo. Go to the clearing behind the house.
I tuck my phone and my secret weapon into my pocket and slam the car door behind me, the sound like a gunshot in the eerie stillness. Taking a deep breath, Ibreak into a run, cutting through the woods and putting distance between myself and the innocent family living in the house that was once my home.
Do they know the horrors these walls have witnessed? The brutal slaughter of my parents, the night everything changed?
I push the thought aside, jaw clenched, and fists balled at my sides. Now's not the time for ghosts or what-ifs. Damon needs me, and nothing—not even the demons of my past—will stop me from getting to him.
The clearing looms ahead, the trees thinning to reveal a small open space bathed in moonlight. I slow to a cautious creep, straining to catch any sign of movement, any hint of the trap waiting to be sprung.
"Looking for someone?"
The voice comes from behind me, smooth as silk yet laced with venom. I whirl around, my heart leaping into my throat as I face the monster himself.
Azrael stands before me in the flesh, his handsome, dark features twisted into a cruel smirk. By his side, slumped on the ground and barely conscious, is Damon—bloodied, beaten, but alive.
"You're early," Azrael taunts, circling me like a shark. "I have to admit, I'm impressed. Though I shouldn't be surprised—you've always been a stubborn little bitch."
My fists clench until my nails bite into my palms, the pain grounding me amidst the roiling sea of rage that threatens to drown me. Damon could pay the price for one wrong move and one ill-timed retort.
Swallowing hard, I meet Azrael's gaze, my own eyes blazing with a promise of violence to come. "I'm here," I growl, each word precise and laced with venom to match his own. "Now let my brother go, you twisted fuck."
Azrael throws back his head and laughs, the sound like shards of broken glass grating against my nerves. "Now, now, Dani. Where would be the fun in that?"
He moves closer, his presence suffocating, oppressive. I hold my ground, refusing to be cowed by this demon-loving asshole and his sadistic games.
"The stone first," Azrael demands, holding out an expectant hand. "Then, and only then, will your dear brother walk free. Those are my terms."
Terms? As if I have a fucking choice in this matter. As if his twisted proposal is anything more than an ultimatum dressed up in pretty words.
But I know better than to argue. I see how this game is played.
So I slip my hand into my pocket and withdraw the final piece of the Soul Stone, its weight heavy in my palm. This small, unassuming object is the key to unfathomable power and, quite possibly, the end of everything.
I can hear its dark whispers—faintly.
With a steadying breath, I chuck the stone over to Azrael, watching it arc through the air in slow motion. He snatches it mid-air, his eyes glinting with a satisfaction that curdles my stomach.
"At last," he murmurs, stroking the stone like it's his long-lost love. "The power to reshape existence is finally mine."
