"This all could've been avoided." That voice, smooth and cold as a razor's edge, cuts through the chaos. A figure emerges from the darkness, his dark cloak rippling. "The stone.Now."
I know that voice. Why the hell do Iknowthat voice?
And who the hell is this asshole who can throw fucking nukes like hand grenades?
I snatch the ring from Sable's lifeless fingers and yeet that fake-ass piece of costume jewelry at Captain Creep's hooded face. With any luck, they'll be too busy jerking off to their "prize" to realize they got punk'd with the supernatural equivalent of a gumball machine trinket.
He plucks the ring from theair with the casual arrogance of someone who's never had their ass properly kicked.
"You son ofBITCH!" Emily unleashes hell. Fire erupts—a big 'fuck you' in technicolor glory, a rapid-fire barrage that finally convinces our cloaked douchebag to retreat.
"Emily! She's dying!" Brax seizes her, dragging her back even as she screams and thrashes. "Both of them are fucking dying!"
Seraphina.My angel, broken and dying mere feet away.
I scoop Sable's ruined form into my arms, self-recrimination and sorrow warring in my chest.I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry.
But Brax is right. We're out of time.
I lay Sable's broken form in the backseat, each movement weighted with grief and guilt. Blood—Christ, so much blood—seeps into the leather upholstery. Emily scrambles in after her, tears carving paths through the grime on her face as she cradles Sable's head in her lap. Her shaking hands stroke Sable's blood-matted hair while she chants desperately, pouring every ounce of power she has into keeping her best friend's soul tethered to her ravaged body.
Don't you dare check out on us, Sable, not like this.
Brax vaults into the passenger side, slamming the door—his hulking demon ass barely fitting in the front seat, horns gouging the headliner. The Cadillac's engine roars to life, and the powerful purr is jarringly normal amid so much carnage.
I slam my foot down, and the Cadillac launches forward with a scream of rubber on asphalt. The engine's roar drowns out everything except the sound of Emily's desperate sobs and Seraphina's labored breathing.
Lucian
54
Iam tearing down I-90, navigating the traffic like agoddamn lunatic. Seraphina's agony sears through our bond, burning in my veins like acid. Each pulse of her pain drives another spike into my skull until—fuck this.
I wrench the wheel hard right as we clear the Murrow Bridge, tires screaming as we skid onto the shoulder. Can't wait. Won't wait. Not while my angel bleeds out in the back.
"What thehell,Lucian?!" Emily's voice cracks between hysteria and rage. "Get us the fuck home!"
I ignore her, launching myself out and yanking open the rear hatch. Seraphina's eyes flutter—barely conscious, her mangled wings still weeping blood while that goddamn black magic writhes around her like living smoke.
"Emily. Out.Now.Help me goddamit."
But Emily just clutches Sable's lifeless body closer, her sobs tearing at what's left of my soul. We lost her fifteen miles back, and the memory of her final breath feels like a dagger through my heart. Sable wasfamily, dammit. This wasn't supposed to fucking happen.
"Help withwhat?" Emily's voice shatters like broken glass. "I couldn't... I can't even..." Her words dissolve into raw grief as she rocks Sable's body.
I rake my hands through my hair, desperation clawing up my throat. "Come here, baby girl." My hands shake as I ease Seraphina to the edge of the cargo area. She whimpers, the sound cutting straight through my chest.
"Lucian..." Her voice breaks, thick with pain. "Please... make it stop. I can't—" Her eyes roll back as consciousness finally fails her.
"Phina!" I tap her face, panic rising like bile. "Phina-baby, don't you dare! EMILY! Get your ass over here andDO SOMETHING!"
Please don't leave me.Please, don't leave me.
Emily finally staggers out of the backseat, her face a roadmap of tear tracks and devastation. The streetlights catch the wetness on her cheeks, making them glitter.
"Please..." My voice cracks, desperation bleeding through. "Try something.Anything. We can't lose them both." I beg, "Ican't lose her."
Emily squares her shoulders, stretching trembling hands over Seraphina's broken form. Her eyes slide shut, face twisting in concentration as ancient words spill from her lips:
