“After we stop the end,” Payne said, holding up a calming hand like I was a wild stallion ready to bolt, “we’ll go get your girl.”
Cursed with wrath and without my marked mate, I was much, much worse than any stallion. My curse didn’t just rage—it hungered. For her. For Gwendolyn.
“The gate spat her out,” I said, my voice edged with steel. “I tried to do the right thing once. The angels didn’t allow it. Now I want my girl back.” My jaw locked. “And you’re not going to get in my way.”
“You can’t reach her,” Joy said, her voice soft but firm.
“I’ll find a way.” And I meant it. In fact, I already had an idea.
The gate didn’t just take people. It pulled in anyone who was meant to cross over. So maybe all I needed was a willing ghost.
“Barron, just think,” Joy said, stepping closer. “She’s safer there right now. After we fix everything, we’ll figure it out. But if you go charging in—”
I held up a palm and closed my eyes. She was right. But my heart… My damn heart…
The thought of not saving my mate…
It crushed the air in my lungs, and then I broke. “I want her back. How are we supposed to know she’s safe when none of us have ever been where she is? If I can’t see her, I can’t protect her.”
“You need to calm down,” Payne said, his voice gentle but grounding. “Joy’s not trying to hurt you. She’s trying to keep you alive. If you try anything reckless, you could turn mortal. And yes,” he added, “you can die.”
Wrath erupted from my pores. My skin itched and burned like fire licking beneath the surface. Rage tried to consume me from the inside out.
“No one is stopping me.”
“You know we love you, right?” Payne’s voice was quiet as his shoulders drooped.
“I don’t feel like having a heart-to-heart—”
A thick arm suddenly wrapped around my neck, jerking me back. A sharp pinch bloomed at my throat—a needle.
My vision blurred. My body became heavy and useless.
“No,” I slurred, limbs sagging as whatever they’d injected took hold.
“This is for the best Barron,” August said as he lowered me to the ground. His voice was gentle, but his hands were firm.
How?
If his marked mate had been taken, he’d tear the world apart. They all would.
“Don’t look at me like that,” August said, his face flickering in and out of focus. He grimaced and said, “I would have done the same to any of us. And you know you would’ve, too.”
Darkness took me.
Chapter Twelve
Kara
The bars rattled as I shook them like a woman possessed.
When the iron bent in my palms, I froze. Slowly, I inspected the warped metal…then smiled.
“Why do I keep forgetting I’m strong?” I muttered.
The Dark One had left me in the cell about an hour ago. I was tired of waiting for rescue—and worse, of being alone with my thoughts. So I made a decision: stop waiting. Start doing.
My resolve flared to life again, burning hot. Maybe I wouldn’t find a way out…but that didn’t mean I should stop trying. I wasn’t meant to be caged. All I’ve ever wanted was to stand beside my siblings—free, facing impossible odds, and coming out on top.
