Marcellious’ bellow of anguish split the air.
“NO!” His scream was inhuman. “You killed my lover!”
Yet I had done what must be done.
A distant scream pierced the air.
Emily.
I spun around, just as my blood ran cold.
Balthazar held her in his arms, his grip like a vice, squeezing the life from her.
Tiny flames licked at her dress, curling hungrily up the fabric. Smoke coiled around her neck, choking the air and blackening the sky.
My stomach dropped.
“Oh, God!” I choked out. “He’s burning her alive!”
I willed my legs to move—to run—but they felt heavy, like sinking into the earth with every step.
Emily’s shrieks pierced my heart.
“Help me, Olivia! Help!”
I pushed harder, sprinting toward her with everything I had—but it wasn’t enough.
The flames grew, devouring her faster than I could reach her.
I was too slow.
Too late.
Just as despair crushed me, the air rippled?—
A shimmering orb of energy descended from nowhere, pulsing with a dark force.
Emily vanished from Balthazar’s grasp.
I skidded to a halt, gasping.
Across the clearing, Malik materialized, standing several yards away. He clasped Rosie’s tiny hand, his other arm wrapped around Emily, drawing them both into a protective embrace.
Balthazar’s face twisted in rage, his skin darkening to a deep, unnatural crimson.
“Well, well, well…” His voice dripped with malice. “Look who finally decided to play the hero.” His lips curled. “You’ve been hiding from me all these years, Malik.”
Malik didn’t hesitate. In a blink, he disappeared—only to reappear directly in front of Balthazar.
“Here I am,” Malik said coolly. “In the flesh. It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it? You haven’t changed much… except you’ve somehow gotten uglier.”
Balthazar’s pupils contracted, his fury barely contained. The whites of his eyes glowed unnaturally.
“I don’t know how you escaped the belladonna I poisoned you with,” he hissed. “You were dead. Your body was nothing but a dried-up corpse.”
Malik looked unbothered as if the years of torment and near-death had been nothing more than an inconvenience.
“Let’s just say…” Malik’s voice dropped, smooth and amused. “I had an excellent savior—someone who didn’t just save me from death.”
