Suddenly, the pain exploded, intensifying until a violent scream tore from me. What the hell was happening to me? My eyes burst open, like I had no control over myself, and I was able to see again. They began fluttering as my magic swarmed around the room.
“Storm?” I could hear Haden calling to me, but he was not here. It was coming from inside of my mind. “Find me.”
At his words, my magic stopped, and my eyes closed. Haden was standing in the dark depths of my thoughts. When I stepped toward him, the black ground broke and started giving way.
“Haden!” I called out, but he just watched me, his eyes glowing bright red.
“It’s time to remember what you did.” He frowned. “It’s time to remember your fate, Storm.”
As soon as he stopped talking, the ground crumbled beneath me, splintering and shattering like glass as I fell through it. Everything around me was burning bright orange and red, like it was on fire. Then I hit the dirt beneath me, but it didn’t hurt me. I turned on my stomach, and my fingers slipped across the charred ground as if it were permanently smoldering. Small billows of smoke rose from glowing red cracks in the charred earth.
I looked over my shoulder and saw red lilies sprouting from the dead ground. And in the distance I saw a black castle, so large and ominous, that it radiated waves of evil. I had never felt anything like this dread before. I saw Haden walking into the castle, and immediately began hurrying to it.
“Haden,” I whispered as he disappeared inside.
I ran to catch up, and when I reached the castle doors, I pushed them open and found myself in a foyer that looked likeit had been forged by the heavens with stunning artwork and decor. My mouth fell open, and I gaped until I saw Haden walking up a winding staircase, not waiting to see if I was coming. I followed him up the stairs until we reached the third story. I didn’t think he could see me, but he stopped at a large wooden door and turned to me.
“I love it when you do as you're told, Storm.” He smiled. “Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“To understand the full extent of what you have done to have me.” But his eyes faded from red to stormy blue. “You were always going to be the downfall.”
“Downfall of what?” I whispered.
“Of everything.”
Then he leaned forward and kissed me, and when he pulled back, I was standing in a different room, still in the castle. Haden was now sleeping in bed, and I watched as a version of myself stood over him. She turned toward me and smiled wickedly.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“What arewedoing?” she corrected me. “We are telling Haden how to break the curse of the gods of hell.”
I shook my head.
“What?”
The vision turned to me, and her smile fell. Why was she happy, when helping them was going to destroy the damn realm?"
“You fell in love with a man you were never supposed to, Della.” I glanced over her shoulder to Haden sleeping peacefully. “Haden Vale, God of Wrath—God of Hell.”
I looked back at her. No. I did not do such a thing. Fear and confusion stormed inside my chest as her words rang through my mind over and over again. He was not who she said, but even as I thought of it, memories began to trickle through my mind.
The first memory showed me standing with the gods as Haden and his siblings were exiled to Hell. I watched him with a sense of wonderment. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen. His dark blonde hair was messy from running his fingers through it and his face looked like it was carved from my very own fantasy. Suddenly, he turned to me before falling into the opening of Hell, and smiled at me. He couldn't see me under my hood, but I had seen him and now there was no way I was ever letting him go.
The next memory shifted and Abram stood in front of me with a look of worry in his eyes.
"He is a God of Hell, Dells." He frowned at me.
"I do not care. Haden Vale is mine and I do not want anyone else," I said, defiantly.
"He isn't yours." Abram's green eyes narrowed on me. "And you know it."
"He will be," I glared right back. "You won't stop me, Abram. I've already started to change fate."
"What did you do?" he asked. His anger fell away, and now concern painted his handsome face.
"I have seen the life that Haden will give me, Abram. I had a vision of how he will love me and I am not willing to let that go—even for fate."
