Ezra glanced around and sighed heavily at something behind him. I sat up slightly and saw Della standing in the middle of the room. Her head was tilted toward the ceiling, and her arms were outstretched, almost as if in supplication. Suddenly, she began glowing so brightly that I had to squint to keep watching her. A wave of power seemed to slam into her, and with it, she was again complete. After a moment, the glow subsided, and she began to wobble on her feet.
“Della,” I called out as I stood on shaky legs.
I made it two steps before she looked me in the eyes.
“Haden…” she whispered as our mating bond snapped back into place, once again becoming a thick gold strand full of strength and love. Thank the fucking heavens.
Death approached as the ground began shaking. “Well, that probably isn’t good,” he said as he ripped Elra’s soul from her on his way to me.
“We need to go; it’s going to cave!” someone yelled.
I grabbed Della’s hand and dragged her with me. She still seemed out of it, as if she was not quite sure what had happened. All of us ran through the castle halls, dodging stones that were falling around us as we made our hasty exit. We made it to the entrance hall just as the very ground of Hell began quaking,pulsing so violently that the castle walls were caving in. Dust from the rubble filled the air, making it difficult to see and breathe. Avesh nearly got crushed as one of the walls fell in, blocking the door from which we had entered. This was my home, though. Having lived here for so long, I still knew other ways to go. Calling them all to me, I led them through a different escape route. Through the bangs and noises around me, I could hear Della crying, and I realized that she must be scared.
“I’ll get us out of here, I promise,” I yelled over my shoulder and squeezed her hand tightly in reassurance.
We all came to a halt as rubble came crashing down, dust and stone surrounding us. When it settled, it revealed a hole in the wall that led outside. Oh, shit. We stepped out of the castle, and I realized that it wasn’t just the building that was caving in; it was all of Hell. Huge chunks of rock began falling around us from high above, massive pieces of earth being dislodged from the dome above us. We all began running for our fucking lives. Della ripped her hand from me and began running, but instead of heading for safety, she instantly made a beeline for the God of Death, jumping on him and tackling his ass to the ground.
She was yelling something at him, and he was shaking his head at her, his eyes wide and his hands up in supplication. Everyone but me, Thea, and Cassius kept running.
“Give them to me!” she yelled at him, her tone pissed off and frantic.
“Storm?” I called out, but she just ignored me, keeping her attention focused on the task at hand. Death looked at me oddly before his eyes suddenly widened, and he groaned in pain. Della lifted her hands, and I watched in horror as the black souls of my siblings left his chest and seeped into her, staining her with their oiliness.
“I’m sorry, Death, I cannot let them leave Hell,” Della said through tears. “Make Haden leave with you.” Then she stood up and stared at me with sorrow in her wide eyes.
“Storm?”
“Haden, you need to go,” she yelled.
Thea and Cassius moved for her too, but she began backing away. Death stood up and looked at her.
“Leave!” Della yelled.
“I am not leaving without you,” I screamed, even as Death gripped me. He was trying to take me with him.
“Thea, Cassius, get Haden out of here now!” Della yelled with so much agony that I could hear her pain in every word.
They were shaking their heads in defiance as they watched me turn and punch Death in the face, releasing his hold on me and knocking him to the ground. Without hesitation, I ran to her, grabbed her hand, and began dragging her with me, sure that she had lost her fucking mind. Everyone began running again, headed toward the portal that would lead them back to the surface world. I watched Thea and Cassius leave, relieved that they were safe. Della and I were almost there when she suddenly yanked on my hand and pulled me down to her, kissing me.
“I am sorry, but my fate was always to die here,” she whispered.
“No. You can make it with me; we are here.”
“Haden, I made a bargain with your father to save Remiah, but I never intended for your siblings to get out. This was always going to be the plan.” She ripped her hand from mine. “This is my fate. Abram told me a long time ago that I would die here. I have to die here to save everyone.”
“If you think I am leaving Hell without you, you have lost your fucking mind.” I was desperately trying to convince her. “Storm, please, I will die here with you if needed.”
“Forgive me, Haden. I will find you again,” she promised. “Please tell me you’ll be okay.”
“You know I can’t say that, Storm.” Tears were blurring my vision. Hell was caving in around us, but my heart was collapsing even quicker. I did not move a muscle, only staring at her in determination. “I will stay with you if this is your fate.”
Her tears began falling down her face, and I was happy to see that they were starlight again. “It is not yours.”
Death came from behind me and gripped my arm as he looked at Della, seeming to understand what was happening.
“I am not leaving you!” I reached for her as agony rippled down our bond. “Do not do this!”
“I love you.” Tears poured down her cheeks. Before I could say anything, she lifted her hands, and a huge gust of wind pushed Death and me toward the only escape out of here.
