The Fae monsters surrounded us, cutting off any hope of escape. Sebastian’s stallion bolted, disappearing into the gray landscape.
No wonder no Fae needed to guard this barren land. Sebastian had been able to get in because the monsters lured victims in. But no one was allowed to leave. This was a killing ground. A feeding pen.
The first creature lunged.
I dodged left. Its claws whistled past my cheek, close enough to stir my hair. I came up beneath its reach and drove the dagger into its side. The blade sank deep. Black blood spurted.
The monster screamed, backhanding me. The blow sent me flying. I hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up with the taste of blood on my split lip.
Sebastian was already engaged with three of them. His sword moved in brutal arcs, opening throats and parting limbs. He fought with lethal grace, each motion pure economy—no unnecessary flourishes.
I pushed to my feet and threw myself back into the fray.
We fought back-to-back, moving in wordless tandem. If Sebastian was surprised by my sudden skill, he didn’t show it.
A spider-legged creature lunged at him from his blind spot. I intercepted, driving my dagger through one of its clustered eyes. It shrieked, recoiling. Sebastian spun and took its head off with one clean swing.
Another came at me from the side. Sebastian’s boot caught it in the chest, sending it stumbling. I finished it with a slash across its exposed throat.
No magic worked here. The dead zone suffocated everything. We fought with mortal weapons, nothing more.
My arms started to burn. Every swing seared through my shoulders. Every dodge, every roll, every scramble cost energy I didn’t have to spare.
I’d dueled the Fates. Nearly drowned in Poseidon’s domain. My body was already past its limit.
A monster slipped past my guard, claws raking down my arm. I felt the sting, then the hot rush of blood. I gritted my teeth, drove my dagger into its gut, and twisted.
Sebastian took a hit to his shoulder. Blood darkened his shirt, but he didn’t slow. He only adjusted his grip and kept killing.
Bodies piled around us. Black blood soaked into the ash and rock. The stench was overwhelming.
Yet more kept coming.
Time lost meaning. There was only the next attack, the next monster, the next gasp of life to cling to.
My grip on the dagger was failing, the hilt slick with blood—theirs and mine. My legs trembled. Each breath became a struggle.
I fought back tears, refusing to let this be my end. I’d won against the Fates—the undefeatable. I’d stolen my own threads, seized my destiny. I’d finally broken the curse that killed me ninety-nine times before.
I was so close. To freedom. To my mate. To the life I had been denied for an eon.
And I would die here. Torn apart. Devoured. Forgotten.
There was no justice in it.
Sebastian fared little better. He fought on, vicious and unyielding, but his movements had slowed. Blood streamed from a dozen wounds. His breath came in labored gusts.
We were losing.
Just as hope began to fray, the sky darkened.
Three figures dropped from above.
The first rode a Pegasus—not the white, ethereal creature of legend but one with a midnight coat and wings like spread starlight.
I knew her.
Belladonna.
