Rowan straightened in his seat as my sobs finally ceased, his expression of pure sadness. “Nebula, we owe you a great debt for what you have chosen to sacrifice for the world.”
Wren’s voice was soft as she reached over and grabbed Rowan’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Pandora.”
I nodded, swallowing my grief. “So am I.”
Time was slipping away too quickly—the entire day had.
Last night, my mates and I sat with Nebula after he manifested again, and he told stories of my childhood in a way a proud dad would. He shared his hopes and dreams for us after he left. Reed found a movie for us all to watch on the tablet, and Nebula and I were completely entranced by it. Neither of us had actually watched a movie before, and my mates were shocked by that. But it was fun, and we had enjoyed it until we all fell asleep. Then, all day today, we just soaked up Nebula’s presence and love, but today was coming to an end, and with it, so would Nebula.
My heart was shattering and the one who had always helped piece it back together would soon be no more.
“We have to go,” Sabine said, her voice echoing through the room.
“It will be okay,” Nebula promised me, but it landed on my fragile heart roughly, splintering it.
It wouldn’t be okay.
Static filled my ears as Damien explained to Dex where they had to shadow travel everyone, and time blurred.
The descent into the tunnels beneath the Demon Capital was a silent warp of shadows. Dex and Damien managed to transport us through the darkness, our bodies shifting through the obsidian void before we stepped out of it.
The stone walls were damp, cold, and pressing in on us as we navigated the narrow corridors leading to the Temple of the Veil.
“Do you remember the first time your mother scarred your back?” Nebula’s voice echoed around me, and my mates tensed.
I nodded, my tears dripping onto his skull. “You were there for me afterwards. You helped me.”
“How did I help you?” he prompted.
“You promised you’d always be there for me,” I rasped, agony pulverizing my beating heart again with the reminder that hewouldn’tever be there for me again.
“What else?” he probed further.
I sniffled, thinking back to that night.
When Mother left me bleeding alone after losing her temper over me not feeding on the pain she inflicted, Nebula coaxed me to get him out of his hiding spot in the cracked sandstone floor. He instructed me to breathe and lay on my stomach so I wouldn’t hurt my back again, and he made me talk about my dreams of the future.
“I dreamed of the future. Of a day I’d be free from my captivity,” I answered. “But all of those dreams included you.”
“Pandora,” he sighed sadly. “You dreamed of being free, and so do I. I may not physically be with you after this, but I will do everything in my power to remain with you in some kind of way. You need to dream of the future right now—a future where Sybil Shaw and Dark Veil are no longer wreaking havoc on the demons of Kalista. Dream of what Reed showed you. You will be so blissfully happy in the future, in love with your mates and building a life that you know I will be proud of. I’m already so proud of you.”
I sobbed again, feeling my mates running comforting hands down my back, but it didn’t help—their comfort could only ease a fraction of the pain funneling through my chest.
Our footsteps echoed all the way to the imposing double doors of the underground temple, but I clutched Nebula to my chest tightly.
“The new moon is almost at its peak,” Sabine whispered.
“It’s time, Pandora.” Nebula’s soul was warm as it flowed from him and dripped over my fingers. “I can feel Sybil drawing my power. If you don’t do it now, I’m not going to be able to stop from de-manifesting.”
Another raw, painful sob built in my chest and worked its way up my throat, but I swallowed it down.
“Give them space,” Dad told everyone.
My mates formed a protective circle around me and Nebula—Hunter, Reed, Dex, Bram, and Skel—all bracing for what was to come.
Everyone else stepped back and allowed us the space we desperately needed—though, it was clear from the way Nebula’s soul was sinking back into the hollow cavities of his skull that I didn’t have much time.
Power simmered from my gut and up my throat as dark smoke curled from my lips. I placed a trembling hand on Nebula’s skull. “I don’t want to do this—I don’t want to lose you.”
