In the center, on a pedestal of jagged crystal, sat the artifact—a rock sphere, pulsing faintly, humming with fae magic.
We had seconds to take in the fact that we’d finally found it.
Hawk’s scream ripped through the air, and my chest squeezed from how desperate it sounded. It was raw. A soundthat rivaled a death knell. His body folded in on itself as he hit the ground.
Dark green magic flared out of him chaotically, spiking, snagging, and making the ground lurch in response.
Dimitri’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing. “He’s cursed,” he uttered. “Marked. He’s a beacon.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Aura’s voice shook. “The cavern isn’t huntingus. It’s huntinghim.”
A large portal opened up near the artifact as the cavern shook so hard rocks crumbled down every which way.
“We have to go!” Dimitri shouted, his red eyes locking on mine as I hesitated.
“Someone has to get Hawk!” I screamed over the sound of rock smashing against rock.
Raze, Lorian, Eleanor, and Aura were already next to the portal. Lorian had the artifact.
“We can’t carry him through a collapse!” Aura shouted toward me, and she didn’t look at Hawk.
“Leave him,” someone breathed. I thought it was Raze.
“No,” I refused. “Wedon’tabandon each other. That’s not what this test is about.”
Hawk looked up at me with something fragile in his eyes, and it was heart-breaking. He accepted his fate. “Go,” he told us.
“No!” I shouted.
“If you’re near the portal, go through it,” Dimitri snapped. “I’ll get him. Everyone else, get to the portal,now!”
Koa, Slater, and Zuko pulled me toward the portal, but when it was just Slater and I, I looked back to see Dimitri struggling to use his vampire speed to get them out because of whatever curse was on Hawk.
“Venom baby, let’s go,” Slater urged.
I bit my lip. “Sorry, Havoc baby. I’ll see you soon.”
Worry crossed his eyes, but before he could ask, I pushed him through.
I shifted into my basilisk form, my serpentine form moving the rocks out of the way as I slithered forward and put Dimitri and Hawk in my mouth with one try.
Sharp rocks knocked into me, and I spat them out and shifted just before we made it to the portal.
Dimitri threw Hawk into the portal, and the shaking ceased immediately.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his chest, using his vampire speed to get us through the portal the next second.
The portal slammed us back into reality.
We stood in the simulation.
Dimitri let go of my wrist and rounded on me, fury burning in his eyes. “You risked all of us staying for Hawk. You ignored the escape portal.”
I stepped back, hating the way his scolding hurt my heart. “I made a call. We don’t abandon our own.”
“We weresecondsfrom total collapse.”
“And we still made it.”
