“What’s wrong?” I ask as Zee and Zac join us.
Duncan grabs my arm and pulls me in for a hug. Damn, the man gives the best hugs. I pat his back. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but why am I getting a gold grade hug right now? We pay the tax for the level and get the hell out of here.” I slide my eyes to Lucifer. “Excuse the pun.”
Nobody laughs. Huh, I must be off my game. Duncan leans back, keeping one arm wrapped around me. “You are the most genuine, loving person I have ever known. I feel proud to have called you my friend, to have known you in this life.”
A nervous laugh bubbles up. “Thanks, buddy. Good job you have a few hundred years left to regret befriending my ass.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “You have a gift, Natia. Even in your darkest hours, you only ever think of those you love. When the storm rolls in, you run into the rain. Now it’s my turn to repay that gift. You must continue this road without me, but you aren’t alone; I promise my heart is with yours every step of the way. I will never forget you.” Someone’s powerful arms band around me with an iron hold. I kick back, Archan’s grunt clear as I catch his shin.
He drags me back, everyone but Duncan backing away. Duncan spins around and steps towards the elevator. My heart thunders in my chest as fear seeps into my pores, saturating my soul in despair. This can’t be happening, not Duncan. I can’t conceive of it. I scream and kick as thunder rolls from the angry sky. The red deepens and an ear-splitting crack ignites the ground, sparks of electricity bouncing around us. I slam my elbows back, catching Archan in the gut. His hold loosens and I squirm out from under him, falling onto my hands and knees. I take off at a sprint towards the elevator as Duncan presses the button and drops his gaze to the floor, the glass doors nearly closed. I ram my arm between the doors, catching his hand in mine. He grips it and looks up at me. The world darkens as Hell pushes us to the next level.
“No,” I whisper as my heart breaks.
A tear streaks down his cheek. “I love you,” he mouths.
18
Chapter Eighteen
Natia
A Taurus’ anger is unpredictable and terrifying.
Rage. Red hot burning rage. The kind that makes you capable of heinous acts. My furious, frenzied blood cells pulse, deafening me to the world. Madness vibrates in my veins and for the first time, I am afraid of what I might do.
19
Chapter Nineteen
Archan
I’ll share my darkness with you, in this life, the next and the last. I only hope you can bear it.
Shutters come down on Natia’s face, her limp arms hanging at her sides. But it’s her eyes that give away her secrets. They betray the accumulating power that is gathering like a storm.
I take a step forward and reach out as her gaze snaps to mine. The air crackles with power. She blinks, like she doesn’t know who I am. Or doesn’t care.
“Natia,” I say.
She shakes her head, the movement jerky. “Do not touch me.”
Lucifer grazes her arm. “We had no choice. The level demanded a selfless act, the opposite of greed.”
Her head tips back and a scream of pure grief tears from her throat, the pain shredding my soul. She pulls in huge gasps, stealing the oxygen from the room with every breath. The walls shake, loosening dust which had sat here for centuries. The cages which make up the endless vertical prison containing the damned souls of Anger rattle and howls of excitement echo around us. They sense the violence in the air and eagerly await the resulting tempest.
Fuck this. I reach forward and wrap my arms around her trembling body. She doesn’t react, and I drop my head into the crook of her neck. “We will figure this out, I promise. Duncan is alive. He will hang on until we can get to him, but for now we must continue. Ripping him out now will close the route we have into Anger. Trust me to make this right for you.”
“I don’t care,” she whispers, her voice quivering.
“Of course you care, he’s your best friend.”
She reaches between us and pushes me off. I stumble back under her strength, blinking at her outstretched hands. “I don’t care about your pathetic god war, I don’t care about Earth. You can all burn with each other’s rage.” She snaps her head to me, her crackling eyes boring into my soul, judging my heart and finding me lacking. “I have given enough. You can’t have any more.”
Zee moves himself between us, blocking her from view. “Natia, you once made the same decision, you believed you were giving us the tools to continue this fight. We broke, but ultimately we forged on because that was your final wish.” He steps closer, his hand reaching out. “Every night he gazed upon the stars and spoke to the angels. Do you know what he asked for?”
I step to the side in time to see the first tear fall from her eyes as she shakes her head. “He begged them to rescue your soul and give it peace. Not for you to be returned.” He’s right, I heard those prayers.
Zac moves towards her. “Dying isn’t hard,” he offers. “Living in pain and grief is. Finding the will to pick up your shattered pieces and continue this fight is how you honor his sacrifice. It’s how we honored yours.”
