This proves that another distraction won’t work. I’m glad we didn’t stop to think before forcing Seiji to leave.
Her body starts vibrating dangerously and when her limbs twitch in a familiar way it finally dawns on me what is about to happen.
She is about to explode.Whatever Visha did to her has overloaded the amount of dark magic a vessel can handle, and currently, this body is not strong enough to contain all of it inside her.
She’s about to die a painful death.Again.
“I have to get out there.”
“Not happening.” Angel immediately refuses.
“This thing is about to blow up. She’s carrying enough dark magic to reduce everything to ashes formiles, Angel. We aren’tthat far from the Griari Empire, this will destroy them. Visha is trying to rewrite fate and we can’t be a part of that.”
He doesn’t budge but I didn’t expect him to. For Angel, his mate takes priority over his duty.
“Fates will erase your markings for something like this, not to forget your Divine. Uncle Elijah will have to take all of our Divine’s for disrespecting Fates.” The tick in his jaw is proof he knows I’m right.
We might be symbols of doom but even the Horsemen will face dire consequences for going against what’s already written by the sisters of fate.
Angel is trying his best to hold the barrier, but the magic inside Anisha is far more powerful than the body it’s trapped in. With every scratch, the darkness inside her creates another crack in the barrier, looking for a way in.
When the convulsing gets worse, and Anisha makes an inhuman sound from deep in her chest, we stagger back, trying to get as much distance from the ticking time bomb as possible.
Black cracks start forming on her skin as the power inside her fights to escape the weak body and latch on to the barrier, eating away at it.
If I’m guessing the size of this explosion correctly, then Angel’s barrier won’t hold against it unless I take on most of the impact.
“Promise me you won’t lower the barrier no matter what.” The desperation in my voice makes it clear what I’m about to do.
Angel pulls me into him, holding me tight by my shoulders. “Don’t. Let me think. Give me a minute and I’ll come up with a better option.”
“I’ve survived it before,” I beg Harvey to back me up but like Angel, He is blocking my path to stop me. “My divine is the only one here that can consume that much magic and still survive.”
There was a reason Visha only used her harshest spells on me and not Harvey. Our Divine’s aren’t made for that, and she didn’t want to accidentally kill Harvey.
Holding my face in his hands, Angel tries to change my mind, “I can’t lose you.”
The fear in his eyes makes it evident that even when we both know this is the only way, his panic won’t let him see logic.
“Okay… okay. You won’t. We’ll be fine. I promise we’ll all get out.” I agree, pulling him in for a kiss to soothe his worries and make him think I’ve given up.
Behind Angel’s back I search for Hazel. A single affirmative nod from her gives me hope. The siren is always someone I can count on to think rationally and not get tied up in emotions.
Losing my grip on my mate’s hair, I signal Hazel. At the same time, she tackles Harvey to the ground while I push back from Angel and run.
Ignoring Angel’s anguished scream behind me, I cross the barrier and collide with Anisha. The half-second I have before the inevitable, I trap us inside my essence, so most of what is released will clash into my Divine, and Anxo’s barrier would still hold.
With an earth-shattering boom, waves of dark magic explode out of her body, and Anisha scorches to ashes. The force of the blast forces me to my knees, and a wretched scream leaves me when swirls of unparalleled power spear inside my chest.
My Divine absorbs every last bit of magic, but the blow sends me flying back and colliding hard with a tree trunk.
My head spins as the darkness fades, and a sky full of bright stars and steady planets comes into view. How long was I out? How did we get home so fast?
Wheezing in pain, I yelp when every movement feels like I’m melting into the ground. The more the dark magic settles inside me, the stronger the burning in my chest is.
Carefully turning my head enough to look around, I find Angel slowly picking himself up from the ground with bruises on his face and covered in ash. Only when I see Harvey help Hazel up, do I sigh in relief that everyone is still alive and breathing.
The sharp ringing in my head is all I hear when they come running to me. I can see them shouting at each other, but the words don’t reach me. Whatever they’re looking for in the dark is only making them angrier.
