She could tell I was not fully myself in here.
“Tessa, what’s happening?” she whispered.
The power of the gods swirled through my veins, making it impossible for me to answer. The intoxicating taste of it coated my tongue. Everything was brighter, louder, more vibrant. I noticed for the first time that Nellie’s eyes had flecks of teal hidden amongst the brown. They looked like stars, like her face was lit by an ethereal light.
I touched her cheek. That light would die if I did not stop the humans.
Spreading my wings, I lifted myself from the ground. I gazed around at the destruction. The battle had stopped now. Our warriors were corralling the enemy fae, and the beasts were dead. But we had lost so many. There was too much blood. Arms and legs and torsos were caked in gore. It turned my stomach.
Look at what this world was.
Rage filled my chest, fierce and cold. With the combined power of the gods, all I had to do was will it. I could change this world. I could begin it anew. No more humans. No more wicked souls. Anyone who survived would bow at my feet.
Tears filled my eyes. A part of me fought against it. But the power raked through me, breaking down my resistance. It would be so much easier to give in. I wasn’t strong enough to fight this.
And the humans…the humans would destroy everyone I loved. They were just across the bridge. If they were not already moving across it, they would be soon.
This was the right thing to do.
I had to unleash it. If I didn’t, it would burst free of my control andforceme to bend to its will.
I pressed a shaking finger to my cheeks, then held it before me. What I’d thought were tears before was blood. It was pouring from my eyes.
Something gentle tugged my soul. Power built on my fingertips, but Kalen’s voice whispered in my mind, soothing the frayed edges of my heart. He was speaking through the bond.
I’ve got you, love.
I ground my teeth. What he didn’t understand was that I did not have myself. The power was sizzling on my fingertips. I didn’t think I could control it, even if I wanted to. And the rage, that burning rage, made mewantto give in.
It made me want to destroy them all.
You are not that power.You can control it,he said into my mind, as if he could understand everything I was feeling. Through the bond, perhaps he could. And he had been here before. His power had always been volatile, too.
“It’s too much,” I said out loud. Pain carved a hole in my chest, through my eyes.
Conquer the power. Control it. Bend it to your will. If you do, we will save this world together, you and I. My power and yours. Our bond. I am your anchor, your tether to yourself. If anyone can master this, it’s us.
If anyone could master this, it was us.
We had faced so many hardships. Fate had never been kind. It had kicked us into the mud time and time again, and yet we just kept standing. We freed ourselves from its cruel grip and kept moving. Always toward the light.
Shuddering, I looked down. The ground was miles beneath me. Without knowing, I had flown far above, ready to unleash my wrath upon the unsuspecting humans beyond the bridge. I felt Kalen tug the bond, and my vision sharpened.
Even as far from the ground as I was, I could see him there. He stood at the edge of the bridge, staring up at me. Our gazes locked. He nodded and extended his hand toward me. And somehow, I knew, if I could slide my hand into my mate’s, I would make it through this.
The gods screamed. They filled my head with their panic, their fear. They fought against me, desperately trying to gain control of my wings as I began my descent.
I breathed in and breathed out, my eyes locked on Kalen’s face. I didn’t dare look anywhere but at him. My wings dipped, and the ground drew closer. The gods fought. They shook me from left to right, trying to knock me off course.
But I kept moving. One inch at a time.
When Kalen was no more than a breath away, I held out my hand. My wings trembled beneath me. The gods were trying to flutter them, just once, to toss me away from him. It might be enough to break my concentration, so I would lose control. I clenched my jaw and reached.
Kalen’s hand closed around mine.
The gods went silent.
My entire body sighed.
