Noahlin takes her gloved hand in his, kissing her lace-covered fingers, adoration swimming in his gaze.
“When such a breathtaking creature promised to help me end you once and for all, how could I refuse?”
He doesn’t know what she is.
The fool.
Bewitched by her cunning looks and feigned innocence.
“She tricked you, Noahlin,” I say with force. “You’re just a pawn.”
“Of course you’d say that,” he laughs, gripping her waist and placing a kiss on her neck as she wraps her hands around him, her gaze trained on us. “Always jealous of your twin. Always trying to steal what’s rightfully hers.She’s my Queen now. Helping me cleanse the realm of vampires once and for all. I’ll rule the world with her by my side.”
A sneer forms on Aurora’s face as her features contort, color leaching from her skin. Her fingers lengthen into claws, piercing his flesh and breaking through the back of his skull. Noahlin’s dull brown eyes widen in shock for a fraction of a second before turning lifeless. His knees buckle first, swaying on the spot, before caving inward as gravity claims Morweena’s latest victim.
He falls into a bloody heap; the body hitting the ground with a heavy, final thud, settling into the earth that will become his grave.
Blood seeps from his slashed throat, staining the edges of her silver dress. Morwenna hums in disapproval, as if the life she just took offends her.
“Such a delusional, whiny brat. Thinking I would ever let him rulemy domain,” she cackles, kicking the corpse as if it were nothing more than a rotten apple on the ground. “But he served his purpose well enough.”
“That was the last casualty of your madness. Even he didn’t deserve his fate,” Killian grits, releasing his shadow self that hurtles toward her at blinding speed.
Time seems to stop as Morweena throws her hand, catching Shadow Killian by his misty throat.
“Impossible,” I whisper in horror at the sight of the struggling crimson shadows.
“Oh, Akaori, now you’remine,” she laughs maniacally, squeezing Killian double’s neck. Killian’s knees thump against the muddied ground, a groan escaping past his lips as he releases my hand. The whites of his eyes turn a shade of unnatural vermillion, and he contorts in pain, fighting the thrall.
What the actual fuck.
He’s turning onpyr.
My pulse becomes sluggish as blood roars in my eardrums.
“Run, umbra, run!” he screams, grabbing the sides of his head as if he can claw away the sickness spreading inside.
No.
I’m fucking tired of running.
My fists clench, nails biting the insides of my palms until they draw blood.
“Let him go, you psychopath.”
“It’s over, little sister.” Morweena chortles exuberantly. “His first act as my puppet will be to bleed you dry. End your worthless life.”
“Run!” Killian whispers again, as his features slacken, his free will vanishing before my eyes.
There’s barely anything left that makes him who he is.
“No, no, no,” I cry, tears blurring my vision.
This can’t be the end.
It’s not what Ereshkygall revealed to us.
A thunderous roar comes from the skies as the moon gets swallowed by a dark cloud of sable scales shimmering with molten heat and flapping wings.
