Page 76 of Only You, No One Else

Confusion at his words set in for a moment before Riley let out a painful moan, clutching his head. It was all gone in a second, but it was a second that increased his mistrust of their powerful new ally. His conviction that he didn’t want the world destroyed rang true, but he still refused to share his motives. Why had he accepted Ethel’s summons centuries ago? Why had he not simply returned to the Underworld where he belonged?

But these questions, as pertinent as they were, remained secondary to the current threat. They needed to cut the witch off from the power that made her so formidable. It was the only way to ensure the safety of the whole supernatural community and, by extension, the humans, who remained oblivious of the enormous threat.

He squeezed Mark’s hand again, knowing the time was coming when he’d have to entrust his soulmate’s life to his best friend, but dreading the approaching seconds.

I’m OK. I promise.

The reassurance spoken in his mind eased some of his worry, and Riley nodded at him as if to grant him the same security. Riley’s power, his full power, filled the room, its sudden injection drawing gasps from all present. Caster didn’t as much let go of Mark’s hand as the spell tore it from his grasp.

Mark’s wolf growled long and low; the Prime Alpha answered the call from his brother with a low growl. Then Mark gasped as more of Riley’s power infused the space with his energy, and he crumbled, Caster only just catching his momentum before he hit the floor. Riley remained on his feet, but he swayed, his consciousness no longer in the room.

Caster looked at his mother, seeking something, as he failed to find Mark’s heartbeat at the first try. His breath caught, grief threatening to break through the myriad of emotions constricting his heart.

“Take a breath, son.” His father’s voice reached through the echo of his own racing heartbeat. “Now!” It was the command, rare from his father, that brought him back to the present.

He met his father’s gaze and followed his direction.

“Now, listen.” His father’s voice was softer.

He closed his eyes, relief washing over him, bringing tears to his eyes. It was there. Slow, subdued, hidden, but the signature rhythm of Mark’s heart, one he intended to hold on to forever, was there, calling to him. He called on all his control, staunched the tears, and opened his eyes to find a smile on his father’s face. His mother had long lost her battle with her own tears.

CHAPTER 50

Mark had been sure that he’d witnessed all of Riley’s power before, but as the tingle on his skin increased to pinpricks of pain, he was certain Riley was so much more powerful than he was willing to show. It felt like a teleportation spell should, but also not. His stomach flipped so much, he was sure he would throw up if he could. But he’d left that body behind, in Caster’s arms.

He’d seen himself fall right before he was swallowed by darkness. But this darkness did not contain the toxicity of Ethel’s power. It was simply the absence of light. They travelled through it, or rather it carried them along, but Mark got the sense he could resist its pull if he chose to.

Yes, you can. You’re the only one who can. Pierce’s voice startled him, but in the intense darkness, he couldn’t see much.

What do you mean?

This is your power, Magicae Lupus. You needed the powerful one’s help. But if you learn to control it, you can travel here of your own volition whenever you want.

Mark didn’t trust Pierce, didn’t think he ever would. But the truth of his words was apparent in the way he felt one with the darkness. But… Why does it feel different from last time?

You mean when you came to rescue your vampire mate?

Mark nodded, certain Pierce would interpret his expression with little difficulty.

That was not this. That darkness was an extension of the other demon. It was his body. Your mate was lucky enough to escape it. Most do not.

A shift in the even movement of his body through the darkness startled him, and he was jerked forward. He reached for his companion, seeking the animal’s reassurance. The wolf responded by resurging and, for the second time in the space of a few hours, Mark had the sense of being a single entity. No werewolf was a single entity. Their distinct power lay in the duality of the human and the wolf.

But you are not just any wolf, are you? He was about to question how easily Pierce could read his mind when his body jerked forward again. Light appeared to his left, and he turned to it. It was small, a sliver, almost a tear.

Yes, that is it. Shall we wake the powerful one?

Again, confusion followed Pierce’s words, but when Mark turned in the direction of his essence, all he saw, all the tiny sliver of light illuminated, was the yellow smoke swaying in a non-existent breeze. He frowned, a million questions battling for his attention, but all coalescing into a gasp when Riley appeared behind Pierce.

The witch nodded at him. That’s the tear.

What do I do? He wasn’t sure who he asked. The sliver of light, the tear in the Underworld’s darkness, called to him. Its hum was a memory he dreaded to revisit. Caster’s description of it had been scary enough, but it had done nothing to prepare him for the real thing. He’d heard it, memorized its signature rhythm during that trip into his memories when Zeke had attacked him, when his resistance created this tear.

Yes. You’re the one who created it. So you’re the only one who can close it.

I don’t know how. He looked at the disembodied Pierce.

That’s why we’re here.