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I put myself between Aidan’s fury and Paris.

“How did it fail?” the deity said through gritted teeth.

“Because you were wrong,” Paris replied.

Aidan’s eyes swirled with vehemence. “I am never wrong.”

“Sure about that?” Paris scoffed.

Aidan howled, launching an attack.

I threw myself at him, the two of us crashing to the floor. We rolled, him gaining the upper hand, his weight crushing into me.

“This is not happening!” he screamed, his fingernails gouging at my face. He drew blood, tearing flesh.

With a swift headbutt, I got him off me, jumping to my feet.

He rolled backward, also springing to his feet. “I’ll burn that ruby heart out of your rancid body, vampire.”

Paris jumped between us, his sliver hair a damp mess, his rage radiating like heatwaves from his slender body. “Get the fuck away from him.”

Aidan spat at the floor, blood pouring down his face from where my skull had cracked his. “What have you done, elf?”

“Survived,” Paris rebutted.

I chuckled.

The deity’s eyes narrowed with even more hate. “Laugh, vampire. The end is coming. The⁠—”

Paris shot forward, sticking the crystal dagger in Aidan’s left eye at the last moment.

“It’s still here, prick!” he roared, twisting it.

Aidan howled, hopping from foot to foot. The knife puffed away in silvery smoke, leaving behind a messy socket of blood and gore.

Paris took my hand. “I couldn’t listen to anymore of his bullshit. Let’s go.”

I cupped his face. “You’re alive.”

“Later,” he said. “Run now.” He licked his lips, gazing up at me.

I couldn’t help but trace the pads of my thumbs under his eyes. “You’re alive.”

Aidan ran out of the diner raging, vowing revenge as one would expect him to.

The suffering of the city screamed louder than him, a reminder of what had befallen this place. The stink of spilled mortal blood, its richness fading, leaving behind nothing but an aura of death.

“By Selene,” I muttered.

As I’d flown over Oreflame, I’d seen the fires, the bodies in the streets. The bloodbath taking place below me. Aidan-afflicted individuals with golden eyes murdering others without care or control, including some vampires. Destroying buildings, bombs exploding, all manner of horrors unfolding in the deity’s vile name.

I meant to drink the rot from my vampires, but Aidan’s spell dragged me to that dreadful house.

I needed to be out there now, freeing them from Aidan’s grip.

“The power is not ready to be used again yet,” Selene reminded me.

Paris moved toward Elio, crouching before him. “Are you okay?”