Page 97 of Unleashing Chaos

“That’s good to hear. I have a difficult challenge for the both of you. But I believe you’ll be up to the task. I need Desideria to return home sooner than I was planning, which means, if you’ve chosen to be her eternal partner, you’ll need to leave this realm too.”

Jace’s grip on my hand is like a vice cutting off all circulation. He’s got to be lost for words.

But I have words—a lot of them. “What? Dad, what are you talking about? How soon? I’m supposed to have, like, a month left.”

My father swallows, and I notice for the first time how pale he is. “I need you to come as soon as possible. Within the next three days.”

Jace and I exchange horrified glances. “Three days? Wh—why? What for? I can’t leave in three days. I’m supposed to have more time.” Panic seizes me and I begin to tremble all over. I was supposed to have another month to spend with Jace. Not three days.

Dad leans over the table and folds his hands on top. His face is gaunt, and his shoulders don’t appear as broad as they were before I left Infernis with Jace. Or maybe they were, but I was so caught up in the man beside me that I didn’t notice.

Dad clears his throat and says, “Despite popular belief, it wasn’t just your mother’s and my robust sex life that led us to have seven children. We made a conscious decision to break the tradition of having only one. We never wanted to put the burden of ruling on just one child. There is power in numbers, and that is why the responsibility of Infernis is divided between you and your brothers.”

“I know all that, Dad. That still doesn’t explain why I need to come home early.”

“I thought I could keep fueling the chaos in our realm for a few more weeks. But I was wrong, Desideria. Our realm has grown so much over the past decades, and it’s draining me.” He lowers his chin and watches his fidgeting fingers. “If you don’t come home soon and take your Circle, I’ll use the last of my power and our realm will self-detonate, and the freedom of human energies to choose their final destination will end.”

I brush a tear away with the back of my hand. “You’re dying?”

“For lack of a better word, yes.”

“No . . .” I murmur, and Jace slips his arm around my shoulder and tucks me into his side. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, letting what my father said sink in for a moment as tears slide down my cheeks.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you like this, in a public place, but it was the only way.”

I lift my head from Jace’s shoulder and say, “Don’t apologize, Dad. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m sorry I was a brat.” I spring up from my seat, and Avaros, seeing what I intend to do, hops out of the booth and motions for Jace to scoot over. My dad moves down so I can sit next to him, and he wraps me in his arms, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“Shhh, Desideria. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. Is this my fault?” I ask in a small voice, sitting up and looking at him with wide eyes, the horrifying idea dawning on me. “If I had chosen an eternal partner before now, and the seven of us could have taken our places, would it have saved you?”

My dad starts to say something but to my surprise, it’s Avaros who speaks up. “Sister, no. It’s not your fault. And you know I’d tell you if it was. A hundred years ago, even fifty years ago, most people were choosing Pax as the final resting place for their energy. You know that. There weren’t as many energies in Infernis for Dad to manage. No one could have predicted that this would become a lethal problem. Not to mention, Fier and Lux chose their eternal partners not so long ago. It’s not like we’ve all been sitting here waiting for you for millennia. Plus, Mom and Dad had seven kids to make their lives easier one day, not to save Dad’s life. They didn’t know that would be necessary. Stop blaming yourself.”

“See, my darling? You know your brother is a douche bag. If it were your fault, he would’ve taken the chance to berate you already. Even Jace knows that, and he’s only met him once before,” Dad says, planting a kiss on my forehead.

I can’t help but laugh and look at Jace, who glances at Avaros and nods with a shrug. “Sorry, bro. It’s true.”

Avaros pinches the bridge of his nose. “You people act like I don’t know I’m a dickhead.”

We all chuckle and in the silence that follows, my dad adds, “And besides, if you had found a demon before you took a chance and came to the human realm, you never would have found Jace. And that, I think, would have been a far greater tragedy than an old geezer like me choosing to go to the In-Between a little earlier than expected.”

My heart squeezes in my chest as I meet Jace’s gaze across the table. That notion both crushes me and gives me an immense amount of joy. I should be bringing Jace back with me. Because after this weekend, I know how I feel about him. And it’s not just lust. He’s not just my best friend. Leaving him here is going to gut me. Losing my father is going to destroy what’s left of me.

I should come clean and tell them that what they think Jace feels for me isn’t as serious as they believe. That it’s not strong enough for him to give up the life he’s built in this realm. But I can’t now, not when Dad is sick. I’m better off showing up without Jace and telling my family that I had a backup plan. The least I can do is spare them some worry.

I wish it didn’t have to be this way, that Jace chose me, but I don’t blame him for not doing it. I don’t know that I could give up Infernis for just anyone, but I could for him. Or at least I could if my father’s life didn’t depend on me returning. I suppose I’ve found my limit as well.

“All right. I’ll be home in three days,” I say, sliding out of the booth.

My father pulls me into a hug and says, “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the time I promised. Thank you for understanding, Desideria.”

After Avaros and my dad retreat to the back of the restaurant where I’m sure there is a portal, Jace and I step out onto the sidewalk, and I turn to him, my eyes filled with tears. “This fucking sucks,” I blurt, an unexpected sob rattling my body.

He pulls me into his arms and smooths my hair. “I know. I’m sorry your dad is sick. I know how hard it is to learn that the man you thought was the strongest person in the universe has found his kryptonite.”

“Yeah, for sure.” A moment of silence goes by.

“You have no idea what kryptonite is, do you?”

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