Page 13 of Shadow Fall: Part Two

Visions I knew couldn't have happened, because we'd never been in a prison, never met Apollo, and I'd never died, so how could Hades have brought me back to life?

I snagged Harvey when we left our mate for another nap and said, "You're right." I hated myself for it, but I needed to say it out loud. "Something is wrong. I don't think this is happening, either."

But I didn't want to give up this life when it had treated me so well. All I'd ever wanted was a place to belong, to feel safe, and a family who loved me, who I could devote all of myself to in return.

I had that now, here.

Would I really be stupid enough to give it up?

CHAPTER EIGHT

HALWEN

Ihadn't had a nightmare in years, but this was about as far from a dream as could be. Darkness swirled through the forest around me, and every time it brushed my legs a new horror unfurled through my mind.

I was six and listening to my parents argue on Earth. He's going to find me, Lyall, it's only a matter of time before he hunts us down. You have to go, take Haley to Hell; my grandmother will help conceal you. She hates Cronus.

I shook my head hard, trying to dislodge the words. My mum knew about Cronus?

Wait, who the fuck was Cronus and why did my head erupt with pain at that name?

You're trying to remember, Halwen. Don't fight the memories; let them flow through your mind.

"Busty…?"

Wait, who was Busty? My automatic guess would be Dolly Parton, but the voice was a man's.

Another shadow swirled in the dream, rushing against my legs. Now I was sixteen, my head recoiling from the fist that just slammed into it, making pain explode through my entire being. I was used to the other kids in the home beating me, but this had come as a surprise. I squinted at the house master through the blood gushing from my eyebrow. If you think you're so tough, let's see how well you do in the training camp. Jinsevia is offering a hundred crowns for every new recruit, and I'm sure they'd love a new punching bag.

Fuck you, I snarled and took a shot at his face, aiming to break his nose. Instead, he punched me in the head so hard I blacked out. I woke up in a covered cart rattling down the uneven roads into the mines of Jinsevia, where the most brutal of Hell's army trained.

"Enough!" I snarled at whatever was torturing me.

I wanted out of this dream; why was I being haunted by my past? I'd moved on from it; I was happy, I was free, and I had amazing mates and two daughters I loved with my whole heart. I didn't need to see any of this shit, and the more visions hurled themselves at me, the more I started to realise this was no ordinary dream.

Now, I was seventeen, saved from assault by the sudden eruption of my blood magic cutting off the brute's heart.

I was twenty-nine and storming through a puddle in pursuit of ten thousand gold crowns, content to grab my target and haul him back to my client for a hefty payday. Until I met him, and Kai tried to kill me, and Wane revealed we were mates.

"Is this a threat?" I demanded of the darkness in my dream, my lips curled back from my teeth as I spun in place, glaring at the forest that replaced the vision of the tavern. Shadows swirled like fog. "If you go anywhere near my mates—"

Not a threat, the same male voice cut in. A reminder.

That certainly wasn’t Dolly Parton.

Another shadow rushed at me, and I jumped hard when shouts and deafening noise shattered the forest. I recoiled a step, and I was in the Damned House, my breath catching as Locke advanced on us with a shotgun.

Emlyn lay at my feet, blood pooling on our kitchen floor, and the gunshot that made my ears ring hit—Harvey, my Harvey. Oh, god.

One by one, we fell. Em, Harvey, Kai, all murdered in front of me. And then Wane and I clung to each other, huddled under a dome of shadow, his wings wrapped around me and mine around his as his vicious father bore down on us.

When the last gunshot rang, I felt the impact, felt Wane's magic fall, and—

I remembered everything that happened after.

Clawing my way out of my grave a hundred years later.

Alphaven. Finding my mates as Ferals. Wynvail being wicked and cruel and entirely without a heart.

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