Page 145 of Dark Awakening

I shut out Azrael's looming presence and bellowing roars. "Fight it, Rhyland! Don't listen to the venomous lies!" But the darkness muffles my pleas.

Azrael's face contorts in deranged fury. "What the fuck are you?" he bellows, spraying my face with spittle. His fetid breath makes me gag.

Red rage overrides paralyzing fear. I focus every fiber of my being, gathering crackling energy until electricity swirls in a growing storm.

With a guttural roar, I drive a blazing orb directly into Azrael's twisted face. The impact hurls him away to crumple stunned against the far wall.

“Listen here, asshole. I’m already taken, and you don’t stand a chance. And if you think I’m gonna take any more of your shit, you’re in for a nasty surprise. I'm your worst nightmare. So back the fuck off!”

I suppose my abilities don’t always manifest when I want them to, but better late than never. I've got my glow back and ready to kick some serious ass. My fists clench as I quiver with anger and fear. Adrenaline surges through my body as my brain switches into fight mode.

His shadows deflected most of my light blast as Azrael cackles wetly, slowly rising as malevolence pours off him in waves. "Claimed you, has he?" His glance at Rhyland sparks fury in my core.

I desperately fling volleys of light toward Rhyland, but just as I release it, Azrael throws a shadow in its trajectory, my light eating the shadow and deflecting it.

“You smell like the goddamn sun and taste like pure fire. Your very presence pollutes the air with a revolting hum.” He snarls with disgust in his voice.

He looks absolutely deranged. There is no sugarcoating what he is—a total lunatic. His eyes are wild and murky, like two voids of pure darkness. It is clear to me that he's lost it.

The dark tendrils continue dragging Rhyland deeper into despair with each moment. My frantic mind grasps for solutions, but I only hear my thundering heartbeat.

Suddenly, Azrael's body unravels, skin morphing into roiling smoke and shadows. His transformation is deeply sinister, an unstoppable embodiment of consummate evil.

With a bellow, he launches a tidal wave of churning darkness toward me. The sight jerks my mind to the tragedy at the Valley of Ancients, obliterated by this evil force.

Instinctively, I throw up my hands, squeezing my eyes shut. When I dare to look, a shimmering barrier of blazing white light has risen around me. It thrums with power, humming through the air.

Azrael batters the barrier with unrelenting force. I grit my teeth, limbs shaking with effort to withstand the assault. Sweat drips down my face as I pour every shred of energy into maintaining the protective shield. It could rupture any second, allowing Azrael's vicious strike.

"It can't be true!" he roars over the whine of warring energies. "You shouldn't be alive!" His words glance off my steely focus.

Before Azrael can attack again, Adrian and Erik explode into the room. Erik slams Azrael to the floor with thunderous force. Adrian wraps his arms around Azrael's neck in a blur, trying to decapitate him.

With an unearthly howl, Azrael unleashes a wave of darkness from his amorphous form. It crashes over Adrian and Erik, who convulse in agony as it leeches away their life force.

Rhyland chokes and gasps within the suffocating void. Adrian and Erik thrash madly but can't escape the hungry shadows draining them.

My heart hammers as I pour all my remaining energy into maintaining the shield, though it saps me. Azrael's monstrous roar reverberates through the room as he shifts into a towering figure of smoke and shadow.

Tears spill down my cheeks, emotions churning violently. I unleash a raw scream of anguish. Blinding light erupts from my body, flooding the room until everything glows white. Windows shattering at the blast. Azrael dissipates like mist.

The others collapse, released from their torment. I fall to my knees, sobs wracking my exhausted body. This power comes at a cost, but I'd pay any price to protect those I love.

Rhyland stirs with a moan, struggling up. I sprint over as he sits, pulling me into a fierce embrace. His relieved sigh tickles my ear. Gently, he strokes my cheek, scanning my face in concern.

"Thank you," he whispers sincerely before releasing me. I try to suppress the lurking sobs. "I heard you, Angel. I fought it as hard as I could."

Adrian and Erik rise unsteadily, faces etched with shock.

I cling to Rhyland, adrenaline giving way to bone-deep fatigue. But we're alive, and Azrael was forced to retreat once more.

Rhyland

80

Istand swiftly, arm tight around Dani's waist, and process what we just witnessed.

"It wasn't Azrael—it was Moretemis puppeteering," I exclaim.

---