Page 167 of Dark Fate

"Dani, now!"Erik's voice bellows through the chaos, urging her to strike while Azrael is momentarily distracted.

Dani calls upon her power with a fierce cry, crackling energy at her fingertips—unleashing blinding bolts of white light that streak through the alley. But Azrael, always cunning and elusive, seems to anticipate her moves. With a sinister smile, he shadows himself again, narrowly dodgingDani's attacks with a blink of dark energy.

Despite the frustration of missing her target,Dani's resolve remains unwavering. Fueled by fury and determination, she hurls waves of radiant power at Azrael, determined to land a hit no matter the cost. Her failed hits hit the alley walls, scorching and crumbling at impact.

Dani's time warp mojo kicks into high gear, and she's zipping around the alley like a goddamn superhero, hot on Azrael's heels as they both blink in and out of existence. Dani's hurling her light like it's going out of style, while Azrael's countering with his shadow bullshit, trying to snuff her out.

Then it's quiet. We all stand there, on bated breaths, waiting.

Then my heart stops cold. No... No, no, no! This can't be fucking happening. Azrael stands behind Dani, materializing out of nowhere.

I begin to blur forward, "DANI!" Her name rips from my throat, raw and desperate. But I'm batted back and thrown against the brick wall.

Time seems to slow as I watch that vile shadow wrap around her, squeezing the air from her lungs. Her eyes are wide with terror, a silent scream frozen on her lips.

My heart races, fearing the worst, as I see her swinging at nothing but air, fighting for breath.

Before Erik, Lucian, or I can even fucking blink, that bastard Azrael seizes the moment, trapping us in his goddamn shadow fuckery. We're hurled against the alley wall like ragdolls, pinned down and choking on that suffocating shadow shit. All I can do is watch, helpless, as Azrael lunges at Adrian, who's still trying to get his bearings after the last thrashing. Adrian's giving it his all, grappling with Azrael looming over him, clutching his arm in a death grip as Azrael goes for the unthinkable, the twisted fuck.

"You won't win, boy." With a brutal, swift movement, Azrael plunges his hand into Adrian's chest and rips out his heart. The sight of it sends a wave of nausea through me—the true death.

Dani's suffocating scream pierces the air, a sound so full of anguish and despair that it feels like it'll shatter my soul. My chest feels heavy; I can't breathe as I feel her heartache reverberate through our bond.Erik and Lucian are in the same struggling choke hold as I am; their expression is equally pained, knowing that Dani's grief over Adrian's death is mirrored in my agony.

We are held here in shock and horror, unable to react as Azrael carelessly tossesAdrian's heart, "Let this be a lesson to every last one of you," Azrael sneers, spitting on Adrian's heart. "Cross me, get in my way, and you'll suffer a fate far worse than this pitiful excuse." he kicks Adrian's body. "Time for me to exit. And I think…" Azrael looks at Dani, still struggling, "I will take a trade." he moves toward Dani.

Out of fucking nowhere, we all drop to the ground like a bunch of limp noodles. We're all sprawled on the ground, gasping for air like fish out of water.Dani's coughing up a lung, clutching her throat, desperately sucking in oxygen.Lucian,Erik, and I are right there with her, massaging our necks, trying to get our shit together. I glimpse at Azrael; even he looks like he's been sucker-punched.

He tries to summon his shadow fuckery again, but something's not right. The confusion on his face says it all. Then, before anyone can react, he's onDaniin a flash, trying to haul her up over his shoulder like she's nothing.Dani's barely standing, but she's a fighter, clawing and thrashing with every ounce of strength she's got left.

They keep going at it, trading blows like there's no fucking tomorrow, but it's plain as day that Dani's running out of gas. She's not about to throw in the towel, though. She whips out her daggers and starts twirling them like a goddamn ninja, ready to carve Azrael a new one.

My heart's pounding out of my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins. We've got to make a move, and fast, before that son of a bitch gets away with my girl.

I'm consumed by an overwhelming urge to protect what's mine. The memory of losing Dani in the Whispering Woods rips my heart like a jagged blade. Never again. I won't let that happen. Not on my fucking watch.

I pour every last drop of agony, every fucking ounce of white-hot rage, into this one moment. The air around me is alive, crackling with wild, untamed energy as I feel the world tilt on its axis. Storm clouds roll in like an invading army, the metallic tang of ozone flooding my senses. Lightning splits the sky, a jagged, blinding display of nature's fury, and I can feel that same electric power dancing at my fingertips, begging to be unleashed. The distant rumble of thunder grows, swelling into a deafening crescendo that drowns out every other sound, a primal roar that shakes me to my core.

With a guttural cry that shakes the very foundations of the earth, I unleash a blinding tempest of light and energy targeted at this piece of shit. The force of it is so intense that it leaves me momentarily blind and deaf, my ears popping and ringing like crazy.

As that intense feeling dissipates, the smell of ozone fills my senses. I'm left wondering if my desperate stand made a damn bit of difference. Did I put an end to this nightmare once and for all? I don't know. All I know is that the strength to protect Dani and have my brothers' backs are the only things keeping me going. It's all I've got left in this fucked up world.

My legs buckle, and I crash onto the concrete, furiously looking for any hint of Azrael—no sign or trace.

Dani bolts toward Adrian's fallen form in a flash, collapsing to her knees beside him. Time warps strangely around me; the only anchor in the chaos is the rise and fall of my own breath. Lost in a fog, I have no damn clue how much time slips by before I spot Dani—with her face streaked in tears—rushing in my direction.

She lunges at me, and I nearly lose my balance. Her tears flow freely, and I can feel her anguish searing through me. How can she still hold such a tender spot for Adrian? He backstabbed her—he betrayed us. Yet, I wonder if he deserved a gruesome death like that.

Before I can react, her hand connects with my face in a resounding slap.

"Why did you do that? I told you to stop!" she cries between sobs. Though my ears are still ringing, her agony is etched on her face. "We could've spared him, Rhyland!" she screams at me through her tears, her voice thick with pain and anger. "Now, I'll never be able to find my mother! He knew how!"

My heart's being ripped to fucking shreds, torn apart by the whirlwind of chaos churning inside me. It's gotta be that new stone she's rocking, cranking her emotions up to eleven while she's drowning in everyone else's bullshit too.

With vampiric speed,Luciangrabs hold of her, effortlessly pulling her away from me. He maintains his grip despite her thrashing and protests, attempting to ease her fury. "Whoa there, Princess!"Lucianchuckles, his voice dripping with that special brand of condescending snark that makes me want to knee him in the balls. "Let's take a deep breath and count to ten before we regret something, like, say, rearrangingRhy's pretty-boy features into an abstract art piece."

Dani kicks and screams like a cat in a straight jacket.

"Come on,Dani, we all know that traitor had it coming," Lucian informs her, no bullshit tone.

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