Page 44 of Dark Fate

How long 'til there's nothing human left in me?

Footsteps grind against the cavern floor as Lucian approaches, his voice cutting through my skull's red storm with an edge sharp enough to slice steel."Well congratu-fuckin-lations, brother dear! We ain't before or afterlife's pearly ass gates quite yet, thanks to your psychotic shit show!"

I raise my head slowly.Lucian's tight jaw and flinty eyes scream banked fury, but worse lurks beneath. Naked fear at what I'm becoming haunts his stare. I can't blame him.

"You can't go full beast mode on the one pixie brainiac who can get these magical choke collars off us,"Lucian's tone softens slightly. "I know being separated from your mate is driving you insane, bro. But you've gotta hold on."

"Sorry for nearly killing our petmouse," I grit out. "But we're goddamn sunk here without..." I falter, my body screaming to hunt my heart through endless peril.

Lucian's sharp laugh cuts without joy. "We're fucked, alright, if that's your idea of an apology!” He roughly forces my chin up, scrutinizing my blown pupils. "Earth to the Braindead Idiot—we need her to crack this curse shit off us! Then we find your suicidal Juliet together, got it?"

His words spark my temper again. With a snarl, I shove him back. "A few more minutes in this cave, and I'll lose my goddamn mind! I needDani—"

I'm clawing at my scalp, the dampness of the cave leeching into my hands like icy death, the tang of decay settling in my throat. The incessant drip of water somewhere close grinds at my nerves, a stark contrast to the fading scent ofLucianwarring against the musty stench of neglect.

This fucking cave—it's not just a hole, it's the gap tearing open inside me.

I catchLucian's leaden sigh. There's no swagger, no smart-ass grin—just his raw look cutting right through me. He sees the chasm that'll swallow us whole if we don't pull this off. Maybe he also feels the cold breath of the end whispering behind us.

I choke back a raw sound halfway between a snarl and a sob. "You think I haven't been fighting like hell?" I spit the words like poison before my damn lips seal again. Can't let him see all the cracks. But this isLucian. After centuries, some truths can't be buried.

My voice turns to gravel, the fear that swallows every other terror laid bare. "She's nothing but a dying light in a godforsaken expanse," I admit with a guttural hiss. "This fucked-up divide is ripping what's left of me to shreds, brother. If Dani's fire snuffs out before we're back together..." I trail off, the unspoken dread too menacing, too vast—a beast of its own, growing hungrier with each tick of the goddamn clock.

A heavy crunch suggestsLuciansplitting a hapless tree limb against his knee in frustration. "That's not an option,Rhy. You're going to make it back to her, goddammit."Lucian's words are firm. "I didn't put up with your broody ass just to watch you give up now. We're getting out of this shithole, one way or another."

His fingers dig, bruising my tense shoulders. "You're the most stubborn, bullheaded bastard I know,"Lucianstates plainly. "This magical mind-fuckery isn't enough to break you. You've got to keep fighting."

I nod, the burn in my lungs a reminder that I'm still here. Sill fighting. For Dani. For us.

"One way or another," I echo, the raw determination in my voice a vow.

Endless hours drag by, a cruel joke, while we make zero headway on cracking these damn collars.

I'm teetering on the edge, bloodlust gnawing at the last threads of control, when this bizarre force slams into me like a freight train. I stagger, slapping my palms against the cave wall to keep my feet. Every sense is dialed to eleven.

Great, what fresh hell is this now?

The scent hits me like a sledgehammer—sickeningly sweet—cotton candy. My fangs spring out, and I'm tipping into savagery.

Control snaps. I can feel the shadows writhing in my skull, clawing for dominance. Nothing else exists but that intoxicating aroma, that irresistible scent I'm dying to bury my fangs in.

Finally!

I'm moving on instinct before I can think. There's this magnetic pull straight from my spine, dragging me toward that delicious smell.

A feral growl rips from my throat, shutting Lucian up mid-rant. His eyes lock on mine like he knows.

I can practically taste this divine creature; it's so close.

Lucian looks at me with shock and horror. "Fuck me...Meadow, get back!" He inches toward me, hands raised like he's caging a wild animal. Meadow scurries into the corner. "Bro, your eyes—Rhy—get a leash on it. You could hurt her. Self-control, remember that? Don't you dare—"

I let out a roar and bolted from the cave, with a single-minded hunger to drown in this creature, to bury my fangs and gulp its blood.

Thoughts clash like Titans struggling for control.

My bloodlust overpowers everything—fuck the risks, fuck the consequences. Switch flipped—sweet relief in no longer fighting my need.

Lucian yells something fierce behind me, Meadow's voice a high-pitched ribbon on the wind. The primal drumming of my starving heart drowns out their sounds.

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