Page 109 of Dark Fate

Shit!

Azrael's too cunning to let me own his ass a second time—not after I chucked him and his pet sorcerer through the portal before, a humiliating defeat he's sure to be itching to avenge. And now the bastards have pulled their disappearing act—no telling where they've scurried off to, what fresh hell they're planning to unleash.

I catch my breath, ready to unleash profanities, but Rhyland's somber expression gives me pause. He's strategizing our next move. I clamp my lips shut, knowing he'll speak when the plan aligns.

Keeping my mouth shut and my temper reined in is wise for now. No sense fanning the flames of the dumpster fire we're currently standing in. I lift my gaze to Rhyland; he's just like a damn statue—unmoving.

Is it shock?

I stretch my hand out, brushing against his. "Rhyland...?"

His head tilts, eyes meeting mine—a tempest swirling in those depths of blue.

Oh, shit, he's pissed.

"We've got a serious fucking problem."

Rhyland

50

I'm absolutely boiling inside, each step back to camp heavy with rage. Dani can feel the raw silence between us, charged with the fury that's got my hands clenched tight at my sides. She let Azrael and Adrian slip through a fucking portal right in the middle of these damned Vales as if she laid out a welcome mat for those bastards.

How could she be so reckless?

I don't care what kind of mind tricks those Whisperling bastards pulled; she ought to have seen through it. If anyone was going to fall for their bullshit, I'd have thought it'd be me. But Dani?

The second we step into camp, it's clear everyone's on edge. Their heads snap up, alert and ready for a fight—proof they'd heard Dani's screams cutting through the Vales like a knife.

"What the hell happened?" Erik demands, his gaze sharp as it flicks between Dani and me, searching for answers. His stance is tense and vigilant, like a damn statue poised to spring into action.

I suck in a deep breath, reigning in the torrent of cuss words itching to break loose on Dani. "She opened a fucking portal. That's what," I spit out through clenched teeth. "Azrael and Adrian—they're here now because of it."

The group's reaction is instant—a shared intake of shocked breaths as they all grasp the gravity of the situation I've just laid bare. Dani starts to open her mouth, probably to let a flood of sorries spill out, but I cut that shit off quickly with a look that could slice through steel.

"Not now, Dani," I growl, my words like shards of ice. The fury simmers just beneath the surface but is held in check—barely. "You've put every single one of us at risk with…this." I gesture wide with my arms. "Do you even realize the shitstorm you've just called down on us?"

Erik moves to speak up, "Rhyland, she—"

I silence him with a glare before he can say another damn word. Not his place.

Her eyes flare with rage as she glares daggers at me. "Screw you and your sanctimonious bullshit! You don't get it at all," she jabs her finger into my rock-hard chest to emphasize each word. "Those slithering Whisperling turds totally screwed with my head, making me think Emily needed rescuing from that smog-chugging asshat." She throws her hands up, adrenaline and fear boiling over. "What the hell was I supposed to do? Let my best friend get tortured in Shadow Fuckwad hands? Like hell."

Her voice hits a fever pitch, her words erupting in a shout. It's like throwing gasoline on the embers of my anger. I can feel my hands balling into tight fists, my nails digging into my palms as she ramps up with her mouthy tirade. My patience frays thinner with every word she spits out.

"Don't feed me your 'portals have consequences' crap right now, Mister Know-It-All. I don't need a goddamn lecture from Professor High-and-Mighty." She steps closer, eyes blazing. "So stow the pompous vampiric wisdom and get the hell off my back."

"It doesn't fucking matter," I roar, my control snapping like a brittle twig. "You know damn well not to listen to those wraiths and their poison whispers. But you let them twist your mind, and now look at the goddamn catastrophe you've landed us in."

I'm seeing red, blind to anything but the ravenous urge to unleash the full force of my wrath. Consequences be damned. She needs to understand the severity of her mistake, which could cost us everything. My fury feeds on itself, an inferno blazing out of control. All I can do is let it burn.

"Fine, I'm sorry—alright?" she shouts back, matching my volume. "How many freaking times do you want me to say it? I screwed up, but I was trying to save my best friend. So don't you dare get all high and mighty on me, Rhyland—we both know you're not exactly perfect either, Mister Broody Bloodsucker." She jabs her finger at me again, feeling my temper rising. "Yeah, that's right, I went there. Go ahead, keep lecturing me. But don't pretend you haven't made mistakes, too. I'm sure you've got centuries of screw-ups under your belt, so get off your damn high horse."

From behind me comes the faint sound of Lucian making a mocking "Ohhh, buuurn," as if Dani just won some verbal sparring match instead of royally screwing us all.

The urge to whip around and knock that smug look off his face surges hot within me. But I clench my jaw and ignore the baiting, keeping my focus locked on Dani. She's the one I need to deal with right now, the source of this catastrophic mess. Lucian and his bullshit can damn well wait.

I move in closer, using my height to loom over Dani as I stare her down. "A mistake? This goes way beyond just some little screw-up, kära," I say, my voice low but edged with steel. "You might've doomed every last one of us—doomed the whole damn future of the realms. And for what? Because you were foolish enough to listen to those spirit freaks—for Emily?" I'm in her face now, our noses nearly touching.

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