Page 116 of Dark Fate

No. This can't happen.

I can't find my strength to fight—to use my light—darkness is consuming my vision.

Lucian is below me, hacking at the Shade—"Piece of fuckin' shit, let her go!"

The Shade constricts tighter, cracking my ribs under the strain. Before I can react, a slender tendril whips forward and impales my chest in a burst of crimson. For a suspended moment, there is only pressure, no pain. I watch the blood bloom, staining the leather vest red. Then agony—white-hot pokers lancing through my torso. A ragged scream tears from my throat. The tendril withdraws, my blood dripping from its tip. I'm discarded carelessly, hitting the ground with a bone-jarring thud.

Through the haze of pain, I see Rhyland's face contorted in anguish and fury. Time slows to a crawl—with a roar, he tears through the Shades separating us, eyes blazing cobalt fire. He hurls the Shades aside as if they were mere trifles, but they continue to swarm.

Through the haze of my darkening vision, I can just make out the gruesome sight: he's been impaled yet again.

There is a roaring void where the clamor of battle once reigned. Now, there is only deafening silence and the frantic cadence of my faltering heartbeat.

A silent scream rends my throat asunder. I glance down to see the ragged hole in my chest, blood pouring slick and crimson. My vision whitens at the edges.

Through the descending veil shrouding my senses, I see Lucian's face swim into view. Though mute to my failing ears, I can read the shape of words on his lips. "Fuck…Hold on," he pleads, " I got you…stay with me." his dark brown eyes brimming with anguish.

I try to cling to consciousness, focusing on the lifeline of his gaze.

"Rhyland!!" Lucian screams, but it sounds muffled like I'm underwater. My strength bleeds away along with the crimson tide spilling unchecked onto the forest floor.

Somewhere in the distance,Rhylandunleashes an anguished cry that pierces my fading consciousness. He is a man possessed, fighting through the Shades with primal fury etched on his face, telekinetic power hurling them aside like leaves in a gale.

But even his strength cannot hold back the tide rising to swallow me. Each breath is a fire in my chest. My life spills hot on the damp earth beneath me.

"Luc—" His name bubbles past my lips, drowned in a crimson tide rising from my ruined chest. I cough violently, blood spraying, feeling as though I'm drowning on dry land.Lucian's face swims sickeningly before me as he tries to stem the relentless flow. But we both know it is futile.

"Shh…don't talk," he tells me. "Rhyland!!"Lucian's cry resonates through me, a thunderclap rending the shroud of silence. The raw anguish in his voice seems to shake the very air.

The shadows continue their insidious march, consuming my vision by degrees. Soon, only a tunnel remains, framingLucian's anguished eyes.

"Fuck…I'm so sorry…for what I'm about to do. Please forgive me," Lucian pleads.

I'm confused— lost in the void. I blink; time's a twisted joke here. It could be minutes, seconds, or a fricking eternity.

Rhyland's face appears above me, shouting words I can't understand. I feel like I'm being lifted. His voice fades, and a bone-deep cold creeps through my limbs.

"Rhyland…" I cling to one final shred of light, determined to imprint his face on my heart.

Darkness creeps into the edges of my vision, beckoning me into its embrace. My eyes fall shut, too heavy to keep open. Rhyalnd's frantic voice echoes from somewhere far away as oblivion rises to claim me.

Rhyland

53

Icrush Dani to my chest, the weight of her body is both delicate and unbearably heavy, a precious burden that threatens to shatter me. The gaping hole in her chest sears into my vision, a vicious wound that no mortal should survive, a testament to the cruelty of fate. Blood froths at the corner of her lips, and the scent of iron fills my nostrils, a sickening reminder of how close I am to losing her. Her punctured lung heaves with each shallow, labored breath, a wet gurgle twisting my insides, a sound that will haunt me for eternity.

"Dani, you're not going anywhere," I growl, my forehead pressed against hers as if I can anchor her to this world through sheer force of will. "Stay with me, or I swear to all the gods, I'll tear this whole fucking world apart."

But Dani remains unmoving, still in my arms, her life force ebbing away with each passing second. Terror rages within me, a beast unchained, howling in despair at the thought of losing her.

I whip my head around, a snarl ripping from me, directed at Lucian. He's there, stained with the act—crimson at his mouth, his wrist marred by his own bite, indisputable proof of his blood feeding her. "What the fuck did you do, Lucian?" I demand, fury laced with dread at what this could mean.

Lucian swipes at the blood on his mouth, a defiant glimmer in his dark eyes. "What had to be done, Rhyland," he retorts, his tone a mix of defensive snark and solemnity. "I fuckin' waited, Rhy—waited as long as I bloody could." His voice is raw with emotion. "But you couldn't get here in time… She was dying, man. What the hell did you expect me to do, watch her take her last breath? So, yeah, I stepped in—" His voice holds a biting urgency, indicating the difficult decision he faced.

Lucian's response is a blade twisting in my chest, offering no relief from the anguish that has seized hold of me. I can't exist without her—if she transforms, I'll handle her after. If it happens due to Lucian's blood, I'll kill him. Silently, I rip open my wrist with a fang, embracing the sting, anything to distract from the agony shredding my spirit.

"Come on, Angel," I urge Dani as I press my bleeding wrist to her lips, my voice a desperate plea. The thick crimson wells from the wound and trickles down her chin, a macabre offering, a last-ditch effort to bring her back to me. "Drink, baby. Please, just fucking drink."

---