Page 10 of Beyond Fate

A dark portal suddenly appeared right in front of him. Before Damon could figure out how to stop, he was pulled into the darkness and disappeared into the void.

* * * *

The keeper stood in the dimly lit chamber with one arm crossed over his chest. His eyes were closed as he rested his fingers on the bridge of his nose, as if trying to quell a headache. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before addressing Panahasi.

“You performed…the mayotenz…on a shifter.” His voice was low, his tone heavy with incredulousness and anger.

Panahasi stood calmly next to the keeper, unfazed by his simmering rage. “He needed a key to get out of Vicino’s sleep, so we provided one,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“For…a shifter.” The keeper’s jaw visibly tensed, and a faint tick started in his temple. “And then”—he blew out a frustrated breath— “you had to rescue him from Jaden…because the wolf’s pain…called Death to him. Do I have that right?”

“Nailed it,” Panahasi said solemnly, looking down at Damon’s sleeping form lying on the dusty couch. As soon as he’d yanked Damon through the portal, he’d had to render the wolf shifter unconscious.

His pain had been broadcasting so intensely it had started a frenzy among the lost souls in the underworld.

The underworld was a desolate wasteland inhabited by souls who had not earned their way into paradise. They would roam the wastelands for all eternity.

And they had a particular fondness for tortured souls like Damon’s. If Panahasi hadn’t knocked him out, they would have descended on the keeper’s chamber in swarms. But even though Damon slumbered, his anguish still pulsed from him, just not as strongly.

He’d also had to dress Damon. Most shifters stripped before they shifted, so Panahasi had just summoned the wolf’s clothes to his body.

The keeper dropped his hand and glared at Panahasi, an ancient fire blazing in his eyes. “Did you forget the crucial detail that only those who already possess powers can withstand the mayotenz without going insane?”

“It’s been a few millennia since it was last performed,” Panahasi argued in frustration. “His twin’s mate had just died, Vicino had unleashed an army of resurrected vampires, and Damon’s”—he gestured toward the couch—“own mate had just arrived on-scene to help kill the horde of zombie vampires.”

The keeper narrowed his eyes as he stabbed a finger in Panahasi’s direction. “You created the damn vampire race.”

Panahasi arched a brow. “And you created the entire universe.”

“Does that mean everything that goes wrong is my fault then?” The keeper smirked sarcastically. “Nice try. Should we just destroy everything and start over?”

There were days when Panahasi was sorely tempted to do just that. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d taken his mates on a vacation or had any time for himself. His responsibilities filled his life twenty-four-seven.

Not only did he command twelve powerful demon warriors but he also held a seat on the Ultionem council—a fulltime job itself. He also ran around putting out fires while trying to balance time for his mates.

“Tell me there’s an undo button.” He wished one of them had remembered the vital detail about the mayotenz before they’d unleashed hell upon the poor wolf. And then they had simply walked away, thinking their job was done.

He was honestly shocked Damon hadn’t already gone completely insane.

The keeper walked over to one of the gazillion bookshelves that lined the walls of the cobweb-infested chamber.

Panahasi glanced toward the shelves filled with various jars and containers holding all kinds of bizarre items—from hissing smoke that slithered like serpents to jars of what looked like troll snot.

There were also skulls and candles dripping with wax placed haphazardly on top of tomes, scrolls, and piles of yellowed, dried parchment that seemed to be waiting for a spark to ignite.

But then again, who would the fire even harm in this place? Everyone here was already dead. Except for those sentenced to the underworld as punishment for some heinous crime.

Still, no matter how many times he traveled there, Panahasi always thought it a creepy-ass room.

“What has been done cannot be completely reversed,” the keeper intoned solemnly, his voice echoing off the stone walls of the cavernous chamber. He returned to Panahasi’s side with a tome the size of Manhattan.

With a thud, he dropped the massive book onto the table in front of him, sending an avalanche of dust into the air as papers and scrolls drifted or rolled away.

Panahasi coughed and waved his hand in front of his face to clear the haze.

“You really need to hire a cleaning service, Aldrin.” He looked down at his clothes and gritted his teeth in annoyance when he saw he was covered in a layer of dust.

The keeper looked up at him, unbothered by the dust storm. “Do you want to assist the wolf, or should I fetch some dusters and glass cleaner?”

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