Page 80 of The Fate of Eternity

A sharp pain explodes in my ribs, a hiss rasping from my lips as he shoves at my side, knocking me to the floor. I blink, my vision blurry as I stare up at the vampire pinning me in place.

He wrestles my arms beneath his legs, pressing down with a ferocity that can’t be reciprocated. The burning at my side is hot yet cold, a dampness coating my skin, but I can’t see what’s happening. The world spins around me as I try to focus myselfenough to think of a chant,anychant, but everything turns to jelly, including my mind.

The blow to my face that follows is the final disarming move needed to unravel me. In my haste to get to Addi, I left myself completely vulnerable, and now I’m helpless. The momentum snaps my head to the side, my vision worsening, but before I can take a breath, another blow follows, then another, and another.

Another sharp pain, another burning sensation laced with hot and cold chills, and still, I can’t do anything. He relents, offering me a pointless reprieve as my watery vision settles on a familiar blonde braid. My pulse thunders in my ears as my mouth falls slack, the feel of another slice at my abdomen sealing my fate at the exact moment I watch Vallie fall to her knees. Her face is about as beaten as I expect mine to be, but Addi doesn’t pin her to the floor like this. Instead, she wraps her legs around her neck, tightening them like a vice as she holds on tight to the chain bolt above her head.

A battle cry rings in my ears from her victorious lips as darkness shifts into my vision, tainting the corner of my eyes. She’s going to bury this bitch, once and for all, while I edge closer to my last breath too. Seeing her shine like this will be worth it; I’ll gladly give my life.

I should have fought harder; she deserved more from me, but I was helpless.

Contentment weighs over me as the world goes still. A numbness drapes across my skin, the pain etching through my limbs drifting to nothing as crimson droplets blur my vision. Screams and shouts turn to murmurs in my ears, nothing registering as I slip into the delirium that I can only describe as post-orgasm bliss. But without the pleasure. I’m floating, but there’s no joy in anything I’m feeling. Definitely not post-orgasm bliss.

A bright light blurs the remainder of my vision, forcing my eyes closed. The moment they shut, a spark of color dances across the back of my eyelids. I watch, enthralled by its movements, each swoop across my lids becoming slower and smaller, and understanding dawns on me.

With every loop, my heart rate slows. With every twirl, my body falls weaker. With every shimmer, my own spark dies out.

Despite the pain, I know my consciousness is waning. I also know it’s all okay.

To have been loved by her for five minutes is better than never to have been loved by her at all.

I’m certain a smile quirks the corner of my mouth, joy clinging to me as my breaths become even more labored.

The world shifts, though my eyes refuse to open. Darkness lures me in despite my curiosity about the outside world. The smell of sunshine, a scent I have only noticed around Addi, drifts around me like a beacon telling me it’s time to go—to bathe in that scent for all of eternity.

I give in, exhaling slowly as my body becomes completely weightless. Then I wait… and wait… and still, the smell lingers in the air, but the promise of the afterlife remains just out of reach.

Trying to delve deeper into myself, I reach out for the tiny spark that barely flickers in my vision, but as I chase after it, it grows bigger. Only to fade again the moment I get close to it.

“Don’t you dare fucking give up on me, Brody.” Addi’s words ring in my ears, luring me closer to the darkness as I chase after the spark, desperate to hear her voice again. I dive, deeper and deeper, until something presses against my face, prying my eyes open as I choke on a breath.

Bright eyes look down at me, the glimmer of blonde hair framing her face, but the blistering light that shimmers behind them makes it harder to see anything. But I don’t have to see to know it’s her.

My girl.

My Dagger.

“Is it working, Kryll? Tell me it’s fucking working,” she snaps, a ghost of a smile dancing over my lips as I bask in her anger. I still feel like I’m floating until the touch of her delicate fingers gripping my chin firmly. “Don’t you grin like that. When you come around fully, I will rain Hell down on you for panicking me like that.”

My lips spread wider, the dream I’m engulfed in lighting me from the inside out.

“We need to act now, Addi,” Cassian grunts. Streaks of blood mark his face as he huffs, glancing down at me with a look of concern that’s far too mixed with inconvenience for me to relish in his worry.

“Do it now, Kryll,” Addi yells, and a moment later, the telltale sound of Kryll’s dragon echoes in my ears. The ground shakes beneath me, the walls crumbling in dismay as fire issues forth from the dragon.

I don’t feel the heat, not even a little, as a glowing dome shines around me.

A breath grows stronger in my chest, quickly followed by another and another, until the pain ricocheting through my body comes to life once again. I manage to roll over, a grunt falling from my lips as I stare in disbelief.

From the dome to my Dagger and back again, I repeat the sway of my gaze over and over before settling on my girl. She heaves a sigh of relief as the fire blooms on the other side of the shield and she drops to her knees beside me.

She catches a glimpse of me out of the corner of her eye, and her lips purse. Despite the fury I sense in her, she leans in close, stroking a hand down my cheek as she speaks. “You’re in so much trouble, Brody. So fucking much.”

“Trouble sounds better than death,” I rasp, earning the smallest smile from her taut lips.

“You say that now,” she muses, rising to her feet before she offers me her hand.

I frown as I take it, lurching to my feet as I try to catch up with what the fuck just happened. I was dead. I felt it. My body, my face… nothing is different. Only the remnants of crimson stains on my t-shirt confirm something was wrong.

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