Page 30 of Fate of the Fallen

She stared into my eyes and I honestly equated this experience to being face-to-face with evil incarnate. Her demeanor was alarmingly calm as she awaited an answer.

The two sides of me warred—the one wanting to hold on to everything I could to fight for some sense of normalcy, but then there was the other side. The side that constantly pushed me to do the wrong thing.

My voice was hard and unyielding when I finally answered, doing what I could to contain my fears, speaking the only response I felt she deserved.

“Go to hell.”

That sick smile of hers grew and I had a hard time reading it, readingher.She took a step closer, her foreboding figure cloaked beneath the shroud of the dark robe.

“As you wish,” she uttered with a grin, “but do understand; I’ll be taking you with me.”

Long, bony fingers extended from the sleeve of her robe, clutching a large stone. There was a glint of pleasure in her eyes and there was no doubt she enjoyed the fact that I resisted her. Nearly as much as she enjoyed lifting that stone the next second, wielding it through the air until it struck my skull.

The edges of the room went dim as my body slumped to the stone floor beneath my feet. I was dazed and writhing in pain, but knew it wouldn’t be long until everything would go dark. I resisted it as long as I could, because I feared what she’d do to me once I was unconscious, but, eventually, there was no holding it off.

The room around me went black and silent, all except for the sound of a voice whispering the last words I’d hear before going completely under.

“He’ll be so happy to see you.”

Chapter Nine

Evie

Heat still lingered from the day, covering my skin even at this late hour. Half my vision fixated on the lush expanse of greenery beyond the terrace, the other half—a smooth, ink-stained back trimmed in moonlight. My hand went there, to Liam’s frame and I was starkly aware of not being in our present time.

Even beyond the antiquated setting, I just … knew.

This was another glimpse of our life before, all set within a dream. I still had no idea how or why this was possible, but it was and I couldn’t control it.

My cheek pressed to his back when I moved in closer, letting my eyes drift closed. Beside him I felt safe, protected, like nothing in the world could move me. It wasn’t long before, in this vision, I drifted off, recalling the last thought that came before sleep being that of how, the next day, we would venture to the other side of my father’s kingdom—ourkingdom—to visit a close friend whose face I couldn’t recall, but knew by name.

Zahara.

After that … peace.

It felt like this silence stretched on forever and it reminded me of how I’d visited Liam in the past, wandered into his dreams. Only, this time, I believed I was visiting my own past, wandering into the remnants of my former self’s memories.

My eyes opened when a light sound startled me awake, but then … everything happened so fast. One moment I was peering beyond the pristine, white stone banister that enclosed the terrace. Then, the next … terror.

I barely had time to make a sound before I was covered by a shadow, a large body with strength like I’d never known before. Within seconds, it had taken me and leapt over the banister, falling several stories to the ground below. Its massive, powerful body absorbed the impact with ease, never slowing as it darted across the property without so much as a glance back.

I managed to peek past the beast’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of a flame-covered giant hunting us down.

Liam.

He called out to me and I did my best to shift. But this monster … it had some how suppressed my ability to change. My dragon struggled to ignite, managed a dim flame that covered my skin, but there was nothing more.

“Evangeline!”

The desperation woven into those four syllables was … it was heartbreaking. It was the sound of a man chasing down the woman he knew he couldn’t live without. I was sure of this because … I felt the same way about him.

Liam was fast, but this creature that carried me was somehow faster, managing to keep the lead when Liam took flight.

I knew how this would end, because I’d been told this story before. My heart raced inside my chest as I fought to end the vision, fought to awaken before things went any further. I didn’t want to know what it felt like to be ripped limb from limb. Didn’t want to be reminded of all that had been taken from me—centuries with the man I love, memories I might never recover.

*

When I sat up straight in his bed, Liam was startled awake, taking in the site of me before he spoke—panting, drenched in sweat.

---