Page 41 of Releasing Darkness

I finally understood. I had forgotten that her powers allowed her to manipulate inanimate objects. She had been practicing more after she managed to rescue herself from the Aswang demon who had tried to eat her a few weeks ago. I had no idea how far she had come with controlling her power, but I hoped she had enough to save herself. She was being held close enough to the portal that if she distracted the male holding her with the blade against her throat, she should be able to make it through.

My whole body relaxed, and I was grateful for Kallista’s gift. Knowing she would be safe allowed some of the fear to ease my tight muscles. The only thing left was the regret of all I’d be losing and the grief Varos would go through.

“I have never been so disappointed in my entire existence. Did you know that after you disappeared, I was so angry that I strangled your poor excuse for a mother?” He chuckled as he circled me again and came to a stop next to my side. I watched as he raised the sword with both hands, gripping the pommel, ready to lower it into my chest. “I was finally free from that worthless mate who couldn’t do the one thing a female is good for and provide me a male child.”

I turned my head to stare at Kallista, not wanting to see the killing blow. “I’m sure my mother was happy to die, knowing she was finally free from the likes of you." My tone was calm, ready to die to save a friend. "Males who abuse females and think we are weak are just cowards who can’t get past their own insecurities.”

I expected a bellow of outrage; what I hadn’t expected was Kallista counting to one, dropping to the ground, and then seeing the male who held her end up with a confused expression on his face a split second before a sharpened stick protruded from his eye. I could definitely say I was thoroughly impressed with her aim. It seemed that Kallista had learned quite a bit in her training. I was so proud of her, and my lips tipped up in a smile that quickly dropped into a frown as, instead of running for the portal, she jumped up and ran toward me.

“What are you doing,” I croaked out. “Run! Leave me and go back to the portal! Before it’s too late.”

Kallista huffed out her annoyance as she grabbed my hands and hefted me to my feet. “No way am I going anywhere without you.” When I finally managed to stumble to my feet, she kicked the male lying beside us. “That man is your father? What a piece of work.”

I breathed out a laugh as the pain swept over my entire body. There was nothing that wouldn’t heal quickly, but that didn’t mean my injuries didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch. “The High General may have sired me, but that male was no father of mine.”

I was upright but not quite steady on my feet. I turned to look at the High General to see that he was choking on his own blood with a stick protruding from the side of his neck. I felt nothing as I stared down at him, his gaze fixed on me and still filled with malice even as he choked to death. He was nothing to me anymore, hadn’t been since he murdered my sister.

“Let’s go,” I said and accepted the arm that Kallista offered, putting my own over her shoulders. Together, we walked slowly toward the portal and out of the Underworld. I knew we would have to return soon, though. There was a major battle on the horizon that would take all of us to win. We needed to start preparing because the Underworld was as unforgiving as it was dangerously beautiful.

Before stepping through the portal, we both turned back one last time to look over the forest.

“I hadn’t realized this place would be so gorgeous,” Kallista said with awe. The pink sky was beginning to darken, and one of the moons was peeking out over the horizon as the sun was setting. I sighed.

“It really is. But don’t mistake beauty for safety. This place would eat you up and spit out your bones.”

“Is everything here deadly?” Kallista asked with a shudder.

I shrugged. “Just about.” Giving one last glance at the High General lying on the ground, his hate filled eyes still trained on me, I turned around, facing the portal. “Let’s go home.”

Together, we stepped through the portal and right into what I expected to find.

Juliette was on fire, spitting mad, kicking and screaming while trying her hardest to get away from Varek as he held her wrapped securely in his arms. Valen looked unhinged as he paced in front of the portal. As soon as he saw Kallista, he swept her up and held her so close I worried for the state of her ribs.

Varos was kneeling on the floor with his head bowed, looking so dejected. My heart broke into a million pieces as I took in his posture. The poor male had been through so much in his very long existence. I leaned against the wall, letting it support me. I wished I could go to him, but it was taking all my strength to stand in place without falling to the floor. I took in the bloodcovering his chest, glad to see that someone had removed the arrows from his body.

“Varos,” I called out quietly. I waited until his head lifted slowly to give him a weak smile. “Are you okay?”

He blinked at me with red-rimmed eyes that, at first glance, were devoid of emotion until I noticed the utter devastation hiding in their depths. He blinked again as if waking from a trance. “Princess?” he rasped out and began to scan me from head to toe. “Are you really alive?”

As soon as I nodded my head, he climbed unsteadily to his feet, taking slow steps forward until he was close enough to touch. I waited, holding my breath, wanting to reach for him but knowing I had to let him be the first to move.

“I thought you were gone from me forever. I kept staring at our mating brand, waiting for it to change.” He finally lifted his hands to cup my cheeks. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

My breath hitched as I blinked away moisture. “It was all Kallista. She saved me. She was absolutely amazing.” I glanced over to see her smiling at me with watery eyes of her own.

Varos picked me up bridal style and turned toward the elevator door. “You can tell me all about it as I bathe you.”

All four of us crowded in together, Juliette looking relieved and finally hugging Varek back. Valen was still a bit wild-eyed as he held Kallista close, and Varos, with his face in my neck, breathed me in like I was all he needed.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

VAROS

Ididn’t know if I could ever recover from the utter devastation I felt as my mate was dragged through the portal into the Underworld. As soon as the females disappeared, Valen and I ran to the portal. No matter how much we tried to push our way through, or how much we slammed our bodies against that dark iridescent light, it refused to allow us passage.

Juliette was crying, begging Varek to let her go as he held her securely in his arms with a grim look on his face. He knew, as did we, that if Juliette had stepped through that portal, she would have been as lost to us as the other two were. I saw Varek's look of pity as he watched us panicking. Valen nearly lost his mind as he bellowed Kallista’s name.

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