Page 102 of Shadowed Fate

A bone-chilling howl pierces the air.Rory.

My heart stops as I see him, massive wolf form straining against an invisible force. His claws gouge deep furrows in the stone floor, muscles bunching as he fights the rift's inexorable pull.

"No!" The word tears from my throat.

Rory's eyes meet mine, wide with panic. The rift pulses, shadows tighten around his legs.

I lunge forward, but Marius's grip on my arm is like iron. I claw at him, scratching him, drawing blood, but he won’t let go.

Rory's claws lose their purchase. With a final, mournful howl, he's dragged into the swirling vortex.

The darkness inside me howls in answer.

My heart shatters, each jagged piece a shard of ice in my chest. "Rory!" I scream, the sound ripped from my lungs.

Marius's grip tightens. "Focus. We're not done yet."

I whirl around to face him, vision blurred by tears and fury. "Youbastard!”

A blast of energy rocks the room. The guards called reinforcements.

Callen appears at my side, eyes wild. "Brigid!"

Reality crashes back. I force the grief down, letting rage take its place. The shadows respond, coiling around my fingers like eager pets.

"Come on then, you fuckers." I accept the darkness, letting it flow through me.

The shadows roll around me, feeding off my rage, my despair. They're a living thing now, an extension of my will.

"Brigid!" Lochan's voice cuts through the chaos. "Whatever you're doing—don’t!"

But it's too late. The darkness surges, a tidal wave of shadow and fury and grief. It crashes over the guards, their startled cries drowned in its inky depths. The rift pulses, destabilized by the raw power.

My vision blurs. I'm dimly aware of Callen shouting something, but his words are lost in the roar of blood in my ears.

The shadows are hungry for more. I feel myself slipping, consumed.

A flicker of movement. The rift trembles, and for a nanosecond, I think I see him.

Rory.

His wolf form flickers, caught between worlds. Our eyes lock, and in that instant, a lifetime of unspoken words passes between us.

"Rory, please,” I plead.

But he's fading, his form growing translucent.

"No!" I scream. I rush towards the rift and Lochan grabs me by the waist, hauling me backwards.

Rory's form wavers, then solidifies for a moment. His muzzle opens in what might be a smile or a snarl. Then he's gone, swallowed by the void.

The rift pulses once, twice, then collapses in on itself with a deafening crack.

Silence falls, heavy and final.

I sink to my knees. The guards are gone, but so is Rory.

Callen kneels beside me, his hand hesitant on my shoulder. "Brigid..."

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