Page 114 of Wrath

“Ryland! Stop!” I couldn’t lose him.

I wouldn’t.

“I can do this!” Ryland screamed, the shadows thrashing as the two fought.

I couldn’t tell who was winning.

“Pull back the shadows! Let me help!” I ran forward but paused at the edge, unsure of where to slice.

All I could see was a clump of shadows on the forest floor. Squeezing my eyes, I focused on the mate bond connecting me to my shadow prince, but it felt muted, twisted almost, vibrating with emotions I couldn’t name. When I touched it, an electric shock coursed through me.

And that was when I realized.

Ryland couldn’t stop fighting Aaliyah. His pride wouldn’t let him.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Okay, so if Aaliyah could amplify a nightmare’s sin, then it stood to reason I could do the opposite. At least, that was what my mates believed. All I had to do was calm Ryland down enough to focus. To realize he was making a mistake.

But god, I didn’t know what to do, and my mind was swarming, and fear was grabbing my throat in an iron vise.

I tried to send soothing vibes down the mate bond. All of my love and hope for the future.

“Ryland, please,” I begged.

“I. Can. Do. This.” Ryland’s voice sounded ragged as he fought.

Aaliyah laughed.

Then the shadows dispersed as abruptly as they appeared.

At first, I thought it had somehow worked, that I’d gotten through to him. But when Aaliyah continued laughing, her features twisted in jovial delight, I followed the direction of her gaze…

And saw the dagger sticking out of Ryland’s chest, directly in his heart.

“No. No. No.” I captured Ryland before he could fall and landed on my knees.

Pain rattled through my legs, but it felt muted, buried under the agony barraging me from every direction.

No. No. No. No.

“Your mate should’ve known better,” Aaliyah said silkily, a malicious smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. “And he would’ve, if he didn’t allow his pride to get in the way.”

Angry tears rushed down my cheeks as I whirled my head around to glare at her. “You evil bitch!”

“I did what I had to do.” She shrugged a single shoulder, as if she hadn’t entirely uprooted my life. “You’ll thank me for it one day.”

“If he dies, nothing will stop me from hunting you down and killing you,” I warned, my heart breaking, my chest caving in.

Aaliyah’s smile faded. “I’ve had enough of this.”

She spun on her heel and disappeared in a cloud of black and red smoke. But I couldn’t think about her, not with Ryland in my arms, blood streaming out of his chest in tandem with the life fading from his eyes.

“Ryland, hang on. You just need to hang on for me.” I lowered my forehead so I could press it against his.

No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening. My god, it wasn’t fair. We were going to have a happy ending. All of us. I couldn’t imagine a forever without Ryland in it.

“Z…” His voice was hoarse, raspy, consumed with pain.

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