Page 104 of Blood and Reign

It’s the link, it has to be.

I take a deep breath, relief shuddering through me as my healing ability slowly kicks in.

I glance around for Luka, but all I can see is the chaos I caused. My stomach drops, twisting into knots the longer I look around the room.

What have I done?

I watch in horror as the destruction spreads further, trying to escape the room. It won’t be long before it expands outside it and then true hell will break loose.

Shaking off my spiraling thoughts, I push myself up and look for Luka.

King is nowhere to be found, but I spot Luka over near the entrance. The flames haven’t reached him yet, but it won’t be long before they do.

He’s safe…for now.

I turn back when a shimmer from behind Luka catches my eye. I focus on it when it shimmers again. But this time I could’ve sworn I saw something else… A large dark form with familiar red eyes.

Thinking the core must have messed with my head, I turn around and focus on it when the room starts to shake. But this time it’s as if it’s coming from the outside and working itself in.

The core’s lack of power must already be affecting the Underworld.

There has to besomethingI can do.

A beam in the ceiling collapses, making me jump out of the way. I fall back, catching my hand on something sharp, slicing it, but it heals within seconds.

My healing ability…King took the core’s power through me, but I still havemypowers. I glance up to the core just as King’s words come back to me.

Like calls to like…

Maybe I can fix this after all. I get up, feeling slightly more confident with a plan in mind.

You’re the same…If we’re the same, then maybe I can give back what I took. Or at least mend it long enough until I figure something else out.

“Kiarra…” I hear a whisper of my name and know it must be Luka. I glance over at him as he stirs, his eyes widening when he sees the chaos around him.

“Kiarra!” He stumbles up, looking around. When he finds me, terror fills his wide eyes. They quickly narrow, morphing into a determined look as he tries to find a way over to me.

He glances at the flamed path between us. His hands shaking as he stumbles forward.

“Stop!” I shout, hoping he’ll listen. Luka looks up hearing me even among the devastation.

“It’s too dangerous,” I plead.

Luka narrows his eyes on me, shaking his head as he tries to find another way over to me. His stubbornness knowing no bounds.

“Stay where you are. I’m coming to you.”

I glance back at the core. Luka catches me, his frown turning into a pissed-off glare. With one glance, I can tell he knows what I’m about to do.

“Don’t even think about it, Kiarra.”

But I have no other choice. If I don’t try to at least fix this, none of us are making it out of here alive.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.” I turn quickly, ignoring Luka’s protests, and make my way around the flamed cracks until I’m close enough to the core. Once I’m near enough, I reach down inside me and pull up everything I have left. I gather every sliver of power inside me and drag it up and push it toward the damaged core.

As if it can sense what I’m trying to do, it quickly forms a connection and pulls the energy from me.

“Kiarra!”

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