Page 51 of Fated In Forever
The air thrummed from the portal’s power, every instinct screamed something catastrophic was unfolding. The ancient stones beneath our feet vibrated, as if the very foundations of the mountain trembled beneath whatever dark ritual Ravok was performing in the chamber ahead.
“Faster,” I growled, pushing my legs to their limit. The others matched my pace without complaint, though I saw the strain etched across their faces. We'd dug through stone and dirt, run for what seemed like hours through this labyrinthine maze, following the pull of ancient magic that tasted of death.
When we reached that finalintersection, when the blank wall came into view, a shadowy ball of magic came from behind me, powerful enough to hollow out my ears, the wall exploding into a shower of dust and rock. Through the haze, that round room came into view and my blood turned to ice. Ancient runes pulsed with an eerie light, and in the center of the silver pool, two figures faced each other.
Evangeline’s pale hair whipped around her face as something hideous stretched from the mouth of the portal. Like fingers of death, shadows twisted and clawed the air, reaching for her. In one hand, she gripped a small dagger, but I knew her stance well enough to know she was waiting for an opening to strike.
Across from her, Ravok loomed taller than a nightmare, mouth moving, one hand pressed to his stomach, black blood dripping and dripping into the silver pool, every drop hissing steam.
That wasn’t the only thing I smelled. I raised my head, nose flaring.
Evie’s blood.And Malachi’s blood.
Was Draven dead?Or was he injured, and biding his time, waiting to strike?
With a snarl, Blake surged forward, I caught him across the chest with my arm.Not yet. There are too many blind spots, Ravok has her in arm’s reach. He’ll kill her before we can get close. Where the fuck is Malachi?
Who the fuck cares? I smell her blood. I’m going in.
I lowered my hand, looking for some way to get closer without endangering Evie andwhere in the fuck was Malachi?
But the portal was what truly made my heart race in fear. Suspended like a tear through reality itself, its edges crackled with dark energy that made the hair on my arms stand on end. Through that gaping opening, I glimpsed arealm crafted of shadow and nightmares—the Underworld, with its twisted landscapes and eternal twilight.
We were only ten feet from the gaping hole when Evangeline glanced at Ravok, then at the portal, her entire body tensing, determination setting her jaw into a hard line.
“No,” I breathed, as understanding crashed through me. She was about to do something impossibly brave and impossibly stupid.
With fluid grace that spoke of years of training and desperation, Evie lunged, a small, dark dagger in her hand.Oh gods no, that weapon was too small to do any damage, too small to…
But she wasn’t attacking. Instead, I watched in horror as Evangeline ducked beneath Ravok's blade, sprinting toward the portal, boots splashing through the edge of the pool. Her intentions were clear, and every fiber of my being rebelled against what she was about to do.
I love you both so much. Evie’s voice echoed inside my head, full of desperation and longing and regret.Tell my sister she’ll be a great mother, I’m only sorry I won’t be there to help her.
This couldn’t be happening.
She couldn’t make this choice—she couldn’t leave us.
“Evangeline, no,” I shouted, my voice echoing as I raced into the room, Blake beside me. I reached for her, like I could snatch a star out of the sky, tear her away from those ungodly, shadowy fingers.
But I was too late.
Without looking back, she dove through those reaching shadows like she was plunging into dark waters. The portal rippled as she disappeared into its depths, and I felt something inside my chest tear when she vanished from sight.
Behind her, Ravok clutched at the wound in his side, his face contorted with rage and pain.
“She used a cold iron dagger,” Nikolai said matter-of-factly, as he slipped around me into the room, prowling across the dusty floor with that same unhurried gait. “I thought I recognized that blade.”
I didn’t know where Evangeline had found a cold iron blade—they were nearly mythical in reputation—but the iron had done its work—smoke poured from the wound, along with black blood, thick as sludge.
Ravok glared at all of us, then his gaze narrowed on Nikolai, and I swore he turned a shade paler. “Impossible. You’re dead.”
“So were you, if I wasn’t mistaken.” Nikolai paused beside the pool, studying Ravok, the now-closed portal, the silver pool with detached curiosity. Black blood dripped into the bright surface, darkness spreading across the surface like blotches on a mirror.
“You will pay,” he snarled, his voice like grinding stone, clutching the wound as blood—if that was even blood—seeped through his fingers.. “All of you will burn for her insolence.”
Power gathered around him like a storm, and the shadows that had been merely ghosts before now became weapons. They writhed and twisted, growing larger and darker, tinged with a red light that spoke of blood and violence. I sensed the malevolent energy building to a crescendo that would likely bring the entire chamber down on our heads.
“Move!” Blake shoved me out of the way, his hands already wreathed in dark magic as he prepared to defend us. But even injured, Ravok was faster than any of us had anticipated.
