Page 63 of A Reign of Malice
A wave of power explodes outward, knocking everyone back—friend and foe alike. The gods recoil, most of them retreating, but it doesn’t stop me. Not when my heart feels as though it might shatter.
Estee was my friend. I may not have known her long, but enough to know that her heart was pure, and she deserved so much better than this.
My wolf is back on all fours, our sights set on the god who took our friends. He reaches for the dagger still in Theo’s heart, but it’s too late.
I’m too close, canines bared and claws at the ready.
I’ve never come face-to-face with a god like this, nor do Iknow how to kill one, but that doesn’t stop me from acting to honor my friends.
My bite cuts through his neck, tearing away at the skin, spilling black, glowing blood that hisses in the air. My claws swipe at his guts, digging deep until every piece of this bastard has been shredded. I want his head, but by the time I refocus, his form is already vanishing.
Nooo!I scream in my own mind, my wolf’s chest heaving with the desire for justice.
“They will pay for this,” Aurora says next to me, but she’s quickly shoved away.
“You’llpay for this,” Isla roars, stepping in front of the goddess, eyes brimming with wrath and devastation. “We never put you in danger. Yet, you brought us here against our will, forced us to give what wasn’t yours to take. Goddess or not, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Asher pulls her against him, his grip firm, but she thrashes in his hold. “It’s okay, my love. Everything is going to?—”
“If you say one more word, Asher, I can’t promise I won’t hurt you.” Her voice shakes with grief, but her glare is unrelenting, still pinned on Aurora.
I shift back to my human form, my own emotions threatening to spill over as I stare down at Theo and Estee. Gods, this can’t be real.
“Bring them back,” Isla demands through her tears.
Aurora wisely keeps her distance. “Those gods will be back. It’s not that simple.”
“I don’t care if it’s the most complicated spell in the world or if it will take every ounce of your power.” Isla’s voice is pure venom. “Youwillbring my sister back to me. Now.”
“Listen—”
“No, Aurora.” She breaks from Asher’s hold. “Youlisten.I’ve tolerated you objectifying my mate and driving me to near madness, but this I won’t stand for. You’re the goddess of creation. You brought our mother back, and now, you’ll do the same for Estee and Theo. No excuses.”
Isla’s strength is admirable. She stands toe-to-toe with the goddess, trembling with emotions I can’t even begin to fathom, but I do know that none of them are fear. This queen knows what she wants, and she’s not going to accept anything less. Not this time.
Silence crashes over the battlefield like a hammer, the weight of it pressing into my ribs. Julian reaches for me, his warmth holding me together, but even his presence can’t soften the ache cutting through my soul.
Because I know right then that none of us are leaving this realm unscathed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
JULIAN
We’re taken back to Aurora’s house in silence, the acknowledgement of what we’ve lost pressing down on all of us like a suffocating force. Even the goddess herself, who seems to thrive on chaos, says nothing as she lifts her hand, tendrils of shimmering gold energy spiraling through the air.
With an uncharacteristic solemnity, she conjures a pristine sheet of white silk, draping it over Estee and Theo with a care I don’t expect from her. The fabric glows faintly before settling over their forms, a final reverence to the warriors they were.
Isla doesn’t thank her. She doesn’t even lift her head. Her trembling fingers remain curled around Estee’s hand, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Asher kneels beside her, his jaw clenched so tightly I can see the muscle twitching from across the room. His darkened eyes track Aurora’s every move, watchful, wary. But for once, the goddess seems respectful.
“If there’s any chance of me doing as you’ve demanded, I need to go,” she announces, her voice quieter than usual butstill laced with authority. As she speaks, the golden silk of her gown starts to shift, the marks of our prior battle disappearing as the fabric changes colors. The once-radiant gold is now black as midnight, clinging to her like a living shadow as she adds, “My home is a fortress. You’ll be safe here until I return.”
No one responds. Not a word. Even Isla doesn’t snap at her.
Aurora steps forward, pressing her palm against a ripple of light in the air, and then she’s gone, dissolving into a shimmering veil that vanishes just as swiftly as it appeared.
A heavy sigh beside me breaks the silence.
I glance at Sloane, watching the way her arms wrap around her body, the tension still coiled in her frame. Her fingers tremble, just barely, but she presses them into her sides, as if physically restraining the emotions raging beneath the surface. The battlefield is behind us, but the war still lingers in her eyes.
