Page 91 of The Dark War

The shadows wrapped around Kane’s neck. Clara screamed, pushing Osirus away from him. She shifted, after her third step, ripping into Virion’s neck again.

Clara concentrated on her healing abilities. Every bit of healing she did on the battlefield soaked up everyone’s pain and misery. It had built up in her body, weighing her down, but she had her own idea of how to expel it. Giana howled, forcing the pain of her warriors into Virion’s shoulder.

All the warriors she had healed came down tenfold. Virion clawed into Clara’s eyes, and she whimpered, falling back onto her fur. The pain Virion felt had the shadows release Kane, his breath heaving as they had tried to choke him.

Osirus yelled for Kane to move. His wings flapped rapidly to push Kane out of the way, but once the shadows touched Virion, he used his velocity to take the Death Sword and shove it straight into Kane’s chest.

Virion let go, letting the dark magic seep into Kane’s chest cavity. Kane’s eyes glowed red, his fur darkening as his body pulled in more magic. Clara screamed, gripping her chest, feeling her mate slowly fall to the ground. Kane’s body was turning back into his human form, patches of hair falling from his body.

With the momentum of Kane being pushed by Osirus, Kane’s body moved forward. Kane held The Reckoning in front of him, the blunt of the handle moved into his abdomen to hold it steady. Virion leaned forward, ensuring the demon blade stayed firmly in Kane’s chest. “Long live Emperor Virion.” Virion smiled, black sludge dripping from his lips. The shadow’s blue eyes winced, laughing to themselves. They had won. Once the beast of Bergarian died, then all hope would be lost.

Clara dug her claws into the rock cliff, the scraping not deterring the evil being in front of her. She was going to make sure Virion would never breathe again. Clara jumped with the full weight of her body forcefully into Virion’s back. His body leaned forward, impaling himself with The Reckoning that Kane held with his stomach.

Kane, who had wholly changed back into his human form, stumbled, along with Osirus, backward as Virion’s body fell over them.

The shadows that once only spoke to Virion in their ghost-like forms screamed in agony as they permanently detached from him. They spiraled around each other, the translucent blackness now becoming one dark orb floating into the air until it tipped over the cliff’s edge and fell into the flames that had roared to life.

Clara took Virion by the neck with her maw, his skin tearing from his throat, the sinews of muscle embedding into her teeth. He groaned, trying to pull away, but Clara successfully pulled him from the blade that Kane had let go.

In the corner of Clara’s eye, she sees her mate still with the Death Sword embedded in his chest. She whimpered, but the mission had to be completed. To rid the sorcerer that dared get rid of them all. Tears welled in her eyes, and her breathing ragged until she reached the edge.

The flames grew hotter, the once orange flames burned blue and black, and a gigantic growl came from within. “The fuck is going on?!” It sounded almost human, but a mighty voice that echoed throughout the land could only mean one thing. A god.

Clara pushed Virion in, his body lifeless, and the flames wrapped around him, pulling him faster into the canyon.

“Hades!”Charlotte shouted through the link. “He’s closing the canyon!”The cliff quaked as the soil moved and closed the canyon until it was only three feet across. The last of the fire flew upward toward the sky until finally, the fire stopped, and the ground heat began to cool.

Clara shifted right at the edge of the cliff. Her body was naked, covered in dirt and soot. Her hair was tangled, her face covered in tears. As the tears fell, they left clean skin in their wake. She didn’t have time to wipe it away. Her mate was dying. She could feel it.

Clara reached her mate, a sword still in his chest. “Osirus?” she pleaded with him. Charlotte and Wesley stood over them, waiting, watching. Wesley had scars across his chest from the vampires that held black magic inside, but they began to heal more quickly as time went on.

“Clara, I-I’m sorry,” Osirus choked. “There isn’t anything I can do.” Kane’s head lay in Osirus’ lap. Clara pushed him away and began to scream. “No! No, he is fine!” The only reason Clara would be alive was because of their daughter. Their daughter needed her, but Clara really needed her mate, Kane.

Clara pushed her forehead to Kane’s. He looked terrible. His skin was ashen, and his lips blue. The black tar continued to leak out of his body. Blood dripped onto the cold rock under her legs that were pushed underneath him. “He can’t be. He isn’t!”

Kane’s breaths were shallow. His body weight of nearly two hundred and eight pounds of muscle laid heavily on her skin. “Kane!” Clara cried as she pushed her forehead to Kane’s. The bond they shared was breaking. Clara could feel Kane leaving her. She cried out again, her tears landing on Kane’s eyelids.

She could heal him. She could try. Even with his heart no longer beating, she wouldn’t give up.

This was her mate, her love. She wouldn’t give up on him now.

Chapter Forty-nine

Clara

Myheadtiltedback,staring at the black clouds that continued to fade away. The darkness, the fog, and ash began to dwindle, and the light sources dared to bring light. Osirus had stood, stepping away from Kane’s body. It was like he had already given up, no more hope for the lifeless body that now lay in my lap.

Wesley and Charlotte stood behind me. They clutched to each other, fearing one would disappear. Funny that they were both holding each other. I was the one losing half of my soul. Is this what Maria felt all those years ago? When her mate had died at the hands of a vampire, only compelled to live to take care of me? Would I live life as an empty shell just as she did? Going through the motions of life until my daughter was old enough to fend for herself?

I couldn’t stomach it. I couldn’t bear to think I was going to go on alone. My sibling growing in my mother’s belly would have to continue the royal line. I would never be whole enough to take care of a kingdom so vast while my heart remained empty.

My daughter, what would Evelyn think? Her father would rock her to sleep, bathe, clean, and settle her in the night so I could have a few more moments of peace. She wouldn’t have a male figure in her life to call a father.

Heart twisting, my tears threatening to fall, I refused to believe that my mate was gone. He had promised so much that I couldn’t let him off that easily. We still needed our time. It had been far too short. Just a mere eight months of being together, we had been through much, with much more to come.

“No.” I growled out, my fingers pulling his head upward. There was once a time when he held me in his arms when he finally rescued me from Darius. I held his body to my chest, telling him it would be all right.

His heart had long since stopped, but the thrumming of his spirit was still there. He had yet to go into the glow of the afterlife. He said he wouldn’t leave me. He would fight tooth and nail with any Grim Reapers that tried to pull him under. My mate wouldn’t give up, he wouldn’t leave this word, and in return, I would pull him back and save him.

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