Page 53 of Outcast

Despite my better judgment, I took the bottle she offered. It was somehow still just as full as when Loki gave it to her but I didn’t question it.

The taste was amazing. A mix of flavors both sweet and tart, burst over my tongue. It was better than anything I’d ever put in my mouth.

Despite the urge to, I didn’t drink as hard as Layne did, taking one drink before handing it back. Even that one sip had my head swimming in the best way.

I turned back to Loki and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile to keep him from arguing with me.

“I’ll try my best.”

“Your best better save her life.”

The warning was clear. If I failed, he’d make me pay.

ChapterTwenty

Harlow

I’d come to a decision on who to send to Dark Haven and the human realm. The fact it was someone I knew made the conversation ten times harder.

Elkan was the only real choice. It had been him all along, though coming to that conclusion was downright painful.

The man in question stood in front of me, waiting for me to break the news, but I couldn’t find the words.

“Harlow, what’s going on?” he asked, breaking the silence. At this point, I had to just rip off the bandage and tell him.

“Look. Sarah gave me a new prophecy while we were in Dark Haven.”

“Okaaay,” he drew out when I failed to continue. “And what was that prophecy? I haven’t heard it yet.”

“An even exchange, that’s apparently how I close the portal,” I said. He blinked at me, and I waited, wondering if he would come to the conclusion on his own.

“Even exchange,” he mumbled to himself. He repeated it twice, testing the words.

“When Hel escaped Helheim, a willing sacrifice had to be made,” I said. “Hence my death and eventual reincarnation here.”

“And now someone has to exile themselves from this realm willingly in order for the exchange to happen,” he finished for me. “You need me to go to Dark Haven.”

Tears formed in my eyes and for once, I didn’t fight them.

“Yes. But you’d never be able to come back. You’d be a human. I’ll try and hold onto a fragment of your soul so when Sarah passes, you can too. But it’s only a theory Loki has. I’m not sure it’s something I can even do.”

He squeezed my arm.

“Harlow, it’s all right,” he soothed. “Sarah didn’t want to come here. Drake explained that. And I would do anything to be there with her again. This isn’t a burden or something I have to think about. Being away from her is pure torment. My mate has been through enough, this is the least I can do for her.”

My eyes closed, letting the reality of it wash over me. I’d figured out how to say it to the demon and we’d reached a conclusion. The end was near.

“Are you worried about Drake being angry? Is that why you’re so upset?” he questioned.

“Maybe a little, but I don’t think he’d be angry since someone will be there to watch over his mom,” I answered.

“Exactly,” Elkan reassured me.

“It’s losing you as an adviser and a friend as well. I feel guilty for making you lose your immortality here,” I explained.

“I’ll be there to protect Sarah and you’ll have someone you trust watching the portal and fixing Dark Haven. This is the best scenario we could have reached,” Elkan reassured me.

“But you don’t know how to be a human,” I pointed out. “You’ve never been one.”

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