Page 112 of Blood

I screamed, I cried, I thrashed, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t breach the divide between this land and the next. A dark, static-like energy rolled over me with the stifling weight of a tsunami, pulling me in, spinning me around, and then unceremoniously spitting me back out.

Helpless.

I felt helpless.

And then I saw that ball of pure energy hurtling toward Pinkie, and I...lost it. The energy reverberating through the center of my being seemed to solidify, becoming almost tangible. The gritty taste of soil settled on my tongue.

Violet couldn’t die.

Not her.

Somehow, someway, I was able to claw my way through the veil, my body aching, my soul screaming, my muscles straining. For a brief, brief moment, I was a real boy again, standing before his mate, begging her to look up and notice him.

But fate’s a twisted bitch, and the second Violet opened her eyes, it pulled me back into the fathomless abyss of souls long forgotten.

Now, I hover here, watching Violet cry over a monster who once made our lives a living hell. I’m not surprised, though. Pinkie’s heart has always been too big for this fucked-up world. She sees the light in everyone, even the souls as tarnished, twisted, and tainted as Balor.

Pinkie...

Seeing her in the flesh, being so close I could smell her sweet perfume... It was like wandering through the desert, my throat unbearably dry, and being offered a single droplet of poison in return. It was the sweetest type of agony—a candy laced in acerbic venom.

“Precious Treasure!” Hux’s voice precedes his appearance in the small clearing, his hair slick with sweat and his eyes wild. Those same eyes narrow when they land on Balor’s still form, and something indecipherable passes in his dark blue eyes. He takes a tentative step closer. “What happened?” His tone is sharp, a serpent striking and recoiling, threatening to attack again at the slightest provocation.

“Hux, Jack...” Violet reaches up, and Hux willingly moves forward, taking her into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

Hux blinks as he pulls Violet against his chest, his eyes never straying from the monster lying dead on the ground. I can’t imagine the thoughts percolating through my friend’s head. On one hand, Balor hijacked his body and killed countless people using it. On the other...

Hux continues to examine the body the way you would a skinned animal strung from the wall to be scrutinized. There’s a cold, clinical detachment in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, brother,” Vin murmurs as he and the rest of Violet's mates surround the two of them. Vin places a hand on Hux’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze before focusing his gaze on Violet. “Baby, are you okay?”

I can’t hear Violet’s response, suddenly preoccupied with the ball of light bouncing enigmatically above Balor’s still form. It’s apparent that none of the others can see it—probably because it has crossed into the land of the dead or wherever the fuck I currently am.

“Balor,” I greet the bundle of pure, unfettered light. It’s so blinding, I have to strain my eyes to stare directly at it.

Can Balor understand me when he’s in this form? Is that even still Balor?

My heartbeat begins to echo in my skull, the drumming of an army cresting the tallest hill, prepared to march into battle with their swords and guns drawn.

“Welcome to the land of the dead.” I spread my arms wide in greeting. “We have cookies.”

The blob just continues to...hover there.

What the fuck is it doing?

“You okay, man?” I venture another hesitant step forward. “Are you—”

A startled cry catches in my throat as the ball of energy rushes at me, zipping through the air like a damn meteorite. It slams into me with the force of a one-hundred-pound bowling ball, and I fall backward with an oomph of pain.

My body...

It’s on fire, but this fire has teeth, serrated incisors that clamp down on my arms and legs, searing my nerve endings. My veins blaze, my lungs fill with embers, and I’m keenly aware of the flaky taste of ash on my tongue.

What the fuck is happening to me?

Panic pries open my chest as I claw at the ground, surprised when I feel dirt and leaves beneath my bare fingers.

Burning.

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