Page 23 of Darkest Need

And Tarek will die.

“I can’t save him,” I whisper to Stephanie. “It’s free will. He is there of his own volition, whether he knows it or not.”

“What do you mean?” She sits up. “Who?”

“He doesn’t realize it yet,” I say and start running my hands through her hair. “But he met his end the minute he met the beginning.” I can barely get the words out. “The minute he met Lilith.”

“The demon?” Stephanie frowns.

I shake my head. “She acts as a succubus as her punishment for the very thing she was created for—to be the mother of all. She’s both Eris and Lilith. She’s the one.” I have to say her name. Ihaveto say it. “She’s one of the children Eva saved, who were reincarnated after her cursed beginning. She’s the first…”

Stephanie’s face pales. “Are you saying the Lilith you met is actually the first woman to be—”

I nod. I don’t need her to say it.

“And Eva, as in Adam and Eve, is the one who saved a cursed child she knew had Discord forever in her soul?”

I nod again.

“Then what was your punishment?” Stephanie grips my hand tightly.

I smile and cup her face. “It was the last straw before the angelic part of me fell… Because I saved what should have died. I saved the beginning, when there was supposed to be an end. And I didn’t just save her.” I swallow slowly. “I saved several, though most are dead. I’ve secretly searched for the others, and we placed one in a very well-known family because of his powers.”

Stephanie jerks back. “Are you talking about Tarek?”

“He’s a werewolf. Had no idea when he was younger. Mason was there, and it just made sense. But he had something extra…” I squeeze my eyes shut. Never have I felt so much guilt. “He was one of the children during the destruction of Pompeii after the king mixed demon and angel blood to save his daughter—Tarek accidentally ingested both.”

Stephanie drops my hand and looks away. “These are the details I need to know. So, where is he now? He’s our family. We can’t just abandon him.”

“Stephanie.” I pull her back against me. “I’m powerful. So are you, Alex, Timber… We all have the power to save, but at the end of the day, us saving him isn’t really saving him. The point of free will is that you sometimes have to save yourself in order to become what you were born to be. So now, we wait.”

“Will he die?” she asks seconds later.

I don’t admit the fear, so I merely answer her. “Fear is not welcome here.” Then I wave my hand over her face and snap my fingers. “Sleep.”

I know it’s wrong to use my power on her, but she’s pregnant, exhausted, and she’ll worry.

Yet again, I suddenly miss my father, his wisdom, the way he looked at things. I cannot imagine walking through life, seeing all the choices people can make, and watching them make the wrong ones over and over again.

But now I know.

Because the minute Tarek started working at that bar, and the minute the girl he held hands with so many years ago saw him...

His fate was sealed. And so was hers.

I grab one of my purple feathers and flick it into the air. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Creator.”

It was silent for several minutes before a childlike voice whispered. “I always do.”

Chapter Ten

Tarek

It was a fever dream. I was hot, sweaty, exhausted, and sticky with blood, and she was on me, breathing heavily, sighing against my chest.

Maybe by way of sex, this was always my journey.

Death by sex.

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