"He'll represent power thought to have never existed, and she will gravitate to him until at last their eyes meet. The sparks will ignite a flame that will never fizzle, and their love could be the—"
He stops, looking at Mom, and then to me.
"Could be the what?" I prompt, literally sitting on the edge of my seat. Well, Gage's knee.
"This prophecy has missing passages. This book was torn apart long ago before we found it. Certain pieces are missing because someone wanted them gone. I assume Estella did it to keep anyone from finding out about you, but she must have been interrupted. I'll read what little bit we have though."
He looks down, flipping the partial page.
"The balance will shift, opening the door to the side of darkness she never knew she possessed. Together, their powers will grow, surpassing all fathomable predictions. But the war within her will only rage on stronger with each day until—"
"Until what?" I urge, feeling like I'm watching the most suspenseful movie ever filmed.
"Again, a missing passage. The rest of the page has been ripped out. The next thing it says isn't exactly warm and fuzzy, but don't fret," he murmurs softly, making me all the more tense. "Then she'll destroy us all."
Don't fuckingfret?Youhave gotto be kidding me.
My heart sinks to my toes, dizziness tries to settle in, and my chest aches when my terror tries to suffocate me. When I look back at Gage, I suddenly see something different. He's betrayed me once already, and now he's done it again. He's a fool for wanting me to hear this.
Since I've met him, I've used my darker half more than ever before, and it is getting worse each time. Now I know why.
"How do you know it's Gage?" I ask in barely a breath, staring into Gage's blue eyes while asking my parents to answer.
"He's the strongest dark user ever known since the days of Dragona and Damon. Dark users are opposites of light users. Roughly translated, that's who the prophecy announces the lover will be—your opposite."
My expression changes as it all settles down on me like a heavy awakening—a painful one.
"Alyssa, don't look at me like that. You can't have half of a prophecy. You and I were meant to be together, and it wasn't so that you could destroy everything," Gage murmurs defensively.
I dive off his lap, but he stands to grab me before I can fully retreat.
"You knew this before you came to see me—you knew," I choke out as the tears threaten to emerge again.
"Alyssa, I didn't come because of that. I came because you needed help. It's what I fucking do. I knew Thad wasn't capable of keeping you safe, and you were blaming my people. I came for all the reasons I said I came—not because of this. I never thought I'd fall for you, but I did. You fell for me, too. You just won't face it. You've been fighting me since the first day we met."
I wipe away the traitorous tears that have fallen despite my protests. I rip free from him, quickly feeling my anger burning all the stronger. He knew he would taint my light, possibly extinguish it all together. He willingly risked my soul.
"You bastard! You don't fucking love me! All you want is to complete a prophecy that could end everything. Of course you do.Darkuser. I'msofucking stupid!"
His eyes narrow, his own rage now surfacing. "That's bullshit and you know it! How dare you tell me how I feel. I've been trying to find a way to tell you I love you for so long. I fell in love with you before I ever even kissed you. But you don't want to hear that. You're too stuck on the night stalker whodoeshave his own intended mate. You're not going to destroy anything because I won't let you."
The hollow part of my chest becomes an endless abyss of nothingness. How many times can two men destroy me?
"Get out," I mutter in a barely audible whisper.
"Alyssa, don't do this. I realize you're scared, but this isn't all of the prophecy. You'll—"
"I said get out!" I say more forcefully, more tears falling from my eyes as I stare directly into his deceitful blues.
He looks to Drackus, but my silent father has already averted his eyes from the scene. Finally, Gage vaporizes from the room, leaving me in his wake. I stand there, barely understanding all that has just happened. It's like the depth of deceit only grows on a daily basis.
He wanted me to know because he thought it would provoke me to choose him. Instead, it only makes me all the more certain I shouldn't choose him. I ache for something though, and I don't know why. It's as if I've lost control of my mind and feelings.
"I'm going upstairs and sleeping this off," I mumble in a choked whisper.
"I'll come with you, honey," Mom says, rubbing her hand on my shoulder as she pulls me to her.
I just nod and try not to fall apart in her arms. She has an imposter posing as her, and I still don't know what happened. I need to know. Hell, I need a distraction.
