Carter looks at me curiously.
“I saw her. Just now! We have to go help everyone!”
Carter takes a few steps closer, “I know, Dani. I just got the call that I’m needed. I have to go.” Each word carries the weight of responsibility, but I can see the flicker of hesitation beneath his resolve.
I move forward, closing the distance, and wrap my arms around him tightly, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. He leans down to kiss the top of my head, an intimate gesture that ignites a storm of emotions within me. “You mean everything to me, Dani. I know that… They are your mates, and I’m so happy for you, I really am. I just want you to know that…”
I pull back, searching his brown eyes. “You can’t go, Carter. I… I had a vision of you. I was holding you as the world around us erupted in flames, chaos consuming everything. If you go there, you will die… and I can’t let that happen.” My voice trembles, each word a desperate plea to change the fate I fear awaits him.
I look over at Dax and Killian. They seem to know what I’m about to ask.
Dax takes a few steps toward me, grabs my jaw lightly, and kisses me. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his body closer to mine. “I love you, little dove. We will be quick,” Dax says. His amber eyes soothing my worry.
I turn to Killian, and he pulls me to his chest, and I lean up and kiss him deeply. “I love you, sunshine, so much. We will be right back.”
I nod my head up and down. Before I can tell Killian and Dax how much I love them, their shadows wrap them up, and they disappear.
“Guess I’ll have to get used to that,” Carter jokes.
Suddenly, Adonis appears in front of us. Worry is etched across his face like I’ve never seen before.
“Dani!” He screams.
He is covered in blood and dirt.
With just a few swift strides, Adonis captures my face in his hands and presses his lips against mine with an urgency that sends a thrill coursing through me. He kisses with the intensity of someone experiencing this moment for the first time.
His fingers cradle my jaw, guiding me as his tongue slips past my lips, igniting a wildfire of emotion within me. My heart swells with an overwhelming mix of love and bliss as our lips dance together, lost in a fiery embrace.
Adonis pulls back, his breath shaky, and tears spill down his cheeks. He pulls me into the warmth of his chest, wrapping tightly around me as if trying to shield me from the world’s chaos. His hands tremble as they weave through my hair, inhaling my familiar scent. “I’m so sorry, Dani. I’m so fucking sorry! I didn’t mean any of it! Gods...” His voiceis laced with desperation as he pulls back to examine me. “I’m fine; Killian and Dax healed me,” I assure him, my fingers gliding over the contours of his chest before moving up to cup his face. His blue eyes, usually so vibrant, are clouded with worry, creating an ache in my heart for the torment he’s feeling.
“How could you do that to her? You sick son of a bitch!” Carter’s voice breaks our connection. Adonis looks at Carter, but not with anger. His expression is filled with sorrow. Carter continues, stepping closer. “You let Octavia stab her! Dani could have died!”
Before Carter can throw a punch, Killian and Dax suddenly reappear. They are breathless, bloodied, and covered in soot and dirt.
My eyes go wide. They were only gone for a few minutes.
Killian grabs Adonis by the shirt and punches him in the face. “You selfish fucking bastard!” He throws another punch, and Adonis takes it, never taking his eyes off me.
“Stop!” I shout. Carter grabs my elbow, pulling me away from Adonis and Killian.
Dax runs full speed, tackles Adonis to the ground, and hits him repeatedly. “You fucking dick!” His voice booms through the house.
I scream, “Stop! Stop it!” I try to get out of Carter’s grip, but he tightens his hold. “Let me go!” I yell at him.
“No!” Carter says back to me. “Let them, Dani. Let them punch him. He fucking deserves it!”
I glare at Carter, but the house shakes before I can say something hurtful to him. Dax pauses his assault but still sits on top of Adonis. Killian walks over to me and grabs me from Carter.
Amelia’s voice pierces the tense air, rising above the chaos, “STOP!” Instantly, every movement halts. “That’s enough, Dax. Adonis will carry the weight of his actions for the rest of his days. This stops now.”
Dax reluctantly peels himself away from Adonis, and he extends a hand to help him rise.
“It’s true, what Dani said…” Killian’s voice trembles, a shadow of sorrow hanging over him. Adonis steps towards me, his sturdy arm encircling my waist, providing a comforting anchor; I lean into him. “The town… it’s gone. Octavia obliterated the buildings. She… she took countless lives,” Killian murmurs, his tone heavy with grief as he glances around at everyone.
“What… what happened?” Jules asks, her fingers intertwining with Amelia’s in a silent show of solidarity.
Adonis, face smeared with dried blood from his nose, says with a grim gravity. “She’s siphoning people’s souls, growing stronger with each one. Dark magic fuels her, summoning waves of shadowmires that devour the fallen… She knew I was deceiving her,” he divulges, his gaze darkening as it falls on Amelia. “That’s why I came—we had a plan. It worked momentarily, but she caught on the second we set foot in the town, and I tried to intervene…”
