“We have to go tell her. Dani needs to know this,” I say to everyone, knowing this news will cheer her up.
“I agree, but let’s let her and Jules sleep. They are fast asleep right now,” Amelia says.
We pop open another bottle of our rich, velvety wine, letting the tantalizing aroma waft through the air as we immerse ourselves in a quiet celebration. We raise our glasses to the wonder of having our wings fully unfurled, harnessing our complete power, and to the breathtaking realization that our mate is the most perfect specimen ever to walk this planet.
Chapter 42
Dani
I wake up in Killian’s bed, drenched in sweat, the remnants of a haunting dream clinging to me like a second skin.
The sheets tangled around my legs feel suffocating and I notice immediately that Jules isn’t beside me; she must have slipped out of bed earlier.
The night’s events swirl in my mind like a relentless movie on repeat, forcing me to relive them over and over again, each scene more vivid and painful than the last. My heart plummets as the realization crashes down on me—Carter.
When you hit rock bottom, you feel it.
I allow myself to cry until my tears run dry. It’s no longer ragged or chaotic; instead, it’s calm and deliberate. These are the tears that flow from an expression without any drama. There’s no gasping breath or crinkled nose, no tight lips or furrowed brow. This is the pain of the quiet ones—a sorrow so profound it remains hidden from view. The tears stream down my wooden expression, seeping from my slowly blinking eyes. A deep, suffocating heat rises in my neck, quickly giving way to a wave of nausea that churns violently in my stomach.
I leap out of bed and sprint to Killian’s bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before the contents of my stomach rebel against me.
Carter is dead. The weight of that truth crushes my chest as I replay the moment in my mind, the image etching itself into my memory with relentless clarity.
The bile rises once more, and I hurl again, the taste bitter and acrid, mirroring the pain that lingers in my heart.
Once I’m done puking out my guts, I walk to the shower and turn it on. Before getting in, I let the steam cloud the mirrors like an opaque canvas.
After standing in the shower for ten minutes, I finally get out and wrap myself in a towel. I grab one more for my hair and wrap it up on the top of my head.
I wipe the fog from the mirror and drop the towel I held around my body. I run my hand along my side, tracing Killian’s rune. Then, I run my hand along my left arm where Dax’s sits. I smile at my new shaded-in rune that covers my hand—Adonis. I did it. I broke the fucking curse. I broke the curse that had my mates shackled for so long.
A sharp burning sensation flares at the nape of my neck and across my shoulders, pulling my attention. I turn slowly to catch a glimpse of the source in the mirror. As I do, my eyes widen in shock.
Holy shit!
Not only is there a distinctive symbol on my neck, but it elegantly winds down in a delicate, vine-like pattern that stretches across my upper back and gracefully weaves between my shoulder blades. The design is so detailed that it creates the illusion of wings spreading outward from my back, each curve and twist meticulously composed to enhance the overall visual impact. The interplay of light and shadow accentuates the organic flow of the pattern, giving it a sense of depth and movement as if the wings can take flight at any moment.
“Adonis! Dax! Killian!” I shout.
In an instant, the three of them are in Killian’s bathroom. I pull the towel off my wet head and pull my long hair off to the side.
“What is it?!” Adonis shouts.
“Are you okay?!” Dax asks.
“Look!” I turn so my back is exposed to them all.
The three of them collectively draw in a sharp breath, their eyes wide with astonishment. Adonis takes a stepcloser, his fingers gliding delicately along my neck, trailing down to my back, sending a cascade of shivers across my skin that feels electrifying.
“Badass,” Dax smirks.
“Absolutely beautiful,” Killian whispers. I meet his gaze in the mirror, a warm smile spreads across my face.
“Get dressed; we have some things to share with you,” Adonis says, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder.
I stand there, not moving.
“Or don’t get dressed,” Dax flashes his dimples at me.
