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Chapter 149
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2022-03-16 12:59:41I wiped the vomit from my mouth but turned to heave again when Apollo lifted his brother’s severed head off the floor by his mane of bronze hair. There was a hideously disturbing splat, much too loud to be blood alone, as something wet hit the floor.
“Do you really need to take his head with you, Apollo?” I asked after spitting and wiping my mouth for the second time.
The question was supposed to be laced with venom, but instead I sounded almost afraid. His behavior was a bit odd, but it’s not like there were guidelines for keeping your shit together after beheading your own flesh and blood. Plus, he and Aeacus seemed to have some serious issues.
Apollo cocked one of his sculpted eyebrows at me, like I was the one being difficult. There wasn’t a shred of regret or shame within his eyes, not that there should be, but I expected something substantial.
This couldn’t possibly be it.
‘
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Iridian Chapter 150
‘Rachel, can you hear me?’ Dain’s voice was the breath of fresh air I hadn’t realized I needed. Even though a whisper of guilt coiled around my head, I didn’t let go of Aidan’s hand. ‘…there’s something about Callum’s illusion magic that’s blocking the mind-link, I can’t seem to find a way through to you…damn it, tell me you can hear me!”Stone trickled from the ceiling in time with Dain’s powerful snarl and was what made the four of us rush towards the far end of the cavern, where Antonio’s wolf had vanished behind a wall of darkness.‘I can hear you, Dain.’ No matter how hard I tried, there was no hiding the tremble to my voice. ‘…tell me what to do—tell me how to get out of here.’Dain cursed, his voice fading in and out as the cavern walls began to shake.‘…can’t let him getaway. If he does, you&rsqu
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Countless guests who had eagerly torn open their invitations just hours ago, now found their lives cut short. I wondered how many of them spent twice the amount of time on their hair and clothes, only to end up a bloodless corpse on the floor.I was too lost in the sea of dead to notice the wall of darkness that consumed the other side of the room. It appeared impenetrable, and completely shielded the southern corridor, and half of the dance floor. Only when Aidan’s hand slipped through my own did I lift my head, but it wasn’t to gaze up at the forlorn expression on his face.A man emerged from the shadows, running full force as he dragged a sobbing woman behind him. Her intricate updo was lopsided, sticking to the blood that ran down the side of her slender face. Clutched in her hand like a weapon was a stiletto, one that didn’t match the shredded turquoise dress clinging to her trembling frame.It was then I heard the screaming coming from in
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This was the first time I’d seen him in action if that’s what you could call this. He played it tame back at the festival of night, but with Callum and Nadia somewhere in this mess, it was no holds barred.From deep within the pulsing cloud of night I heard a sharp crack, like the air itself had been cleaved in two.The same man Dain had pulled back in was now thrown into the air. He soared over broken tables and almost clipped one of the deserted bars before hitting the ground with a heavy thud.My stomach turned painfully, but bile refused to surface. It was adrenaline alone that kept me from hurling when his head tore open on impact and the marble flooring split from the force at which he’d been thrown. Even the sight of his mangled limbs, twisted at odd angles couldn’t reach me, not to say it wouldn’t once this was all over.“Oh, I’m sure of it.” Apollo nodded, his head tilting as he stared at the dead m
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“When I kill my brother and we get out of this shithole, you’ll be lucky if I let you leave my bed the rest of the week.” His lips brushed my ear, once and then twice before he pulled away. “Actually, I’m going to need the rest of the month to get the taste of your fear out of my head—luckily I know just what to replace it with. When I said I wanted to hear you scream, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”At the same time, his voice slid into my head.‘Nadia is close by, but she won’t reveal herself. There’s something about the four of us here together that has her afraid. She’s listening, but she can’t quite find us.’ The corner of his full lips lifted into a smirk. ‘Try not to sound too breathless when you respond, darling. Now tell me, where are the others?’“How can you joke at a time like this?” Even a whisper felt loud, and I wondered how close Nad
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“Don’t listen to him, Rachel. He wants us fighting each other.” Dain warned, but I could barely hear him—barely feel him as he tensed behind me.A puff of hot breath fanned across my face, and I bit back a gag as the scent of dried blood and something old hit my senses.Too late I felt the darkness around me stir as Callum went in for the attack. A swift but dull pain blossomed across my stomach. It lost the chance to bloom into agony when Dain grabbed me by the arm and shoved me behind him.In one fluid motion he thrust his hand out at where Callum had been standing, and the shadows around us swarmed. Like the shrill scream of wind they howled as they passed, stabbing my ears until even Dain’s voice faded into the static.When Callum’s enraged snarl broke through the shrieking of the angry hive, Dain clenched his hand into a fist and shoved back the impenetrable clouds. The fiery curls of my hair whipped around my shou
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“Dain, get rid of the shadows…call them off or something.” I stammered, my hands trembling as I held them close to my mouth.There was no way fate could be so cruel as to tear Ally and Aidan away in a single night. I couldn’t—wouldn’t let myself believe it.When I heard nothing in response, I whipped around and said, “…they’re going after Aidan. We have to do something!”Finally, he turned from where he stood, staring at the space where Callum had vanished. Releasing the secret I kept chained and bound in my chest also released my fear of Dain’s retaliation. The words he said, they’d replay themselves in my memory until the end of time, along with the crippling relief and flash of surprise I felt.Only a second I gave myself to savor the fluttering in my chest and the echo of his praise in my ears.Did you think I’d be angry to have Queen that rivaled
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It hadn’t been long until I heard Nadia’s sultry voice emerging from all directions, carried on the same salt-water breeze that drifted by earlier.For just a few short minutes I’d been wandering the densely packed clouds of darkness, searching for a man I couldn’t see nor hear, one I couldn’t call out to or mind-link. With my mind racing for a way to scatter the shadows that blanketed nearly everything, I trained my ears towards every passing sound.There were still people running, their feet and gasps barely audible beneath the music until they nearly sent me sprawling. What was worse were the men and women with white paint splashed across their faces, using magic to killanyonein sight. I had caught a glimpse of one just five feet away, carving into a man who had knocked into me just seconds ago.Rayna couldn’t tell where they were coming from any better than I.No longer could I hear the slash of
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Nadia’s victorious smile was radiant, like heavy beams of sun ripe with life and warmth, peering through tepid waves of turquoise and cerulean waters.She didn’t look the least bit sorry as she inclined her head and said, “…being tossed to the side, chosen second…doesn’t feel very good, now does it?”Even though I could feel his eyes on my back and hear my choice echoing in the darkest pits of my hedonistic thoughts, I couldn’t yet turn around.Fear was the downpour that filled my ears when the magical ropes around Aidan’s neck tightened, and the last wheeze of breath escaped his purple lips.Men and women glowing with magic dotted the room, standing still while the surviving partyers cowered behind sofas and broken tables. The splash of white across their eyes wasn’t nearly as threatening as the number of them. Even with Apollo’s help, they could easily overwhelm us if Nadia gav
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I stumbled over my words, forcing them into the space between us where they hovered like a noxious gas. “What—what do you mean? I killed Nadia…I don’t—” The Moon Goddess cut my rambling short by placing the palm of her hand against my cheek. It was something my mom had done whenever I was upset as a child, and somehow the Moon Goddess’s touch held that same level of comfort. She smiled sadly, but it was an expression of pure love and understanding. “Do not punish yourself, daughter. What was left of Nadia’s essence has returned home and rejoined that of her wolf, but her death does not mean Evil is gone from the world. Us celestial beings aren’t allowed to meet our creations, but this situation…it is unique. I’m afraid I cannot tell you much, but there is one who can.” Jumping at the chance to get some answers, to preserve the peace Dain and the warriors fought so hard for, I asked, “Who? Who can?” “It is time to awaken, daughter. It’s in the world of the living where you’ll find
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All I could do was stand there and gape at him. Honesty shone in his eyes like newborn stars, but all it did was leave me confused. I replayed the last twenty-four hours in my head, searching for the moment where I’d won the game between us.When I came up empty handed, I stammered, “I did?”Dain nodded, staring down at me with hooded eyes. “You did.”“How? When?”“As for how, that’s the part where I cheated, I’m afraid. I didn’t admit out loud what I felt for you, but I felt it nonetheless.” He admitted, a sheepish tilt to his lips. “I realized I loved you the moment those doors opened, and you appeared at the top of the steps. I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the way you looked in that gown, which I’ll have to thank Adley for when she returns. You could’ve been an assassin here to put a dagger in my heart and I would’ve gladly let you.”There was an explosion of butterflies in my chest, their wings beating so frantically that the sound of my heartbeat was drowned out.Leaning into Dain
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The elongated claws tipped with old blood were hers. I couldn’t forget the sight of her gnarled fingers, which had once been slender and elegant, even if I tried.With a loud smack, she flattened her palm against the stone floor. A second arm shot out of the water, followed by another wet smack.‘That puddle’s not nearly big enough for what she’s trying to do…’ Rayna pointed out, her voice just as sickly as I knew my own would be.Both of Nadia’s arms were bent at odd angles as they rose from the water, but that was the least disturbing thing I witnessed as this day began to quickly unfold. Next to appear were her eyes, the whites much too large to be considered normal, followed by the jagged slash that was her smile. In the memories I’d seen, her smile had been coy and playful, with the same softness as a flower’s petals. This one was of malice and envy, both deeply disturbing and in dire need of some chapstick.Her shoulders rose from the water at the same time but were bent awkward
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It took everything within me not to flinch at the sound of her voice and how close it truly was to my ear. Only when I felt her icy talons meet my skin did I act.‘It’s showtime.’ Rayna murmured, lending me all of her strength as I willed the floor to crumble beneath my feet.Together, my wolf and I fell.Since I was prepared for the impact, it was easy to call on my magic to lessen the blow. Warm air rushed beneath my gown and outstretched arms, acting as a safety net that slowed my fall and kept me from toppling over. It wasn’t the graceful landing I’d been trying for since Nadia was doing something to block our magic, but it kept me from breaking both my ankles on the way down.I didn’t wait for the dust to settle. The moment I felt solid stone beneath my feet, I took off running.Nadia’s snarl was one of surprise and outrage, strong enough that it made the castle tremble. I didn’t repress my grin or the laughter I spewed into the air, knowing both would entice her to follow—to con
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Nadia launched herself at me, and as she did so, her hair and dress billowed out at her sides. The movement was slow and lazy, almost like she was submerged in water and not hovering a solid three feet in the air. Even though her form was translucent, and she seemed to be neither here nor there, I had a sickening feeling she could still do significant damage if I let her reach me.Instinct took over, and for once in my life, it wasn’t telling me to run.I launched the orb in my hand like it were a baseball, and watched as it spiraled through the air, a small halo of light surrounding it. When it hit its mark, square in the center of Nadia’s face, I silently thanked Aidan for teaching me all those years ago. I had hated every second of his baseball phase, but he’d been so passionate about becoming a professional athlete and whisking us away that I couldn’t resist helping him practice. After a dozen scraped knees, a handful of bruises, and one broken arm, we both called it quits.The in
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For the longest time all I could hear was the sound of stone grinding against stone.There was a painful burn in my lungs, but I didn’t dare exhale. Instead, I held my breath and watched as the corridors around me shifted. Walls slid left and right, forming new pathways that hadn’t existed before. Many changed angles, creating sharp turns that you couldn’t see coming until it was too late.Some of the windows began to close, melting away as though they’d never been there, while others grew larger. The ones that grew in size turned into arched doorways narrow enough for but one person to slip through.While the castle itself wasn’t a sentient being, every brick and inch of tiled floor was alive with Dain’s magic. I could feel it’s alluring touch within everything I altered and couldn’t help but smile at how eager it was to please me. Even the paintings responded to my call, changing forms until each one was exactly the same.The brash strokes of oil paint shimmered as they changed colo
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“My sisters, are they safe?” Aidan asked, his voice low.Even with a side view of his face, I could see the way it twisted into a concerned grimace. With eyebrows knitted tightly together and jaw clenched, he pivoted his head from left to right, peering down each corridor as we crept through another intersection. The sword he clutched in his hand, it’s metal an impenetrable black that shimmered with blood, was raised and ready for use.“Is anyone truly safe?” I asked, eyeing one of the windows warily. It would be all too easy for Nadia or one of her monsters to slip through now that the hallways were conjoined. “They’re hidden away. The fight won’t reach them.”His shoulders slumped as much as they could with the defensive stance he held, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.“Thank the Goddess. Even though I’d see them when I got back, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it if they were dead.”He didn’t have to explain why, not when the answer hovered in the space between us.There w
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Selfishly, I tried to call on Helios, to summon him to my side like I’d been told I could. It was what he would’ve wanted, it was why we completed the bond in the first place. The issue was that no one told me how to do it.There was a sense of awareness that settled over me, followed by a wave of understanding that told me Helios was very much alive. He was feeling it too, a subtle tug that let him know I was still here. I concentrated on my golden-haired warrior harder, imagining him as a sword sheathed at my side, ready to be used at moment’s notice.I felt that tug turn into a harsh pull, but there was no smile of victory on my face, because the milky-eyed creature at the end of the hall let out a blood-curdling wail and charged.I’d never been afraid of horror movies, not with their make-shift gore and fake blood. The knowledge that the creepy monster on the television screen wasn’t actually real was enough to smother any fear I might’ve felt. As I scrambled to get away from the
