"What's going on?" I asked, my voice quivering. Ethan, what are you doing here? Why are you here with him?Ethan did not reply. His gaze shifted from Dante to me, and for a brief moment, I believed I sensed something, possibly guilt. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the same inert look he had worn since this all began."Ethan!." I yelled out. Please, please chat with me. Tell me, please.Dante laughed sharply and cut off me. "Oh, Alara, he won't talk to you. Not in the manner you intend. You have passed your usefulness to him in the past.The punch of my heart pierced my stomach. "What??" That is untrue, no. Ethan, let me know this is untrue!Ethan replied nothing, though. He just stood there, unmoved, his face incomprehensible.The ground had seemed to have been pulled from under me. "Ethan, kindly!" I gasped out, emotional in nature, a tight throat. "Don't go ahead with this. I have no idea what has transpired. This is something we can correct. collectively.Ethan turned d
"You believe you might stop me, Levi?" Dante smirked, approaching me, his fingers still caressing my skin like a predator playing with its prey."I know I can," Levi said, entering the room with calm authority and a hard steel of will in his gaze. Then I will.Before Dante's dark and mocking chuckle shattered the tension, there was a long, strained period of quiet. He responded, gazing at us, "You're too late." You believe you can halt the already moving thing? Levi, the game has ended. You no longer get to participate.Levi stiffened his jaw, but he did not waver. Possibly not, but I'm not leaving here without her.The thickening air became heavy with approaching violence, a pressure developing in the room making breathing difficult.Then, as I thought I might pass out from the stress, something unanticipated occurred.The lights flashed once, then went out totally twice.pitches dark.Then the sound started to emanate. a low, guttural scream that appeared to emanate from all around
I muttered, "Tell me you don't feel it," my words just heard over the hammering of my heart.Levi's hands clutched the steering wheel so firmly that his knuckles became white and he focussed his sight on the road ahead. His jaw was tense as the moonlight flowed across his face.With gritted teeth, "Alara, this isn't the time," he replied, but the little trembling in his voice revealed his composed front."Then when is the time?" I turned back, boiling up with rage. "You push me away every time I attempt to discuss things. Levi, I must know. Am I only another piece in this sick game with Dante, or do I mean anything to you?He applied the brakes, the car sliding to stop on the empty road. The abrupt stop left me lurching forward, but before I could get back up Levi turned to face me and his eyes burned with a force that made my breath freeze."You believe you are merely a pawn to me?" He insisted, his voice harsh and low. "For someone who doesn't matter, you think I would risk everythi
Did you ever mean any of it? Whispering, the weight of treachery stifling the oxygen from my lungs.Levi's hand clenched around mine, his eyes desperately searching mine. His face was highlighted in turmoil by the shadows from the low warehouse light dancing across it."Alara, listen to me," he urged with a shaky voice. "Today more than ever, you must believe me. Every action I have taken and decision I have made has been to shield you."Survive me?" I yanked my hand away and fired back. You call using me, lying to me, and signing a contract with that monster protection? Do you hear yourself at all?"I didn't go through with it!" he screamed, his irritation bubbling over. I was in great need. I considered it as the sole approach to ensure your safety. But I was unable to do it. I could not betray you in that manner.His voice fractured something inside me, and the raw feeling in it refused to give way in my rage. "Levi, you ought to have started with the truth right from the start. Gi
"You shouldn't have come here," I said, my voice shaky with both relief and incredulity. In many respects, the guy facing me—my father, the man I believed had deserted me—was a stranger."Did you not agree I wouldn't?" His voice was harsh, almost as though the years had sapped him in more than one capacity. His eyes fixed on mine, and in spite of years of quiet, his stare at me carried familiarity. He had not really departed at all."Why?." Stepping back, I asked, my body still hurting from the tumult all around us. "Why now, after everything??""Because you're my daughter," he stated simply, his eyes darting to Levi, who was barely awake on the ground. And because I owe you more than just an apology."Apologism?" I laughed cruelly and started to cry. "Is that all you have to offer?.""Not even close," he murmured, approaching Dante, who was looking at us with a hard, mechanical look. But I'll begin with this.He lifted his rifle with that, his aim constant. As I understood what he wa
Rising his hand, he told his soldiers to get close in. I could hear boots echoing in the warehouse and the gentle click of guns being pulled. Our count was less than that. exceeded.Not, however, out of choice.I looked at Levi, our eyes connecting in that instant of common knowledge. I knew my job. We just had one opportunity. And it had to be today.I moved without thinking about it.I reached for the closest weapon, one of Dante's abandoned weapons, in a flash and fired one single shot straight into the ceiling. The sound repeated, and for a time everything halted.The guys around us stopped, doubt flickering over their expressions. Dante's smile wavered, and that brief uncertainty was all we needed."Run!", Shoving Levi toward the exit, I yelled.He stayed still, though."You're not leaving me behind, Alara," he said, snarling and seizing my wrist to drag me toward him. "I'm not letting you confront this alone.”"We have no time for this!” I grabbed, terror washing through me. "Yo
"I won't let you walk away this time," his voice spoke low and dangerously in the darkness.I stopped; his words felt to me like a tidal wave. Levi's fingers clenched around me, his grasp defensive and possessive. Like me, he sensed that the storm we had been waiting for was here. Tension permeated the air, as every pulse counted toward anarchy."Then you leave me no choice," I said, my voice a kind challenge but my heart surged as though it tried to flee my chest. I could not let him control the words any more. Not this time. Not following everything.Levi's eyes flickered across to me, a flutter of doubt in them, but the moment passed too quickly to see clearly. He had more in mind than simply me. Like I was, he worried about the ticking time bomb hovering over us both.The man before us—the one whose name I still hadn't heard spoken—was a menace. a legitimate one. the type that, given the opportunity, would cause everything to fall apart. His stony gaze fixed on me as he moved forw
Levi said nothing, but I could sense the tension in his body—every muscle coiled and ready for use. His fingers strong around my wrist, he drew me near to him, his grasp on me tightening. What was occurring seemed to be slow motion, like I was caught in a dream I couldn't wake from."You're running out of time," the man whispered once again, their deep and threatening voice sending shivers down my spine.The words kept coming back to me, the weight of them setting in. Running short of time for what? By that, what did they imply?Above, a startling boom of thunder shook my bones from so near. I flinched, naturally looking at Levi, but as I looked up I saw his jaw set in resolve. His gaze swung to the man in front of us then back to me."We have little time," he remarked, his voice sharp. " Stay behind me."The stranger entered the low light before I could reply, and I gasped at last to see their face. It was him; the one I had assumed to be gone permanently.My body stopped and I felt
Turning to watch Jackson barreling into the clearing, his wolf form was magnificent and horrible. He wasted no time flinging himself at the closest renegade with a passion that astounded me.Though brief, relief washed over me. The shadows moved once again, as a fresh person entered the area.He was towering and intimidating, with nasty glistening eyes. "Well, isn't this touching?," he said in a sarcastic voice. The courageous Luna and her warriors.Marcus, I spat, venomous in my voice.He grinned and looked over the devastation. Ava, I cautioned you. One cannot run from the past. And you most definitely cannot run from me.He lifted his hand before I could reply, and a flash of black energy rushed at me. I tuned myself, but it never hit.Riley launched himself in front of me with full assault might."No!." As he sank to the ground, his wolf shape flickering before he turned back into his human nature, I shouted.Jackson hissed, blazingly angry eyes guiding him toward Marcus. Marcus w
I'm locked in. No one knows how to get out. I detect it. Panic claws at the margins of my thoughts, my pulse thuds in my ears. Here's how we got here. How rapidly did things spiral?My fingers shake at my sides, and my brain runs for any answer. But not at all. Only me, powerless here. Levi... God, Levi's blood is staining the concrete and I am unable to stop it."Please, Marcus," I say, my voice breaking with need. "Please, please do not do this. I will do anything, I promise to God. Anything your wish is for. Just try not to damage him. kindly.He tilts his head as if he is thinking about what I said, and he smiles sickeningly. His firm hold on the pistol narrows. "Everything? You believe you still have something worth offering me?Though I'm not sure what I anticipate, Marcus fires before I could respond.The gunshot had an unbearable sound.But it's not me.My heart rushing, blood hammering in my ears, I automatically lower to the ground. Turning, eyes wide, I see something that s
I cannot lose you once more, Evie. Not like this. Not once again.Levi's voice is a harsh whisper on my skin; his words pierce the shroud of uncertainty and anxiety clouding my head. His hands quiver as they draw me in, his warmth sustaining me in this whirl of anarchy.In my chest, my heart beats wild and chaologically. Though everything seems to be disintegrating, I find it difficult to distance myself from him. His words and his touch really felt so authentic and honest. The pain I went through upon believing I lost him may easily overwhelm me once more. But the danger—that of Marcus—that is all too real. Too perilous.My voice quivering, I say, "I'm not going anywhere." "But we have to—”I swivel around, heart jumping into my throat, the sharp sound of cracking glass cutting me short. Under the low light of the alley, the figure's shadow blocks the passage. Breath freezes in my throat.He's it. Marcus?"You thought you could escape me, didn't you?," said Given the circumstances, h
Though I can't concentrate on anything except the heat of Levi's fingers clutching mine, the planet is disintegrating all around me. Knowing we have limited time, my heart is racing not only from anxiety but also from the intense feeling that this may be the final time I spend with him."Levi, we have to go—now, my voice quakes with panic."With his clenched jaw, he draws me in and I can see the weight of what we have gone through in his eyes. Though he is staring at something I cannot yet see, his dark and strong eyes convey everything I need to know: danger is near. overly near."I am not leaving you," he adds, his voice a hoarse growl of will. "Not again.."I wonder whether he is speaking to himself or to me. Still, I feel it. The truth was found in his comments. Everything we have endured weighs less now than this. Marcus, the falling stone walls—the improbable chances—we have come so far; now, everything depends on this one instant.Hearing the sound of feet behind us—faint at fi
The man slanted his head slightly, as though entertained by my query. "I am the one dragging the threads straight from the darkness. The one waiting for this turning point. And about what I wish for... The person fixed cold, objective eyes on me. "You have to decide something. a decision meant to either rescue or ruin everything.With fast, shallow breaths, Evie's hand tightened in mine. "Levi," she said, her voice breaking with terror. "please. You really have to trust me. Choose not to pay attention to him."The person advanced still another step, their gaze narrowing. " Trust her?" They laughed dimly. "How can you believe someone who hardly knows her? Someone who from the beginning has been lying to you?Turning to Evie, the weight of her words etched in my chest. "Is that true? Evie... I asked, hardly sure I could keep my voice steady. "What then is happening? Not what are you not telling me?"The voice of the stranger came out once again, louder now before she could respond. Levi
Varian's smile grew wider, his eyes shining with a terrible, nasty pleasure. "To release a power outside your comprehension. She belongs to a lineage of entities designed to transform our planet. And her blood? It is the essence of everything.My heart came to a standstill. Blood, please. What was he referring to?"Don't listen to him, Levi," Evie urged, her voice cracking and desperation leaking through the gaps. "He's lying. He is controlling you. He usually has.But Varian turned her aside, staring just at me. His tone caustic, he spat, "You don't get it, do you, Levi?" She is not any ordinary person. She is the one who may bring either the birth of a new world or the end of this one. And you, he added, his eyes narrowing, "you're standing in my way."I knew nothing about what to do. What Varian was saying eluded me in terms of logic. All I knew, all I believed was real, was disintegrating.Once more I looked at Evie, but she was shaking her head and tears were running down her che
"Levi, please, just trust me!" Now she was trembling, her voice a combination of terror and something more—a plea, a warning. " This thing... it's after me."My ears could hear my pulse pound. Her comments have weight like those of a goods train. "Once you?" I asked, voice just a whisper. "Evie, you are hunting this thing?"The beast howled before she could reply, the sound splintering the air. I halted momentarily, not sure what was happening; it was like the roar of a beast and the wail of a dying man.I turned back to Evie, but her gaze had altered. Now, there was something icy about it—a resolution that froze me right down. "Levi, you have to go." At now. Before it becomes too late.I shook my head, shoved her behind me. "Not a probability. I am not bidding you farewell here.She grasped my arm, her hold overly strong. You must have. Should we not, it will wipe us both. Ask kindly.She kept me steady as I attempted to back off. Her eyes softened, only a little, as though she were
A terrible, all-consuming terror seized my chest as the world darkened. My senses went wild and I could feel everything falling down right away. My sole anchor was the firm hold on my shoulder; my breath came in short spurts. Desperate for anything, anything to grip, I reached out.Levi... Evie's voice sounded far-off, a faint whisper that accentuated the terror chewing at me. "Levi, what's happening?"I had no retort for her. The gloom seemed overly weighty, too oppressive. Something cold pushed, metallic, and sharp pressed on my flesh; I automatically withdrew attempting to get away.Riley, the woman, leaned forward grinning wickedly from her lips. "You really thought you had control, didn't you?" Her voice sent chills up my spine like ice."Let him run!" Stronger now, Evie yelled, her voice tinged with an underlying horror I couldn't ignore.Riley's hold tightened, dragging me even nearer. Though it was pointless, I battled her grasp. Her strength felt surreal, as though she drew f
The planet appeared to spin at that instant. A huge crack sounded far away, then a deep, rumbling sound shook the earth underneath. The very ground seemed to be complaining, straying under the weight of something far more potent than I could understand.The shadows moved suddenly, then the unmistakable sound of shackles rattling. From the distance, a weak glow flickering revealed a shadowy figure rising from the gloom.Her face was hidden yet her shape was silhouetted against the low light. Her motions frenetic as she twisted and tugged, I could see her trying against the chains but she was nowhere."Evie!," My heart was hammering in my chest, I yelled. "Don't—,"The man's grasp tightened on my arm, pressing till it seemed as though the bones in my wrist were about to break before I could finish. "Don't waste your breath," he remarked frigantly. She had already left.Fury blazing in my chest, I turned to confront him. "You are lying!"But another crack louder this time rang in the dis