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That was definitely the question And it was one Kody asked herself constantly At times, she wasn’t sure, either But whenever she looked into those vibrant blue eyes that showed her Nick’s soul, she had clarity

If only it would last

Sighing, Kody walked around the small foyer that held traces of Kars the sorceress valued most Her family The walls were lined with pictures of Karma and her sisters and aunts and mother Many ith their father, who shters

Tears choked her as Kody re at her like that, of hio and s that had been sent to kill theh given the viciousness of his past, innocent soul Even in spite of the fact that her father had been one of the fiercest ancient soldiers A general of legend who had fought back the ancient gods until they’d been forced to resort to trickery to defeat him Maybe that hy she was so drawn to Nick He reminded her a lot of her father and brothers A lot of her uncle That indefatigable spirit that refused to buckle under any fight or obstacle

Over, under, around, or through, there’s always a way You don’t give up and you never give in They can scar your body and take your freedo is worth co yourself for Stand fast and stand true Always That had been her father’s h centuries of horror, torture, and suffering

It was theto even in her darkest hours

She faced Karma “Life is never si When I fought Nick as a living deod, I alone drove him back I had the Malachai and his army on the run”

“Then how did he kill you?”

“I had been wounded in a previous battle and ht alone While he was a fierce and skilled warrior in his own right, he didn’t have the powers I did And when he died protecting er grab hold of e The Malachai didn’t defeat me so much as I defeated myself”

“Is that why you were chosen to be a nekoda?”

Kody nodded “I’m the only one left who can defeat a Malachai The Nasaru—”

“The what?”

“The elite Arelim They are the ones born to their positions and they’re the ones who select the nekodi from the fallen They knew that I alone possess the powers to take down a Malachai, and so here I aht returned to Karthe boy who killed you”

Kody wrapped her ared Even now, she could see that awful day in her mind when Ari had carried her toward safety Bodies of their friends, family, and army had lined the battlefield Blood had run like rainwater under their feet

She’d done her best to tell her brother that she was fine, in spite of her wounds To put her down so that they could both return to battle

In true big-brother fashion, Ari had refused to listen to her There is nothing I will not do to protect ht a fury to the Malachai’s eyes that seared her to this day With a hell-born cry, the Malachai had headed straight for them

She’d tried to warn her brother, but Ari wouldn’t let her go Not until he was sure she was safe By then, it’d been too late The Malachai had caught up to them, and before Ari could lift his sword, the Malachai had driven his dagger through her brother’s courageous heart

Because of her

The guilt of that never left her, not even for a heartbeat Too ht She couldn’t fail them

But more than that, she couldn’t blindly follow orders, either While they knehat the Malachai would one day do, they didn’t knoould happen once he was gone

Who or ould replace hihtmare that stayed with her The one that rode her with spurs and without letup

Kody locked gazes with Karma “Because it wasn’t Nick who destroyed estured toward the door Nick had left through “That boy possesses one of the purest hearts I’ve ever encountered He’s not like the other Malachai I’ve fought”

“You’re hoping to save hi to save s far worse than death She knew that better than anyone “Fro a monster”

Karhed nervously as the true horror of what she faced ca about Yet it was more than just a possibility

It was a probability of the worst sort

“Whoever kills the Malachai will absorb his powers”

“Ah,” Kar one yourself”

Again, Kody nodded “And with the powers I already hold and knowledge I have … No one will be able to stop me I will tear the entire universe apart But if I save Nick, if I can keep hi yourself”

“Exactly” Most of all, she could reset the deaths of her family and not lose them Not have Ari’s and Urian’s souls imprisoned by a creature who lived to torment them

Karma pursed her lips “I’m still not sure I should believe you”

“You’ve been lied to before by a demon” One that had almost stolen Karma’s soul

“Yeah It kind of destroys the whole trust factor”

And that hy Kar in her home locked down So that no evil would ever be released into the world again At least not fro she did

“What can I do to convince you?”

“Show me your real for that”

“You’re not in your realm and it’s the only way I’ll believe you A de the forood Only the purest of hearts and most uncorrupted soul could be one Therefore a de their for burned from the inside out