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“But I failed,” she repeated
“No,” Sraosha contradicted “Your anger betrayed you Had it stayed in check, you would have succeeded”
Maybe She wasn’t as sure about that as they were All she re in bloodred eyes as the Malachai delivered blow after blow to her He’d been relentless and huge Nothing had daunted hi could quell or lessen it
Honestly, she didn’t know if she was up to a rematch with that monster
Suriyel placed a kind hand on her shoulder “You’re the only hope we have We can send you back to the first Malachai Kill him and reset the time sequence Let the world knohat it’s like to exist without such evil in it”
She’d frowned at his request “What about the balance?”
With a heavy sigh, Sraosha had folded his arms over his chest “Another will rise, but whoever it is, they won’t be as powerful an enemy We will be able to keep theh she’d barely lived nineteen years, she felt ancient She was so tired of fighting Tired of watching people around her die and not being able to save them “I don’t know…”
Adidiron had spread his hand toward the s that looked out onto a clear sky They darkened to show her the world she’d just left Human survivors screaed them into chains to serve them
But the worst was her aunt Arteoddess of the hunt who had once ridden Kody through the skies in her golden chariot For centuries, Artemis had been Nick’s sanctuary Had sheltered and protected hied like an ani welts marred her beautiful features as she wept in hopeless despair Just as he’d done with her uncle and father, the Malachai had stripped all of Artemis’s powers and left her to suffer at the hands of his army
That was harsh, but harsher still was the fate of Kody’s cousins and the once proud goddess Apollymi Their cries for death shredded her, heart and soul
“Stop!” she’d screamed as she turned away from the horrors she couldn’t stand to see
But Suriyel had refused to take mercy on her “They are immortal The Malachai intends to keep them like that Forever Is that what you want?”
No What she wanted was to go back before all this started and have her fa her while she played with their children To feel her father’s ar to them To eat barbecue-drenched ice creareen eyes on her “The balance hasn’t been broken It’s been shattered Think you that aniood in this world? That he has left us with nothing? Left you with no one?”
Adidiron had lifted her chin until she aze “If the balance is to be tipped, is it not better for good to reign than the Malachai?”
He was right and she knew it
Tears had flowed down her cheeks “Send me back and I will end this Whatever it takes!”
“Kody!”
Blinking, she left her past and found herself back in New Orleans with Savitar shaking her She shrugged off his hold and stepped away from him so that she could think
“Are you back?”
She nodded “Sorry I’m just a little overwhelet to watch a herd of de in half, she started laughing hysterically
Savitar took a big step back “Do I need to get you a doctor? A her face with her hands, she brought herself under control “No It’s just … not the first ti off my boyfriend … or et a handle on the situation and her slipping sanity “And the saddest thing is I don’t knohat scares me most The fact that they will most likely kill him and end the world before we can find hi and tell Cherise we let de to leave that to you I’ve already been on the losing end of a er Not real anxious to repeat the experience”
Her stomach in knots from terror, Kody headed up the ay to face Cherise But that wasn’t really her fear Her nightain Fail the world, her family …
And the man she’d been instructed to kill ned her heart
CHAPTER 10
Nick ca ache in his head Every inch of his body throbbed as he recalled being captured by the de tired of this crap It see and locked up soh at just how routine crazy had become in his daily life
Slowly, he cracked open his eyes and did his best not to show any sign of alertness until he knehere he was, and who or as around hiht as well sit up He knew you were awake before you did”
Nick frowned at the fa himself for the pain, he rolled over on the s on a chair in the corner He ground his teeth to stave off the pain and pressed his thu here? You a prisoner, too?”
“Depends on the definition, I guess”
Rubbing his head, Nick was having a hard tihts “Where auest room, but no one ever wants to stay here”
Yeah, it was a little cold and creepy Four gray stone walls, no door orJust a bed and a chair While there were probably soht appeal to, Nick was definitely not one of them
He tried to stare at Ash, but he could barely keep his eyes open fro to evade my questions, why are you here?”
“In case you were injured, I didn’t want you to wake up alone I know fro you in”