He turned his head to look at me over his shoulder. “What are you talking about?”
I met Corson’s gaze head-on. “I’m sorry.”
Before he could react, I hit him with a ball of energy. It hadn’t been strong enough to maim him or knock him out, but it flung him ten feet away from me. Spinning toward Caim, I ripped the small sword from his side before hitting him with a blast of energy as well. I didn’t know if he would try to stop me or not, but I couldn’t take the chance he might.
Running forward, dirt skidded out from under me as I fell to my knees at the edge of the gateway. My heart shattered when my gaze landed on Kobal, only fifty feet below and coming fast. Tipping his head back, his gaze latched onto mine.
CHAPTER 32
Kobal
My mouth parted as I met River’s eyes. Tears streaked her face, but a strange sense of peace enshrouded her. Her love for me radiated from her as the golden-blue light crackling around her fingers illuminated her face.
From the other side of her, a blinding light walked toward her. My heart plummeted when I realized the glow came from a child, and exactlywhothat child was.
“What is that?” Magnus breathed.
“Angela,” I snarled.
“The angels,” Bale stated.
“Yes.” I continued running, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from River as her head fell back and Angela’s golden aura bathed her.
Over River’s head, the drakón circled and roared again. Its cry was echoed from the fires below.
I drew on the power of Phenex and Crux within me as I raced forward. River’s head bowed, and the look of resolve on her face propelled me faster when our eyes met again.
I love you, she mouthed to me. She may have spoken the words aloud, but I didn’t hear them over the blood rushing through my ears. Lifting her hands, she revealed the small sword she held.
“River, no!” I bellowed as she turned the sword and plunged it straight through her heart.
***
River
The blade tore through my flesh and scraped bone as I drove it into my chest. Spasms racked me. I opened my mouth to scream, but the sound strangled on the blood clogging my throat. My fingers clenched the handle as I sought to pull it free so my blood could flow faster. Blood spilled from my mouth when I succeeded in yanking the blade out.
Kobal’s words echoed in my head as I slumped onto the ground. The dirt beneath me stuck to my cheek and clogged one of my nostrils. The scent and sound of the worms churning beneath the charred earth, drifted to me as I labored to draw air into my lungs.
I’m so sorry, the apology became a mantra in my head.
I had condemned Kobal to a life of suffering and loneliness by doing this. That realization hurt far more than the physical pain racking my body. However, if I didn’t try to close the gateway, I would condemn millions to death.
I knew Kobal would survive without me. He would be miserable; he may even hate me for the rest of his days for doing this, but he would continue to live because he was a leader and the well-being of his followers came before his own. No matter what, I knew he would find my brothers and keep them safe too.
Tears streaked my face. I’d never dreamed of finding love before, never believed myself capable of falling as hard for someone as I had for Kobal, but I couldn’t recall what it had been like not to love him, not to feel him in every part of me.
He was my heart, my soul, but this had always been bigger than the two of us. We had always known one, or both of us, might not survive.
Golden-blue light danced across my fingers, mingling with the blood beneath my hands and turning it pink. More of my blood seeped across the dirt and spilled into the gateway.
I kept waiting for the hole to close, for something to happen, but it remained open and unchanged.
Lucifer lied,I thought frantically. The angels weren’t trying to tell me to do this, or maybe they did want me dead. Maybe they had only intended to end the last of Lucifer’s line. Or maybe they had all truly believed I could close the gateway, but they’d all been wrong. I couldn’t do it.
I may have killed myself and devastated Kobal fornothing. No one would be saved, none of it would be stopped. I wanted to will the blood back into my body, to turn back time, but there was no changing what I had done.
Confusion filled the air and the thunder of a large creature battered my eardrums. From where I lay on the ground, I watched feet racing toward me. They did an odd stutter step away from Angela who remained by my side. Blue flashed by me and I dimly realized another dragon broke free.
