Four seconds, Magnolia. Then, you can let yourself fall apart…
“Your soul is mine, little ghost,” he crooned, taunting, vindicated like he knew he already won. “You gave it to me?—”
His words stopped short as Hael’s dagger pierced through his heart, the fire spreading outward in a beautiful fluttering motion that was mesmerizing.
His gaze snapped to my hand—the only part of me that was physical. If I wasn’t so destroyed, I would havesmiled, would have savored the moment. Would have been proud of myself for isolating my Token to a single part of my body while continuing to block him out. It was why I didn’t sleep this week, what I trained so hard to do…
But I was dead. My soul so fractured from hearing about Masin that I couldn’t muster the satisfaction.
“The only person I belong to,” I ground out, shoving the dagger further into his chest and twisting, “isme.”
Chapter Fifty-Four
Queen of the Dead
MAGNOLIA
Nollie. Nollie. Nollie. Nollie.
It took me too long to recognize the sound, to realize that Hael was screaming my name inches away from my face.
His arms wrapped around my waist, trying to pull me off something, to get me to stop?—
Everything was a hazy blur from the moment Dahes’ eyes faded and his head lolled.
I blinked, looking down at my hand.
It was red.
“It’s okay, Nollie. You’re okay. You’re okay.” I dropped the knife and sagged into Hael’s arms, trying to let his soothing words process.
“Okay?” Someone huffed. I blinked up to see Jaxs staring wide-eyed at me. “She’s full-on psycho right now, bro.”
“I’ve got you, Nollie,” Hael said, pointedly ignoring Jaxs. “You’re okay. You did it. You killed him. He won’t come after you anymore. He’s dead.”
Dead.
The word clattered in my head. Dead like Masin.
Realization was slowly slipping back to me, wrapping around my throat until it was suffocating.
I sucked in a breath, my anger turning to tears as I sobbed into Hael’s chest, listening to him utter over and over again that I was going to be okay.
But I wasn’t. My heart was ripped out. Dahes managed to destroy what was left of my soul before I killed him…
I killed him…
I looked down, blinking, not fully believing what I was seeing.
Dahes was on his back. I wasn’t sure how long I had stabbed him over and over again before Hael stopped me.
I stole a glance at his face. His eyes were open, unmoving, staring blindly up at the sky.
I leaned forward and sucked in a breath. There were still two blue rings around his irises, which meant I still had them around mine.
I staggered backward, out of Hael’s grip.
No. No. No.
