Page 121
“Curse you…” Gregor chokes out as his words trail off. “Child of Ashur.” Gregor claws at his throat, flailing his lanky limbs.
I watch as the strange red glow begins to move and shift over Cade’s arms and into Gregor, aggressively forcing itself into his open mouth, nose, and ears. I cringe at the grotesque sight. Gregor’s body begins to look as if it’s glitching in and out of reality, and his attempts to scream come out as a pained gurgle. Then Gregor’s chest blooms with a bright crimson glow as his body begins to disintegrate.
I feel my body lifted and I wince, groaning in pain. The room shifting in my disorientation, I realize that I’m being carried.
“I got you.” I hear Alok in my ear as he lays me down next to Calli.
I try to get up but a shooting pain from my head stops me. I reach up to touch my head and feel as if I got shocked.
“Dammit,” I whisper under my breath as I force my head up.
“You need to take it easy for a minute. It’s not like she’s going anywhere,” Alok says as if to calm me.
“Was that supposed to be a joke?” I say angrily.
I look at Calli, her body limp. The dagger wedged deep in her chest, I shut my eyes, turning away as I reach out. Alok picks up her hand, delicately setting it into mine.
“I’m not healing,” I breathe.
“Count yourself lucky. I have the feeling that if he wanted you dead”—Alok turns to Cade, staring at the spot where Gregor’s lifeless husk lies—“you’d be dead.”
“They really are the children of Ashur.” Alok says it as if he’s in awe. “Did you know?”
“I had a hunch that they could be a hybrid, but I didn’t think it would be from a titan. Especially not him.”
“You realize that they’ll be coming after us now, right?”
“Yeah.” I wince from the pain as I shift my body. The council is going to be a problem.
“It’s going to be war.”
“It doesn’t need to be, not if the titans know that they don’t need to be afraid of them.”
“And how would they know that…” Alok says, gesturing at the decayed remnants of Gregor.
He’s right. What just happened, it’s terrifying. And it’s something that only a titan can do. Humans were never meant to be capable of wielding that kind of power; there’s always a balance. Humans never make it, their bodies breaking under the pressure of the immense power. But Cade made it. I don’t know what it took, and it clearly did something to him. But him standing here means Calli will, too.
“She’s gonna be okay,” Alok says.
I close my hand over hers, tears stinging my eyes.
“I know, Cade did what I wasn’t willing to do. What I was too afraid to do. I didn’t want to take the risk,” I admit.
“She’s strong. I have no doubt she’ll make it through it, but look on the bright side. You were right.” Alok looks down at me with a soft smile on his face.
I begin to feel a soft vibration coming from my hand. I jerk up to look at Calli as the blade in her chest begins to glow white. Her skin appears to come to life, an iridescent sheen blooming over her.
“Cade,” I call, my voice filled with hope and anticipation.
He turns with a bored look and saunters over to us.
“It’s working,” Alok says with relief in his voice.
“You knew it would work, right?” I ask, but still no response. “Cade!”
He turns, looking at me. His eyes—the irises are a deep scarlet that seem to glow from within. The whites of his eyes are a stark black. The red glowing on his chest is duller now.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. She needs to see, and she has to accept it,” Cade says with a low voice.
