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He nodded, and my white hair, like his, became black again. "Right," he said with a smile. "We sensed Eir’s divinity.”
“Are you the only Imperium who’ve awoken?” I asked, shifting the focus.
"No," Zeus answered. "All the Imperium are awake. Some have already left for Esavale and Urgron City. Cedric's thrown everything he had at us, though. I’m not sure how long we can hold them off." Bolts danced across Zeus's black horns, and his face twisted with a sneer. “Is Natalie back from the underworld?”
“We have no idea,” I answered. “We just arrived.”
Heldon’s pointy ears twitched, and he exchanged a worried look with Zeus. "We'll do what we can."
Just then, another god teleported between us. Lightning flared from Zeus’s eyes and Heldon’s hair rose, each strand of hair like a deadly needle.
“I have a message from the Werewolf Goddess and Natalie," the god who'd arrived shouted, and I recognized him. He'd guided us through the sandy ruins of the first White Tower. "They've returned from the Demon Realm, and have arranged for help to be sent to the Mortal Realm."
Ruby audibly sighed with relief. I knew that relief was for her mate and his pack. They would be among the billions to die if Cedric ever got control of the Mortal Realm.
Heldon hummed, appearing impressed, and so was I. I couldn't imagine what it must have taken to get the Demon King to side with us and aid us in this fight.
“Well then,” he drawled. “They’ve been busy. Where are they now?”
“In Urgron City,” Nathos answered. “Zeus, the Goddess’s message to you is to contact Hekate and have her return with any souls willing to fight.”
“That woman insists on pretending I’m not an Imperium as well. I don’t need to be told what to do,” Zeus grumbled. “I’ve already contacted Hekate.”
“The Goddess also wants Elinor and Will sent to the Mortal Realm,” Nathos added, making Zeus frown, but the god didn't object.
I saw Ruby and Axel exchange glances, and I knew exactly what they were thinking. They wanted to go to the Mortal Realm, and I couldn't blame them. Up until recently, that had been their home. They'd died to save it, and now it was being threatened again.
The opportunity piqued my interest, as well. If Elinor and Will were going to earth, so would Brian. And I didn’t intend to be left behind. I needed to speak to him, now more than ever.
I trusted Natalie to do what she had to, to finish off Cedric and end this war. But I, too, needed to be brave—to tell the man I loved how I felt just in case I lost the chance.
I heard rushing footsteps down the hall behind Zeus and Heldon, but the hallway seemed empty. But Zeus stretched out his arm, releasing a pulse, and suddenly, three figures were revealed. They were women, banshees from the black tribal markings on their faces.
They screamed, the noise sounding like several bombs going off, but with a wave of his hand, Heldon deflected the attack. He moved, charging at them in a flutter of white clothes, blurring in and out of focus.
He tapped each banshee on her forehead, and the women disintegrated.
“Okay,” Ruby drawled. “I’m starting to think I should have accepted the Goddess’s offer to give me my powers back.”
Outside a rumble from the sky shook the earth.
We made our way onto the balcony that Zeus and Heldon came through and watched as a swirling white cloud appeared in the sky. It contrasted with the red background, picking up speed like a storm until there was a flash of light.
I shielded my eyes, as did everyone else, and a familiar hiss followed.
Looking up, I saw Ila, Hekate’s snake barreling through the infected with millions of souls.
"She took her time getting here," Zeus grumbled, but when I turned to glare at him, he was smiling. It was faint, but he was definitely smiling. "Come, Heldon. We can’t let her have all the fun. As for you three…” His eyes narrowed. “Don’t get killed.”
"We don't plan on it," I replied.
He leaped off the balcony, turning into a bolt of lightning that darted upward into the sky. Heldon left as well, vanishing in a blur of white.
When I saw Axel start to shift, I realized that this was it. This was the final fight, and I needed to find Brian.
But even before we could start, the largest Cripecs I’d ever seen, attacked. We hadn’t seen it coming until it was on top of us. Its black wings hit Axel and Ruby, knocking them off the balcony. Then the beast attacked me, sending us both flying through the air. The wind carried away my screams as its talons sank into me.
* * *
