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Of course, he’d know of our plan. He’s likely seen how it all plays out.
Shaking my head, I start toward the door of his chamber. He used to tell me blood is thicker than water. That family always comes first. Yet, look at what he’s done to his. He sold his child’s soul and meddled in his chance at love. He forced something that should’ve happened naturally, and I know when and if Alice finds out, it will crush what remains of her heart.
I’d never do that to my child…
I came here looking for answers, for something to help me understand why he did what he did. Instead, I’m leaving with more questions.
***
Alice
We arrive in the field near the barrier to the realm of monsters—a field full of wheatgrass that sways near my hips. Kai teleported us close, but we had to walk the rest of the way. He didn’t want to risk the chance of misjudging the distance and possibly popping inside the prison world and not being able to leave.
Once outside of Hell Hold, we ditched the box and let a fully healed Luri walk for herself, and surprisingly, she didn’t bitch, moan, or complain like she usually does. It was just silent as if she was already gone.
I kept checking the bond between us, making sure the ribbon stayed tied, ensuring I could still feel her. Only, the silence hanging in the air between us isn’t what has my head spinning, so much as the fact my power hasn’t surged once today. Not since Kai took it, and fuck, he took a lot. A lot more than the bloodstone could at any point in time, and the man barely batted an eye. Either he’s as stoic as ever, or maybe he’s just capable of holding more than me.
Witches aren’t meant to be batteries. We’re supposed to draw on power as we need it, not keep it ready at our fingertips twenty-four-seven. However, we can suck it out of anything around us for the most part. Unless it’s dark magic—blood magic.The deathly arts come with a cost that can only be paid with life. It’ll gladly take yours unless you can offer it a different sacrifice. It’s a gnarly spiral where the caster loses everything that makes them, them, first. Then it comes for flesh and bone. I’ve seen one person dabble in it. A teenager from The Belphegor academy when I lived on Earth. I swear she rotted from the inside out.
My nephilim gifts are similar on that front. It’s supercharged by my soul, only it’s not my life force that fuels my abilities. It’s a different kind of magic—of power. It comes from God himself, not nature. Yet, it continues to build, to grow, as if I’m siphoning The Almighty himself constantly. It’s possible, I suppose.
Every time I use it, it takes a percentage, then refuels over time. And according to Finn, should it ever be completely empty, it’ll act like blood magic and start chipping away at me for fuel. Kai took me closer to that than I’ve ever come. He almost took it all, then walked off as if it was nothing.
“Is it wrong to be excited?”Luri says inside my head.
“Excited?” I glance at her. Her powerful strides shake the ground with every footfall she makes, padding faster toward the barrier.
“To go home…”
“I thought you didn’t have a family?” I reach out to put my hand on her shoulder, and she slows back to a normal pace.
“I don’t, but it’s still where I grew up. There are memories there.”
We crest the last hill, spying the translucent dome that curves upward high into the clouds. The blue shimmering surface catches the light, forcing me to squint at it as the sun casts down, growing brighter by the moment.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” I ask, halting my succession and waiting for her to do the same. How can she be ready to leave when I’m terrified of her doing so?
“I’ll be more than okay, Alice. We both know I never fit in here.”
“I suppose you’re right… But I have to ask. What happened in the village?”
She snorts as her massive body turns. Her head jostles from side to side, disturbing the air.“They caught me off guard. I tried to stay away from the villages, but I ventured too close. They attacked and I defended myself, but I swear when I left, I hadn’t killed anyone except the man who attacked me first. The rest were alive.”
“Well, something happened afterward. According to Finn and Kai, not many survived. The entire village had been destroyed. Those that made it out had fled when they saw you. They didn’t stick around to see how it played out.”
“You know me. I don’t kill for sport. I kill to eat and nothing more. You, on the other hand…”she trails off, recounting what I said happened when I went to save her.
“They were going to hurt you.” I narrow my eyes into slits and cross my arms over my chest. “I’d do it again.”
“Yeah, yeah. I never did say thank you for coming for me.”
“You’re welcome,” I offer, my lips slightly tilting upward as I move to wrap my arms around her neck. “I’m going to miss you.”
“And I you.”Her head curves around my back as her eyes close.“Don’t forget what I said last night. He might be an asshole, but he’s good at what’s important… Or, you could always do it how every other creature does. Fuck’em and leave.”
“And this is why you don’t have friends. You use them for dick and then toss them away.” I chuckle against her, spotting Kai, who has been pretending to give us space. Clearly, he heard my comment. His lips are tilted into a wicked smirk as he stares blankly at the barrier.
“Speak for yourself.”Her tongue strikes out, lapping at the side of my face, and making me groan.
