Page 94 of To Crave Truly

My magic was there at my fingertips, reacting on instinct and attacking with hatred. The shadows sliced and stabbed, almost as if they too felt the grief running through my veins and they wanted him to pay for what he’d done.

Blood splattered my face, coated my fingertips. Pain barely registered. I kept going, kept attacking until he finally sank to his knees, unable to heal from the damage my shadow magic had done.

This was it.

This was his end.

And he looked so pathetically weak, I almost felt sorry for him.

I sent my shadows to grab the dagger he’d used on Fenris. I thought it was pretty poetic really. To kill him with the same dagger his used to kill Fenris.

My shadows dropped the hilt into my hand, and I straddled his waist and pressed the edge of the blade against the vulnerable skin of his neck.

“Do it,” he seethed. “End it.”

“With pleasure,” I said and lifted the dagger up in a high arc, ready to thrust it deep into his heart.

He closed his eyes, ready. Defeated.

And I stopped. I couldn’t do it. Even after everything he’d done, all the anger I felt, I couldn’t take his life. It wasn’t because he was my Sire, there was something else stopping me. I tried again, lifting my arms and aiming for his chest just before a gentle hand on my shoulder stilled my actions.

“He wouldn’t want this,” Lucifer said softly. “Fenris wouldn’t want you to kill Mordecai.”

A sob wrenched itself from my chest, guttural and raw. “I just want him back.”

Lucifer wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to my feet, leaving Mordecai a bloody mess on the floor.

He kissed the top of my head. “I know, sweetheart. I know. Let me take him for you.”

I looked up at him, tears overflowing, sobs choking and stealing my words. All I could do was nod before my grief finally overtook me.

There were so many dead. A handful of the secondary teams survived, and they were working with Adriel and the Council of Angels to help lay the souls to rest. Staring at the angels was pretty intimidating actually. Except Adriel. He seemed to be quite approachable compared to the other more serious, older looking angels. Lucifer had returned from his trip to the Underworld with Mordecai. I’m sure he’d tell me one day what he’d done with the Original Vampire, but for now, knowing he was somewhere he’d never escape from was enough for me.

Torsten and Cassian flanked me as I walked over to the body on the stone table next to the machine. I had been right. It was Selene. Her skin was blackened and charred in places and her blonde hair was singed. No doubt the result of holding too much magic and her body had literally burned out. I might not have liked her, but she hadn’t deserved this.

I placed my hand on hers and screamed when her hand grabbed mine in return.

“Lori,” she wheezed.

“I’m here,” I said softly, willing my heart rate to slow.

“Please,” she begged, her eyes holding mine, her intentions clear. A single tear escaped her eyes and I nodded. I placed my hand on her heart, closed my eyes and reached for the ribbon of her soul. It was faint, a thin, fragile wisp that flickered as she clung onto life. I called to it, wrapping the thread around my finger and giving it a gentle tug. It floated above her chest for a moment before finally fading completely.

The Angel Adriel approached my side softly. “I will take care of her.”

“Thank you,” I replied, wiping away another tear. It seemed all I had at the moment were tears.

“I can see why he chose you,” Adriel said. “You are quite resilient.”

“What will you do about Camael?”

A flash of anger lit his eyes. “He will be found.”

Well that sounded pretty ominous and I wasn’t sure I’d wanted to be hunted down by an avenging angel.

“If you ever need my help, Lori, just ask for it.” Then he picked up Selene and faded in a soft beam of light leaving me wondering what he meant.

Jasper came up behind me and encircled his arms around my waist. “Let me take you home.”

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