Page 101 of Fated for Dawn

I slumped to the ground beside Lia, gently brushing her hair back from her face.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

A sudden gust of wind made me look up. The shadows parted like a curtain, revealing a familiar figure with massive white wings—Zade.

But he wasn’t alone.

“What the—” I gasped as five more figures burst behind him.

My mates.

Chad reached me first, throwing himself into my arms. “Evelyn!”

Before I could say anything, I was engulfed in a tangle of arms and kisses. Warmth. Safety. The overwhelming sense of home.

Hecate’s voice cut through our reunion like a blade. “Zadkiel! What is the meaning of this? They cannot be here!”

Zade shrugged, completely unfazed. “These idiots threatened to pluck every feather from my wings if I didn’t bring them to the Shadow Realm.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “You guys are insane. How did you even—”

“We’re your mates, Love,” Alister said, his voice low and intense. “Did you think you’d get rid of us that easily?”

I swallowed hard, guilt pressing down on me. “I’m sorry. I had to do it. I had to stop Eris, free Lia, and save everyone from Eris.” I turned to Hecate. “Please, let Lia live. I’ll do anything.”

Hecate remained stoic.

I clenched my fists, desperation clawing at my chest. “I did what was required. I sacrificed myself. I trapped Eris. I paid the price. Lia has suffered enough—more than enough. Please, Hecate. You know what we’ve done. The blessing and curse have been broken. The balance is restored. What we saved. All the lives we protected.” My voice wavered, but I pressed on, “Surely, after everything, you can bend the rules just this once. Please.”

A long, suffocating silence stretched between us.

Then, Zade stepped forward.

“I’ll pay the sacrifice for Lia’s revival,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ll be her guardian angel.”

Hecate glared at him. “You already were. And you failed.”

Zade’s jaw tightened. “I won’t fail her again.”

Hecate shook her head, lacing her fingers together. “You speak as if your presence alone will save her. It won’t. The taint of Eris’s magic lingers within her. Do you truly understand what that means?”

“Yes.”

Hecate stepped closer, her voice lowering with an implied challenge. “Are you ready to accept the cost of what you’re asking of me?”

Zade hesitated—only for a second. “Whatever it takes.”

Hecate’s gaze flickered to Lia’s still form before turning back to Zade and sighing heavily. “Zadkiel, you need to understand that by taking this path, you forsake your place among the angels. And should Lia fall to the darkness, you will fall with her.”

I glanced at Rafe, then at Zade.

Rafe’s brother stood firm, squaring his shoulders as he met Hecate’s gaze. “I accept the consequences. And I’ll make sure Lia doesn’t turn evil.”

For the first time, a flicker of something—pity? doubt?—crossed Hecate’s face. She studied Zade for a long, tense moment before inclining her head.

“Very well,” she said, her tone low and grave.

My mates exchanged glances before Rafe stepped forward, addressing the goddess. “We’re also willing to pay to get Evelyn back. I’ll give up my longevity.”

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