Page 182 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

At least ten bodies lined the ground in front of the portal. Blood was pouring from the slashes on their throats, pooling on the ground and soaking into the earth below.

The portal itself had changed, opening even wider now and pulsing with power. The flames shot into the night sky and filled the courtyard with an eerie glow. A low noise that resembled thunder echoed out of the hole.

It was utterly terrifying.

This was what Hel was waiting for.

“This is why she called us to Helheim. It was a distraction so the warden could sacrifice the innocents,” Monty said.

“Why is my blood different than theirs, I’m a fucking human, just like they are! This doesn’t make sense,” I said.

Shadows filled the space, the familiar emptiness of my shadows pushing at me in a time of crisis. It was almost reassuring.

“You’re not just a human, you’re bonded to demons and gargoyles, there’s something different about you. But I don’t think it’s just going to happily close this portal. There’s no way it’s that easy,” Drake said in frustration.

“Easy?” I choked out. “You think killing myself would be easy?” Honestly, I was more numb than anything now, not truly letting it hurt me.

Drake looked at me with an annoyed expression. “Don’t read between the lines here, Harlow. We’ve already made it clear that death is not an option.”

Another forceful quake had us pitching forward and falling to the ground. We tried to scramble to our feet but it wasunrelenting, a wave of demons in the hundreds pouring out of the portal and racing past us.

Kol’s horn sounded behind us, calling the gargoyles to action but there was no response. They were likely already occupied and failing to stem the tide of demons.

“I know what we need to d—” Monty’s words cut off abruptly, and when I turned to face him, he was gone.

There were no shadows or smoke left in his wake like there usually was, and I knew that my protector had been taken by Hel.

Pain, sharp and all-consuming, lanced through my chest. Our bond was severing, the threads snapping away one by one. I couldn’t breathe or think straight. Tears blurred my vision as reality tore through me just as sharply as the dwindling bond.

She’d followed through on her promise, Hel was giving me no choice but to die.

Would it even save him?

“NO!”I screamed into the void, angry and broken. What did I ever do to deserve the pains she’d given me all these years.

And this was my final thanks for that sacrifice?

She was more of a monster than heeverwas.

Was this the real reason she put the warden here? To whisk my demon away when I needed him most. Giving me no choice but to fight without him?

“He’s gone,” I choked out. “She took him. The bond is breaking. How will I find him without it?”

No one had an answer but my mates huddled around me, feeling my pain since we were all connected now.

As abruptly as the horde appeared, they were gone. At first, I thought it was my mind finally breaking. One glance around told me how wrong I was. The courtyard had truly descended into an empty silence.

A low chuckle filled the quiet.

We weren’t alone.

The warden and Gravik stood in front of us, smiling as if they had already won. The arrogance had me letting out a war cry, but it was cut off with a wave of Gravik’s hands. It felt as if my body had turned to stone, a heavy weight pressing into me as I was rendered motionless. I couldn’t move or fight.

If she wanted a willing sacrifice, this was the last thing that would achieve it.

Kol let out a roar in protest behind us and Drake was cursing up a storm. I looked up at Roman and he was pale, frozen as the fight drained from him.

He looked resigned, and I knew what was going through his head. He was about to be forced to watch someone die in front of him again.

---