Page 235 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

“I’m worried about them,” I admitted. I was no longer confident they were alive. The entire building felt empty and devoid of life. How would Sarah or Layne have survived this?

“We don’t need stairs,” Monty said, breathing in deeply as if our fear was aiding his magic. His shadows wrapped around us and in a blink we were standing in the common room.

Or what was left of it.

This floor was also dark and broken into pieces. The furniture was obliterated and splintered, much like it was after we took it back the first time.

Something stirred down the hall and hope bloomed in my chest.

“Layne? Sarah?” My voice echoed loud enough I winced. When a door creaked open and a dark-haired woman peeked her head out, I let out a sob.

“Harlow? How?” She gasped as she pushed the door open and we ran at each other. “I watched you die,” she sobbed the last part into my shoulder as I held her tight.

From the smell alone, it hadn’t been easy and she looked absolutely broken. Even her sweet banana split scent was sour with despair.

“You’re back.” Stravos’s voice was solemn as he stepped around her, and I was relieved he was here to protect them. She wasn’t alone.

No one stepped out after him. Where was Crew? My heart broke at the thought of him losing his life to protect them. He wanted nothing to do with the demons.

“Crew left.” Layne’s words had me pulling back to study her face. The sadness and pain there had my heart clenching. “But Sarah is okay. I knew you guys would want me to keep her company.”

“Thank you,” Drake said sincerely, surprising us both by giving her a gentle hug and entering the room.

“Death changed him,” she muttered. The broken laugh that followed turned into another sob. “Harlow. I saw him kill you all.”

“Apparently Hel was right. It wasn’t the end for me. The others are alive because of Loki. And you should meet someone,” I said, pointing at Hiro and Roman.

“Roman... you’re a gargoyle?” she gasped before her eyes narrowed on Hiro. She took a bit longer for recognition to dawn on her face but then it split into a wide grin. “Oh my god. Hiro? You’re alive and your own person!”

“I am,” Hiro said with a toothy grin. “And a lot less human, apparently.”

“Sign me up. Fuck being human,” Layne muttered. “We’d have starved if not for tall, dark, and winged over there.”

She hooked her thumb at Stravos who looked more than a little shell-shocked.

“Catch us up to speed?” I asked. It wouldn’t be easy to get through but hopefully she could fill in more than a few blanks. “Like where did Crew go? Why is Dark Haven empty and out of power?”

“The moment you guys disappeared, the portal exploded. It was like a tidal wave of shadows and demons, and they rolled right over Dark Haven and into the city. The gargoyles were destroyed but I don’t know how they had time to do it,” she said, pacing back and forth.

I missed my playful, smart friend. This was a shadow of herself, like her darker thoughts consumed her already. Gods, I wished I could take her to Helheim, let her be reborn, but death wasn’t something I could inflict on her either.

“That was likely Hel,” I admitted. “She escaped and put me in her place.”

Layne raised her eyebrows. “So, my bestie is a goddess now?”

“Queen, goddess, whichever you prefer,” I teased. “I’ve got some badass powers, but I never eat or sleep. Bonus, I’m no longer crazy?”

“That is a bonus,” she muttered darkly. “Stravos managed to get me meds or I’d be a fucking mess.”

“I’m so sorry.” She stopped and gave me an unamused look.

“Yeah, because you wanted to watch them slaughter your guys and then die,” she snarked.

There she was.

“How is Sarah?” I questioned. That brought a smile out.

“Strangely, when the demon flood stopped, she changed. She’s a person again,” she explained. Then her smile fell. “I think that was the final straw for Crew. Everyone was gone, he saw you guys die, too, then she was miraculously better, or mostly there.”

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