Page 263 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

The warning was clear.

If I failed, he’d make me pay.

Harlow

The Castle

I’d come to a decision on who to send to Dark Haven and the human realm. The fact it was someone I knew made the conversation ten times harder.

Elkan was the only real choice.

It had been him all along, though coming to that conclusion was downright painful.

The man in question stood in front of me, waiting for me to break the news, but I couldn’t find the words.

“Harlow, what’s going on?” he asked, breaking the silence. At this point, I had to just rip off the bandage and tell him.

“Look. Sarah gave me a new prophecy while we were in Dark Haven.”

“Okaaay,” he drew out when I failed to continue. “And what was that prophecy? I haven’t heard it yet.”

“An even exchange, that’s apparently how I close the portal,” I said.

He blinked at me, and I waited, wondering if he would come to the conclusion on his own.

“Even exchange,” he mumbled to himself. He repeated it twice, testing the words.

“When Hel escaped Helheim, a willing sacrifice had to be made,” I said. “Hence my death and eventual reincarnation here.”

“And now someone has to exile themselves from this realm willingly in order for the exchange to happen,” he finished for me. “You need me to go to Dark Haven.”

Tears formed in my eyes. For once, I didn’t fight them.

“Yes. But you’d never be able to come back here, Elkan. You’d be a human. I’ll try and hold onto a fragment of your soul so when Sarah passes, you can, too. But it’s only a theory Loki has. I’m not sure it’s something I can even do.”

He squeezed my arm.

“Harlow, it’s all right,” he soothed. “Sarah didn’t want to come here. Drake explained that. And I would do anything to be there with her again. This isn’t a burden or something I have to think about. Being away from her is pure torment. My mate has been through enough, this is the least I can do for her. I’m willing to die for her, too, even if that death is permanent.”

My eyes closed, letting the reality of it wash over me. I’d figured out how to say it to the demon and we’d reached a conclusion.

The end was near.

“Are you worried about Drake being angry? Is that why you’re so upset?” he questioned.

“Maybe a little, but I don’t think he’d be angry since someone will be there to watch over his mom.”

“Exactly,” Elkan reassured me.

“It’s losing you as an adviser and a friend that hurts. I also feel guilty for making you lose your immortality,” I explained.

“I’ll be there to protect Sarah and you’ll have someone you trust watching the portal and fixing Dark Haven. This is the best scenario we could have reached,” Elkan reassured me.

“But you don’t know how to be a human,” I pointed out. “You’ve never been one.”

His returning smile was indulgent. “And you didn’t know how to lead and look at you. Sarah and I will work wonders in that place. She needs a purpose and so do I.”

The fact this man had a wealth of patience was appreciated. Already, I felt confident in my choice and his.

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