Page 104 of Soulmarked

Something in my chest cracked, letting out a sound too broken to be a laugh, too angry to be a sob.

“His choice?” My hands shook as I stepped back. “His fucking choice to become what? A wall between worlds? A prison of flesh and power and...”

“A hero,” Sterling cut in firmly. “He became what his parents died protecting. What the mark was actually designed for.”

I wanted to hit him. Wanted to tear into something, anything, until the universe gave Cade back. But what was the point? Violence couldn't fix this. Nothing could fix the Cade-shaped hole torn in my heart.

“Agent down!” Someone called from the perimeter. “We need medical attention!”

“Clear the area!” Sterling's voice shifted back to authority as he turned away. “I want this whole section cordoned off before civilians...”

I tuned it out, staring at my hands again. Still stained with blood that felt colder than death. His touch had been like frost and lightning, power flowing through him until he wasn't quite solid anymore.

Find me.

“I will,” I whispered to the empty air where he'd stood. “I don't care what ye became, what walls ye had to build. I'll tear reality apart myself if that's what it takes.”

Around us, CITD agents continued their cleanup, erasing evidence of what had really happened here. The morning sun painted everything in shades of gold and shadow, making it all look deceptively normal. Like reality hadn't almost broken apart. Like someone hadn't sacrificed everything to hold it together.

I took one last look at the scorched ground where Cade had stood, memorizing every detail. Then I turned away, letting Lex lead me toward whatever came next.

The CITDtactical vehicle smelled of blood and ozone, metallic hints of supernatural aftermath mixing with sweat and fear. I sat across from Sterling, my hands clenched into fists so tight I could feel nails cutting into palms. Better that pain than the hollow ache in my chest where Cade should be.

“Talk.” The word came out rough, my accent thicker with barely contained fury. “Everything ye know about the mark. About what really happened to him.”

Sterling looked older than I'd ever seen him. “It goes back further than you think. Further than any of us realized until it was too late.”

“I don't need a fecking history lesson.” My boot heel bounced against the vehicle's floor, a sharp rhythm of contained violence. “I need to know what happened to Cade.”

“To understand that,” Sterling said carefully, “you need to understand what came before. What the First really was.”

Around us, CITD agents tended to the injured, their movements careful and professional. Through the vehicle's tinted windows, I could see more tactical teams sweeping the park, erasing evidence of what had really happened here. Like they could just clean away the fact that reality had almost broken apart.

Like they could erase what Cade had become to stop it.

“The First wasn't just any demon,” Sterling continued, his voice dropping lower. “As you already know, it was the original marked one, a being that understood something fundamental about reality itself. Something both Heaven and Hell wanted to keep hidden. But something that was not in the books was that it was a Nephilim.”

“A Nephilim?” The word felt strange on my tongue. “What's that got to do with any of this?”

“Nephilim, half angel, half human, beings of immense power who exist between the divine and mortal realms,” Sterling explained, his voice grave. “They possess abilities beyond conventional supernatural entities. The First was the original Nephilim. It discovered how to manipulate the fundamental laws of existence, transforming itself into something that transcended both Heaven and Hell.”

“And that's why they couldn't kill it.” My hands clenched into fists. “Why they could only contain it.”

“It tried to tear everything apart ages ago. Was stopped by others like it, but they couldn't destroy it completely. Its influence remained, corrupting and waiting for the right moment.”

“Cade.” His name felt like glass in my throat.

“Maybe. But here's what doesn't make sense.” Sterling leaned forward, his voice urgent. “His parents, they didn't know anything about the mark. They were guardians, yes, watchers of the old demon gates. But they had no idea that their son would be marked after they die.”

The vehicle hit a bump, making medical equipment rattle. Someone groaned in pain, but I barely heard it over the roaring in my ears.

“Then why?” I demanded, fury rising hot and sharp. “Why was he marked? Who did this to him?”

Sterling exhaled slowly, and I caught real fear in his expression. “Again, we don't know. Something, or someone, chose him long before that night. His parents died protecting the gates, but Cade's mark was something none of us saw coming.”

Sick realization crawled up my throat. “Everything he went through, the fighting against the mark's influence, the growing power, all of it...”

“Was leading to this moment,” Sterling finished quietly. “Yes.”

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