Page 133 of Mantle

New, fallen blood.

Death finding peace.

The pull was intense, just like Sylas had warned.

But I didn’t take a step forward.

I didn’t reach out.

Because, let’s fucking face it—peace wasn’t my thing.

But finally having my freedom was.

I spun around and saw Sylas’ red magic reaching out in the form of a glowing hand through the darkness.

I lunged forward and grabbed hold of it.

Then the edge of the Valley of the Dead slipped away.

A violent,rasping gasp burst from my throat, raw and desperate as reality came crashing back.

Aslifedid.

It was jarring, but a warmth infusing my entire body made it a little less so than it could have been, and I looked to see Ariana crouched down at my side, her silver power rolling through me, removing the dark magic of Sylas’ spell from my system.

A beautiful smile spread over her face. “Thank goodness,” she breathed in so much relief.

“Kai!” Nyx cried, rushing over to me, and all over me in seconds, kissing my face, then throwing his arms around me and gathering me up to a sitting position.

“Come on, did you ever really doubt my ability to flip off death itself?” I rasped.

Sylas caught my eye and grinned. “Not many can resist the pull that easily. Your stubbornness really does come in handy sometimes, huh?”

“Sometimes? Please.”

The brief levity in the face of all the heaviness was broken in the next moment.

“No,” a familiar voice uttered on a pained cry.

Dazedly, I followed the sound to see my parents standing there being held back by Marlise.

Louise Hunter radiated sophistication, ambition, and rigidity. Her sleek silver suit coat was cinched tight at the waist over a midnight turtleneck and matching tailored trousers, exuding ruthless elegance. Her deep burgundy hair was straight and cut into a blunt bob.

Thomas Hunter was in one of his tailored charcoal suits, not a single strand of his dark brown hair out of place. His jaw was square, clean-shaven, and severe, matching the rest of his narrow, hawk-like features.

“Kai,” my mother uttered again. “What have you done?”

“What you forced him to do,” Ariana spat at them.

I staggered over and Ari helped me with her strength, while Sylas hung back on high alert. “We all make mistakes when we act out of fear. But what you did crossed a line. What you did tome.It became not about protection, but about the pursuit of power.”

“We were just trying to keep the Coven together, to ensure it was strong enough,” my father told me.

“In the wrong way. In a perverse way.”

“We never meant to hurt you, son,” he said.

“But you did.” I looked between them. “You stopped seeing me as a son, or even as a human being, and I became a spell to you, a means to power.”

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