Page 92 of Infernal Hearts

Valerie stops her words and gets in front of me, blocking my path. “There’s more going on here than you understand. Don’t be reckless.”

I shove past her, knocking her to the ground, and rush to Levi’s side, climbing over the table and getting between him and my dad. I hold my arms out wide to protect him. “You can’t kill him.”

My dad steps backward nervously, gripping the blade. “I have to. Get out of the way.”

“No.” I stand tall, not moving an inch. “You’ll have to kill me first.”

My dad shakes his head softly from side to side. “Please don’t make me do this.”

He’s still for a moment, but there’s a desperation in him. I think I’ve gotten to him for a split second, but I’m wrong. He barrels forward and tries to throw me to the side. I grab his wrists and grapple with him, knocking the dagger out of his hands. It clatters on the floor, and I kick it out of the way before I shove him back.

“You don’t know what’s at stake here!” He fights back against my strength, but his heart isn’t in it. “He’ll kill all of us if we release him!”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I kick him in the kneecap and shove him backward onto the ground. “Why are you doing this?”

He looks up at me, pleading. “You wouldn’t understand.”

I stare back down at him, disgust and confusion mingling on my tongue. “Then make me understand.”

His lip quivers. “It was a fairy deal with Valerie. Protect you from any possible harm in exchange for the heart of the incubus that would come looking for his brother. Her magic would intervene in the event of anything that would end your life—disease, car accident, or attack from a creature like your mom. You were always surrounded by magic whether you knew it or not.”

He looks at me, humiliated. A hole punches through my chest at the thought that my whole life was a lie—and that everything in that fucking journal was the truth. It’s like I never knew him at all. It’s like I’ve just been a pawn in his game. But none of that matters right now—the only thing that matters is saving Levi.

Suddenly, his gaze cuts behind me and fills with horror. I turn back to find Valerie standing again with the blade hovering over Levi. He’s still frozen in fear, powers overloading.

She looks coldly at my father. “If you won’t do it, then I will.” Her hands grip the dagger and raise it above her head.

So I do the only thing I can. I throw myself on top of Levi, shielding him. Not even a second later, a sharp pain explodes through my shoulder and into my chest. I try to suck in a breath, but my lungs fail me. The room is tense and quiet as I try to breathe, but the air is fighting me.

“No.” Valerie’s voice is low as she gasps. She stumbles back, covering her mouth. “Jason, I didn’t mean… No.”

A deep silence falls over the room before my dad finally breaks it. “You know the consequences of breaking a deal, right, Valerie?”

Her voice is panicked, unsure. “What—what are you talking about?”

“You had to protect my son. You didn’t and now…Oblivion.”

A blue light radiates from Valerie’s eyes as she screams. The glow takes over her mouth, moving deeper down her throat and into her heart. She shrieks and writhes as she crumples to the floor, the edges of her disintegrating. In a matter of seconds, she’s overtaken by the light and disappears.

I rest my head on Levi’s chest for a moment. With one hand free, he reaches over and undoes the other arm restraint. He mouths “no” over and over again. Pushing off of him and standing, I’m more lightheaded than I’ve ever been in my life. His beautiful eyes shift back to their normal color, but he looks at my chest in horror.

I slowly bring my hand up and graze my fingers over it, something hard pushing back. The blade is sticking out of my chest. Another gasp gets caught in my chest as I stumble backward.

“Jason!” My dad springs up to catch me, but I still fall to the floor.

Levi’s voice carries from above me. “Just hold on, Jay.” It’s quickly followed by a rustling as he undoes the rest of his restraints.

The room spins, and I’m so nauseous. I still can’t get a full breath of air, no matter how hard I try. The edges of my vision turn black, spots covering the rest. I cough, and something wet covers my chin. Blood.

Levi jumps off the table and pulls me into his lap, careful not to touch the knife. He brushes my forehead and bends down to kiss it, sobbing.

My dad is on the other side. “I think he has a punctured lung.”

“Then call a fucking ambulance!” Levi’s fury boils over as he shouts, but my dad just shakes his head.

“They won’t make it in time. He’s already good as dead.”

Levi looks at my dad desperately. “Then give him some of my blood. It heals people, right?”

---