The Sweetest Burn (Broken Destiny #2)

What if me, Adrian, Jasmine and Costa did ride out the fall of the realm walls in a beautiful world where demons could never harm us? As I well knew, even if I found the staff, I might not be able to wield it long enough to fix the walls. The more likely scenario was my touching it, falling over dead and having demons dance around my corpse as they used the staff to send all the realm walls crashing down.

In fact, might it be better for everyone if I stayed? Sure, some realm walls would crumble, but not all of them, and if only some fell, then the majority of people would live. After all, if I stayed here, then the staff stayed lost. Demons had already struck out for millennia trying to find it on their own and I doubted their luck would change anytime soon. If I stayed, then demons couldn’t find the staff through me, and if Adrian, Costa and Jasmine happened to stay with me, well, what was wrong with that? Weren’t they also entitled to a little happiness after everything they’d been through?

Zach stared at me, hearing every thought as if I were speaking them out loud. His expression didn’t change, but his dark, steady gaze reflected the truth of my rationalizations, and I hated what I saw in their reflection.

I didn’t want to die, and I really didn’t want the people I loved to die, either. There was nothing wrong with that, unless I was willing to trade our safeties for the lives of untold millions. If I was willing to do that, then I was as evil as the creatures I despised with every fiber of my being.

I looked at Jasmine and Costa. My sister’s gaze was filled with silent urgings for me to take this way out. Costa’s was jaded, a little knowing, and I flashed back to our conversation several days ago, although with everything that had happened, it felt like several years ago. You need to find something else to fight for, he’d said. I hadn’t believed him then, but faced with such a momentous choice now, I knew that he was right.

I couldn’t just fight for the people I loved. I also had to fight for everyone who couldn’t fight for themselves, for everyone who didn’t know there was a war going on around them, and for all those who’d suffered and died at the hands of demons and minions, my parents included.

“I don’t understand your boss,” I finally said to Zach, “but I have to believe that my bloodline and my abilities have given me a real chance to win this war, and I hope—” My voice hitched before I finished strongly with, “I hope if those two things aren’t enough, your boss will care enough to make up the difference, but either way, I have to do this. So thanks for the offer, Zach, but no thanks.”

A moan jerked my attention back to Adrian. His eyes opened, and he sat up, that horrible gash on the back of his head healed, as was the deep slash in his stomach.

“What happened?” he muttered thickly. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing,” I said, shooting a quelling look at Jasmine when she opened her mouth to respond. “Nothing at all.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

ADRIAN HAD A barrage of questions that I fielded while trying not to out-and-out lie. How did we get away from Demetrius? What did I mean Demetrius had pulled the realm back into itself? Why would he do that? I was endlessly grateful that Costa and Jasmine hadn’t witnessed any of this, so my explanations, although not the full truth, went unchallenged.

“Demetrius still doesn’t want you dead, so when the other demons kept trying to kill you, he pulled the realm back to stop them,” I’d said, leaving out the crucial reason why. “Plus, his shadows are mostly gone, so I don’t think he felt up to taking on me with my slingshot and Brutus with his guillotine wings.”

Answering his question of “What is this place?” was much easier. After I was done explaining about light realms, he looked around, disbelief stamped on his features.

“I didn’t know these even existed. None of the demons ever talked about them, and neither did any minions.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “Until a little over an hour ago, I didn’t know they existed, either.”

“Thanks for keeping that a secret,” Adrian said to Zach, followed at once by “And nice of you to finally show up.”

“If you are not the Ancient of Days, I am not required to run to you when you call,” Zach replied almost airily.

Adrian glowered at him before returning his attention to me. “I’m surprised you couldn’t see glimpses of these realms, especially since you can catch glimpses of demon ones.”

“Nope,” I said, the irony of that hitting me. “Guess I have enough darkness in me for hallowed weapons to hurt me, too, and for me to see the demon realms, but not enough light in me to see the Archon realms. If I didn’t have the slingshot melded into my arm, I couldn’t even cross into them, either.”

Adrian stopped pacing to grasp me by the shoulders. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll be your darkness when you need it,” he promised in a low, throaty voice.

“And I’ll be your light,” I replied at once.

His mouth crushed mine in a kiss that ended far too soon. “You already are,” he whispered when he lifted his head.

Then he let me go to pace again, and I could almost see him snapping back into battle mode. “We need to get back to the campus. I have to get that tablet from Father Louis, and we need to get Brutus.”

“Brutus is here,” I said, gesturing toward the tall bushes the gargoyle was hiding in. “But you’re right, we need to go back, especially since we have plenty of manna to help people.”

Adrian gave a cursory look at the residue still smeared on his stomach. “How much did Zach give us?”

“He didn’t. It grows on trees here,” Costa supplied.

Adrian stopped in midpace to nail Zach with a glare. “Really?” he asked with sarcastic accusation.

“My thoughts exactly,” I muttered before yelling, “Brutus!”

The gargoyle came out from the bushes, cringing and using his wings like a huge umbrella to block against the sun.

“Don’t worry, we’re going back to the darkness,” I told him as I began walking toward the gateway that led to the campus.

Adrian and Brutus followed me. Costa did, too, but when Jasmine began to fall in line, I stopped, turning around to face her. “You don’t have to go. Why don’t you rest a little here?”

She let out an exasperated noise. “I know I can’t fight like the rest of you, but if the realm tunnels are gone, then the demons are, too, so none of us should need to. Besides, I can help by treating any seriously injured people with manna.”

I hadn’t meant to insult her, so I said, “Great,” in a hurried manner and thrust Costa’s shirt at her. “Good thinking.”

She gave me a look that said she knew when she was being patronized. “I’m not stupid, Ivy. I know my limits.”

Costa sidled up and placed a casual arm around Jasmine’s shoulders. “She’s also tougher than she looks. You’re not the only person I trained when you were living at my house, Ivy.”