“With pleasure. See I did my research and found out there is only one thing on this earth that can kill you. Angel blood and funny enough, my arrows are coated it,” Evie replies, and an arrow flies past me and spins through the air, landing directly in the middle of Dagthoch’s chest, right where his heart is. His big eyes widen, and I hold him in place as I float close. The walls start cracking, and the floor shakes underneath us just before it all breaks away into tiny pieces of stone that float in the air. My power spreads, taking over everything.
“Daesyn! You’re losing control!” I hear Evie scream at me, but all I can see is the demon who stole my childhood. Who made me kill and steal and become a monster. Who took everything good in me and spoilt it.
“Killing me won’t let you escape,” Dagthoch spits out. “I am immortal in your mind, Daesyn Heartlocke. I’m in your nightmares. I own you.”
“I belong to no one,” I reply right back. “And do you really think you ever owned me? That you ever could?”
His eyes widen as he looks around me, seeing my magic spreading to every inch of the shield that holds this place together. I’m taking this entire place down with me, one way or another.
My magic attacks the shield in waves, and I feel like I’m absorbing the power as it starts to disappear, layer by magical layer. Just before it disappears, I meet Dagthoch’s eyes.
“Thank you for teaching me how to kill, but you were wrong. You only made the very thing that is currently destroying you, better.”
The river water slams into me, washing me away in its cold embrace, and I let the darkness take me.
Chapter 12
The hot shower is a blessing as I rest underneath it, my forehead pressed against the tiles as I try to forget everything that happened today except for the fact Dagthoch is gone, dead, and I can go back to Earth any time I want.
“I heard Seth pulled you out of the Thames after you nearly killed them all.” Finn’s voice makes me jump, and I glance around the shower curtain, seeing him standing at the door. Thankfully, the shower curtain hides me completely, but he is still in here. “You could have waited outside the bathroom to avoid scaring me.”
“Did you or did you not almost fucking kill yourself again today, Daesyn?”
His demand makes me shiver.
“I can’t die, remember?” I reply, going back into the shower. I flip the switch to turn the shower off. “And close your eyes. I’m coming out.”
I peek around the shower curtain to see his eyes are shut before stepping out and grabbing a towel. I wrap it around myself as he starts talking. “Being immortal as you are is a curse, Daesyn. You could have been trapped at the bottom of the river, dying over and over again for a long time. Do you want that?”
“You can open your eyes now,” I say, watching as he does. His eyes fall on me with so much anger and frustration.
He steps forward, leaving no space between us, and stares down at me. “I don’t want to see you in pain.”
“I thought you made it pretty clear there can be nothing between us, Finn,” I respond. Despite my whole being soaking wet, my mouth feels dry as I look up at him, wanting a reply I know I can’t get. We both can’t say it. The unspoken thing that is building between us since we kissed. Hell, since we met. “If I could exchange my immortality for making my own choices in life, I would in a heartbeat. But I am my mother’s only son, and she will not let me go. Anyone in her way, anyone she thinks threatens to take me away from her, she will kill. And even you, cursed as you are, would be destroyed by the gods.”
I lift my hand and cup the side of his face, and he closes his eyes, slightly leaning into my hand. “I wish things were different.”
“Wishing to gods will not help us, Daesyn. We must walk away.”
“Then leave,” I reply.
“I’m trying. I try every fucking day, and it doesn’t work,” he breathes out the words, opening his eyes. “I keep coming back to you. I keep thinking about you.”
I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss him, pouring everything I want to say to him into each kiss against his soft lips. He doesn’t kiss me back for a second, and I pull away, only for him to grab my hips and pull me back to him, kissing me with so much passion I can feel it all over my body.
“Everything alright in there?” Poppy shouts through, knocking on the door a few times. Finn moves his lips to my neck.
“I’m fine!” I shout back, more than a little breathlessly as I feel Finn smiling against my neck. He lowers his lips to my collarbone, finding a spot I really like, and I moan a little bit.
“Okay…dinner is ready. I’m going out with Toth to show him the town. We will be careful,” Poppy calls back.
“Have fun!” I reply, trying not to laugh. Finn leans up and smiles at me, kissing me softly on the lips.
“I should go.”
“I know,” I reply, sighing. He kisses my forehead, breathing in deeply before stepping back and disappearing, leaving only gold dust floating around in the air as any proof he was here to begin with.
Something in my chest hurts all the same for him leaving. I brush my hair before getting dressed in my shorts and plain blue T-shirt. I head into the living area, surprised to see Mossy and Sebastian sitting together, talking quietly. Mossy glares at me when he sees me and jumps off the counter, walking right to Poppy’s room and slamming the door behind him.
“You’ve well and truly pissed him off,” Sebastian says. “Something about drowning him in the London river?”
“He shouldn’t take it so personally. I drowned dozens of bad demons at the same time!” I say loudly enough for Mossy to hear me, even if I am sorry he had to be rescued with Seth holding onto him as he swam out. Sebastian smiles and pats the stool next to him.
“I’m staying here tonight. Tomorrow is Finn and then Seth. And finally back to Ryker,” Sebastian explains. “We aren’t all talking, but we agreed someone needs to be close every night to wake you up if the Seelie king is in your head.”
“I don’t need babysitters,” I deadpan as I climb onto the stool. Sword has made four different types of pizzas, bowls of sweet potato chips, and fresh salad bowls.
“Good thing I only babysit my sister, isn’t it?”
“How is she?” I question, picking up a slice of pizza. I could argue with him about staying here until the cows come home, but a part of me actually agrees with him. I need someone to wake me up and get me out of those dreams. Plus, having Sebastian in my bed doesn’t sound like a bad plan at all…
“Back in her room at the palace and talking to the spirits. They claim no one will hurt her, especially not our mother, and they simply want you,” he tells me. “Not creepy at all.”
“Nope, not at all,” I reply with a small smile that slowly drops. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Sebastian. I almost fucked things up today by losing control of my powers.”
“Let me teach you,” he suggests. “We can start with portals.”
“What’s in it for you?”
He crosses his arms. “You owe me something. Something I will claim in your room later on tonight.”