She strode back into the doctor’s office to retrieve Nate, who was beneath the doctor’s table. The doctor’s words followed her. When she lifted her son into her arms, the boy held out his hand and there was her cell phone. She stared at the iPhone and slipped it into her back pocket before rushing out of the medical center to head home. She needed to clear her head and right now, she was beyond angry and taking it out in all the wrong places. Maybe the doctor was right. Ella needed to work through her emotions before she harmed someone permanently.
****
The Morrigan paced around the suite, staring at herself in the gilded mirror on the wall. Admiring the youthful, heart-shaped face that stared back at her, she smoothed her hand down her toned neck, examining her features. Every now and then, her raven locks and brown eyes filtered through and she picked up the delicate china bird that sat on the table and threw it across the room, smashing it to smithereens.
“Why are you doing this? You said I had three months. I still have time to deliver what you want,” she shouted, switching around to focus on the composed man who sat comfortably on the couch, smoking his damn cigar and stinking her room up with its cloying scent. She scratched her palm as the mark the soul-collector had branded her with glowed orange.
A stream of smoke circles lifted into the air.
“I don’t like your tone. Need I remind you, I have yet to see anywhere near the number of souls we agreed upon. I gave you the undead to fight the supernatural creatures that challenged you, but you have waged a war with the humans. That’s not what we discussed and it’s why I’m here.”
The reed-slim man stood, and his shadow elongated, following him across the wall and showing his impressive wings, which spread out. He grabbed her hand, dragging her with him as the room fell away, and another landscape appeared.
Shaking away from his hold, the Morrigan spun around and stared at the dark and desolate world surrounding her. Below the precipice she stood on lay a valley in ruin. Rubble filled the land and the sky burned blood red with fire. No visible landmarks stood. It was a scene of utter destruction and war. Fire scorched the black land, torching everything in its path to ash. Thick plumes of gray smoke filled the acrid air.
“Where are we?”
“New York, or what’s left of it. The skyscrapers that once dominated the horizon are nothing more than dust. This scene I’m showing you isn’t just here. It will be repeated all over the world. No one will survive the chaos you’re creating. Is this your plan?”
For centuries, she had been hell-bent on revenge. She hated Ariana, the moon goddess who had entranced her secret lover, King Dagda. He had been made a fool by the goddess and it destroyed him. He broke the rules of the gods and cursed Ariana’s bloodline, which lost him his throne and sent him into exile. Still, he clung to the misguided belief he loved Ariana. Pathetic. When he continued to choose the beauty over her, his fate was sealed.
Love was weakness.
Ariana had never returned Dagda’s feelings, seeking out her own beloved, but not before taking many human lovers and breeding, creating a bloodline of unusual magical creatures. Demigods. After the Morrigan killed Dagda, she wanted to kill the goddess, such was her rage. But that would have been too easy. She wanted Ariana to suffer, like she suffered. As retribution, over the centuries, she had sought out the soul-shifters, tormenting and destroying them. But to what end? Now, she stood alone. The desire for revenge didn’t seem as satisfying or pressing as it once did.
“I don’t plan to obliterate the earth and those who dwell here. Where is the fun in that? I don’t want chaos, but a culling was needed before I take control. I want to live, not merely exist. I’m enjoying my new life, and I won’t give it up without a fight.”
Her words spilled out and she realized the truth of them. The bitterness she had carried around for so long wasn’t there anymore. She wanted to breathe and savor the rewards of life. To enjoy herself and the power she held. She rubbed her hand over her chest and stared down at the gray chiffon dress that fell to the floor, covering her, with slits on either side that revealed her toned legs as she walked.
“I adore the humans’ sense of fashion. The food I have tasted is divine and the way this body feels on me is exquisite. I’ve felt pleasure, for the first time in eons.” A smile came over her face.
A flock of large black crows filled the sky, squawking as they flapped their wings, flying over the desolation.
“I see you are determined in your quest. But the guardians of this planet aren’t happy, and they will do all they can to prevent you from succeeding. They assisted your enemies. Drayton freed Ella from the Shadowlands, which means it’s only a matter of time before she comes hunting for you.”
Standing away from the edge, the Morrigan examined the handsome face of the terrifying man before her, knowing the power he wielded. She stretched her arms out and drew her hands together, smiling as the heat of her magic flowed through her veins, manifesting into a glowing ball of orange fire. She had heard enough. Conjuring the ball, she blasted it at the soul-collector, but he disappeared, along with the glimpse of the future.
Only his laughter echoed, followed by his parting words inside the hotel suite. “Your anger won’t kill me.”
“Leave me alone. I
