Vorn is gasping for air on the floor and bleeding profusely. Caius had ripped a huge gash out of his throat, leaving him struggling to breathe. “No, Anya! Let me go.”
“Aww, how truly disgusting. Let me go, I’ll die for you, Anya,” Caius mocks with a laugh as she turns to face him.
Her wings explode from her back. Lifting a hand, she holds up a palm full of rocks as she saw Vorn do. Blowing across them she fills them with her magic and throws them straight at Caius. They hit him with the force of a shrapnel grenade and pin him to the cavern wall.
“Sleep now, Vorn,” she whispers and watches as his eyes close. She finishes healing him before standing and walking towards Caius.
“It’s interesting that you would say that. Why do you wish for a gate to be opened when you worked so hard to close them?” She moves closer to Caius and sniffs him. He jerks as she savors his essence and her eyes widen in shock. Images of him inside a pod flash and she can hear the voice say, “This is Lailah’s last pod.”
“So, that is why I can smell her when you are near, and why I keep having flashes of her memories. What else do you have that is mine?” Anya’s eyes go black and she leans close to his mouth and inhales. Caius jerks and tries to scream, but the sound will not come. He can feel his essence being drained. It is painful at first, but soon the pain dims replaced by shock.
Unable to stop her or fight back he can only experience the moment in helpless horror. He underestimated her, again.
“You and I have similar plans.” Anya releases his spirit and presses a soft kiss to his mouth before biting his bottom lip and sucking on the blood that erupts beneath her fangs. “Mmm,” she says between bloody kisses. Again, she bites him but this time, her teeth seek his shoulder. Pain erupts beneath her mouth as she savagely bites him, taking the blood, laced with her mother’s essence. Sucking and pulling she drains him until she feels his hearts life-force begin to lift free of its earthly constraints.
“No,” she whispers and locks his soul tightly inside his weakened shell. “Stay, Caius. I thank you for helping to clarify things for me.” Gently she lowers his body to the floor beside Vorn. “Wanna know a secret? You are the true Herald of change in this tale.”
Caius jerks on the rocky ground coughing and convulsing in pain. Anya turns, laughing out loud at the look of shock and horror on his pale bloody face.
“The truth is I couldn’t figure out how to get through the gate, I knew I could open one, but what happened once I was inside? Would it destroy me? Not if I am recognized as a Traveler. With my mother’s essence inside of me, that will not be a problem.” Anya builds her power, her wings glow brightly as she touches the cavern wall and a new gate opens.
She glances back at Vorn and seeks Morgan’s mind. She projects the moment to the fallen angel and together they listen to Anya. “I have seen it, Caius. The future of this planet is grim. There is no turning back from the change you have started, so it’s only fair for you to be here to live with the choices you’ve made.”
Anya steps inside the gate. The bright white light surrounds her and closes swiftly behind her. Leaving him to stare in shock at the purple lit ceiling above him.
When Caius screams in his mind, the Fae stare in horror at Morgan as he stumbles from his feet with Katie’s arms wrapped protectively around him.
“Morgan, what’s happening?” Katie demands.
Caderyn stares at her husband with unshed tears in her eyes. “What have I done?” Releasing the Vale ensured the death of all that they know. It is not reversible. Drake holds her and looks to the Angels.
“Anya opened a new gate and left us to our fate,” Morgan says hoarsely. Looking up at his brothers, they all feel this. “We are all that stands between chaos and destruction.”
Chapter 34
“No. Anya would not abandon us,” Katie declares and grabs Morgan’s face. “Listen to me, it is what she wanted him to think, but she would not leave her Father’s to this fate.” Sebastian is listening but he is not as certain as Katie. All he knows is that Caius can’t be trusted.
“We need to capture him before he does more damage.” Sebastian snarls. “We will help you.” Morgan climbs to his feet and kisses Katie’s forehead.
“I know that we are going to need to take our people to safety but where?” Drake demands, looking at Reese. They begin discussing locations as Caderyn paces.
“Nowhere on Earth will be safe from these creatures. The evolution is just beginning.” Caderyn murmurs and glances at the Fae surrounding them, trusting them with their lives. “Is it possible that Caius has an antidote?”
“Caius knows how to control the creatures. He was able to imprison them, his knowledge will be invaluable,” Caderyn explains to Drake.
“Let’s ask him.” Reese searches for him and opens a portal to the cavern. Caderyn orders someone to carry Vorn through as Sebastian and the angels surround Caius’s body on the rocky floor. He appears to be sleeping, but Sebastian is not falling for it. “I can hear your traitorous heart pounding…” he starts to say and then he begins to laugh. His laughter echoes around the cavern and they stare at him in astonishment. “She’s a genius,” Sebastian is able to say and wipes his teary eyes as Caius opens his eyes and stares at them with hatred.
“This isn’t funny,
