The people began to wail as the angels closed in, and the sounds of their screaming rang in his ears.
Eyes flashing open, his heart hammered in his chest. The Immortals weren’t dead yet. It was a vision of what would soon pass.
They had to rescue them. Now.
Or else I don’t think we’ll be able to save them. We’ll fail.
He knew where they would be kept once they were caught. The vision was clear. Zedussa. The angel realm. The place Caine ruled from. A formidable structure meant to protect the Immortal Ten. And one he doubted they could reach.
So we need to find them before my vision can come to pass.
He had no idea how they would save them in time. But they didn’t have a choice.
The Fate had been clear. Without all ten of the Immortals, they’d fail.
And if the last of the unfound Immortals are taken to Zedussa before we can save them, our time is up. We’ll have to wage the war here and now if we have any hope of saving them before Caine can destroy their souls.
Which means we’ll also have to take the Immortals out of hiding, and have them fight at our sides, whether they’re ready or not. Because without them, we can’t take on the entire angel army and Caine himself.
If they lost, there would never be another chance again.
Rolling to his side, too weak to rise, he grasped the pen and began to scribble on the paper. Once he was done, he flopped back on his back. Everything inside him felt wrong. Tired. As if even his heart was beating more slowly.
As blood ran down Mark’s nose, and his vision wavered, he wrapped his hand more tightly around The God Finder.
Show me where they are now.
The power that flowed through him was excruciating, and, he swore, he heard the Fate whisper, I’m sorry, as he choked on a scream.
22
When Surcy rose, stretching happily in bed, she glanced to her sides to find Tristan and Daniel sleeping peacefully. She smiled. This was true happiness.
And yet, where was Mark?
Frowning, she slipped out between them and padded out the door. Checking Mark’s room, her unease increased. Hurrying down the hall, she stepped out into the main room, and her gaze instantly went to Mark.
He was lying on the floor. A paper lying beside him.
Blood dotted the white material and the rug.
She moved slowly, as if caught by quicksand, and knelt at his side. Touching his chest, she realized it neither rose nor fell.
Heart hammering, she reached for his pulse. There was nothing.
“Mark?” she whispered.
He didn’t react.
“Mark!” she shook his shoulders, reality setting in like a punch to the gut. “Mark! Mark! Wake up! Wake up!”
Tristan and Daniel came racing into the room, then were at her side. They all touched Mark. Daniel started CPR. And Tristan pulled her back as she struggled against him.
She watched in horror as they tried to save her love. Her demon. The man who always made her laugh. My Mark.
And she held her breath waiting. He had to live. He had to! This couldn’t be it!
After an impossibly long time, Daniel stopped doing CPR. He sat back on his heels, staring at the druid, his eyes filled with unshed tears. Everyone looked down at the pale druid speckled in blood. It was as if the air was sucked from the room.
He was dead
Her Mark.
Dead.
Her gaze went to the papers. Maybe… maybe he had left some kind of clue. Some way for them to bring him back!
She grasped the paper and wiped at her tears, staring down as the words came together.
Caine is rounding up the final three Immortals. He intends to execute them and destroy their souls. I’ve written down their current locations. You have to go to them, now. Even knowing that you can’t save them all before Caine reaches them.
But you have to try.
And when you’ve done all you can, you need to bring all the Immortals to Zedussa. You need to wage the war there, before he can kill the Immortals.
And this is the most important part… you can’t slow down to mourn me. I knew what I was doing. This was how it was always meant to be. If you waste a single second, my death may be for nothing.
She lowered the paper, pressing her knuckles to her mouth as she sobbed.
Daniel plucked the message from her, and read it with Tristan at his side.
She knew the moment they were done. Daniel crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it, standing. His anger like lightning.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! You insane, little druid! You didn’t have to die! You didn’t have to do any of this!”
“Daniel—“ Tristan began, his words overwhelmed with sorrow.
“No!” Daniel turned and started to walk away, then stopped. “This is utter bullshit, and I won’t hear it. We’re not going to go after the stupid Immortals. We’re going to march back into the demon realm and pull him out screaming!”
“And then what? Lose Surcy next?”
Daniel froze.
“If we do not stop Caine, all of this will be for nothing, as Mark said.”
Daniel clenched his fists. “We can’t just leave him dead.”
Tristan rose like a stature, powerful and strong. “If we don’t act quickly enough, Caine may decide to destroy his soul.”
Everything inside of Surcy tensed. That’s right, Caine would see his soul in death. Caine would decide what happened to him.
“We need to go,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
Daniel seemed unable to function, to even move.
But Tristan went to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to dress. We’re going to get our weapons, and then, we’re going to get our revenge.”
Surcy nodded. Revenge. That’s exactly what they needed. And the best kind of revenge? They’d knock that fucking Caine right off his stolen throne.
And then, we’re coming for you, you reckless druid. And once you’re safely with
