Chapter 268. A Selfless Bargain II

Chapter 268: 268. A Selfless Bargain II

Maisie

Sacrifice, I thought as I stared into the jagged tear in the sky and the truth of what I had done.

I could see them writhing in the dark beyond, hundreds of those screeching, starving things, crawling over each other, just waiting to spill through. And beyond it were even more. I thought I saw another dragon.

I had been so stupid, so cocky, thinking I had the power in my hands to unmake things.

Elara Thorne had given the lives of her mates to ensure this world stayed safe. And I hadn’t even thought about that before I singlehandedly ruined it all. Twice. Acting on pure, selfish desperation, bypassing the rules I didn’t even respect or think about, all because I wanted a clean slate.

And now, I was the sacrifice.

Perhaps, I deserved it, I thought as I watched the rift grow wider, felt my life force drain from me.

I closed my eyes. Would it be quick? Would it be slow? When was the moment Maisie Adams ceased to be? I started to close my eyes and just let it be, when I heard Mercer say, "Don’t you fucking dare, Adams."

Though I didn’t want to, I glanced down. I saw my mates, my friends, the terrified students. They looked confused, didn’t understand what the hell was happening, didn’t understand they were about to be slaughtered by the monsters already here, and the thousands more I was about to let in.

Was I the bad guy?

The thought tasted like ash in my mouth. I just wanted to be happy for once. But in my rush to escape my own misery, I had done something infinitely worse. I had doomed everyone I loved.

No.

I gritted my teeth. Maybe I couldn’t undo the past. I couldn’t save myself. But I could shut this door. I could send every single one of those monsters back to hell with me.

I pushed past the agonizing pull of the ruby and I reached for the crown on my brow and took it off. My palm dug into the sharp end of the circlet and my blood dripped down the ruby.

And I closed my eyes and prayed.

Please. Just this once. Just one time, let me get one thing right.

Didn’t know who I was talking to. Didn’t care who answered back, as long as someone did.

A voice came. It was soft. No. Not soft. Muffled. Muffled by the noise in my head. By the noise in the world, by the roaring rift and the beats of the dragon’s wings as it flew higher and higher.

I closed my eyes and listened to it.

It felt warm, like the touch of the sun on a cold night, but it sound ancient and wizened and thoroughly displeased. It asked, "Who are you?"

The answer slipped out of me as a thought. "Maisie Adams."

A pause. And I felt the air of hostility leave. "There is a cost for what you want, child. You cannot bear it alone and yet, the price must be paid."

"No," I answered.

My body was weakening, but I didn’t cower. I was done cowering. I was done being everyone’s stupid victim. "I already paid the price. Twice that amount. I won’t give you anymore."

The presence paused.

My face etched into a snarl. "You owe me."

For a heartbeat, I heard nothing, and I thought I might have angered her. But then, the crushing weight inside my chest shifted, and I heard an irritated sigh.

"Very well."

I didn’t even have the time to brace myself before I felt myself being violently shoved into the backseat of my mind.

My eyes rolled back, my spine snapped perfectly straight, and something else took the reins of my body from me.

****

Maisie’s Lycan

The girl retreated into the dark.

She was so tired. She had fought for so long, drowning in her own guilt. She thought we were dying.

I was not dying. I was fully awake.

Our Moon Mother’s power rushed into our veins, burning cold and bright as moonlight. It chased away the sick, leeching pull of the parasite sitting on our skull.

The ruby was corrupted. The last time I’d held it in my hands, eons ago, it wasn’t this sentient. The girl would have to destroy it soon.

I opened our eyes. The world was sharp. I could smell the wrongness, the disease of it.

I could also smell the red head’s blood. It was to me as delicious as chocolates was to the girl. I would have to mark him soon before the silver haired bitch made her move.

Speaking of, where was the cunt? I had to cut her into tiny little pieces, and then garnish it into a pie. Perhaps, I’d deliver it to her mother and watch her face drop when she discovered that was all that was left of her little princess--

"Focus," the Moon Mother hissed at me.

Hm. Perhaps, later. After a night with the blonde, maybe. Perhaps, the silver haired one? I was deeply pleased with him today--

Another irritated hiss brought my attention back to the widening rift.

Ah, yes.

The girl had been afraid of it. I wasn’t. Well, mostly. It was just a door, and I was the only one holding the key.

I raised our hands.

The flying lizard--dragon?--I preferred lizard, cocked its head back at us, its swirling eyes narrowing at us.

To think I almost found it attractive enough to make it my fifth. Yes. Well. There will be others. But I was currently satisfied with my four. Hm. Maybe the dark haired prince would do tonight. I was famished--

The Moon Mother hissed at me again. It was all she did lately. I thought she was too old, too cranky. Too bad deity didn’t die. I’d say she was well past her time to go.

I dug my phantom claws into the invisible fabric of the atmosphere, gripped the edges of the rift, and pulled.

It was almost too easy.

It slammed shut with a deafening crack that shook the marrow in my bones. The lightning vanished, severing the monster on the other side.

But there was still too much power in our blood. And it needed out.

Which was good, since there was prey right in front of us.

But there was still too much power in our blood. The Goddess had given us a weapon, and there was prey right in front of us--

The giant, scaly lizard who had tricked my girl slammed into us.