Page 139 of Endless Terrors
It was the monster I remembered from my childhood.
The same monster I used to imagine chasing me and Damon. The same monster I saw at the end of the hallway moments after I found my parents’ mauled bodies.
My throat was so dry that I couldn’t even scream. It came closer, and closer, and closer. I couldn’t move. I was on the verge of hyperventilating, but I couldn’t even do that, because I’d forgotten how to draw air in and out. It felt like I was standing in two places at once—the past, where the bloody bodies of my parents were, and the present, where my worst nightmare had become reality. A whimper lodged somewhere inside me. But … nothing happened. It had gone right past.
It was then I realized the truth.
The monster hadn’t come for me. Not this time.
Oliver’s shadow self unfurled its wings. It bent over and wrapped them around Oliver, who was still on the ground. The two of them merged into one being, becoming something new. Something different from the thing that killed my parents.
Something far, far deadlier.
The shadow was gone now. Oliver straightened slowly. Black veins crawled up the column of his throat, and as his eyes met mine, wide with panic, I watched them go dark. His beautiful pupils filled with inky pools. Within seconds, they were completely black, and there was nothing left of the boy I’d loved.
Before I could speak, the winged creature turned away as if he’d heard something. I followed his gaze, and when I realized what was about to happen, it felt like time slowed.
The door was back.
It was the exact same one Lucifer had opened.
Light poured out of it, blinding me. I held up my hand to protect my eyes, numb and dazed. Wings beat at the air like a drum, but I was slow to comprehend the sound. I lowered my hand and registered there was something big and dark coming this way. Then it hurtled past.
Oliver shot through the illuminated doorway with a mindless, world-shattering roar.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Oliver’s second birth was just as violent as the first.
The instant I opened my eyes, and comprehended that I was alive, I saw a body on the floor.
It felt like my stomach fell out and my heart stopped working. A tiny cry escaped me, and I rolled out of bed, discovering too late that I couldn’t stand. I didn’t care. I half-dragged myself, half-crawled to the person lying in the middle of the rug, blood soaking the thick wool. I could see, from the light spilling through the open door, that the figure was male. My mind flipped through the possibilities in dazed horror. Damon. Finn. Gil. Cyrus. Adam. Nym. Danny. Collith. Laurie.
I didn’t know what to do with my hands. They fluttered over the prone form like mad birds, useless and desperate. Calm down. Hush. See who it is.
Hardly daring to breathe, I turned the body over. Heavy. It was heavy. This couldn’t be Nym, then. Just as I lowered my gaze and started to look more closely, my courage failed me. I let out a ragged sob and sat back on my heels, hands tightening into helpless, enraged fists.
At the worst possible moment, I heard Oliver’s voice. Close your eyes. Picture the worst possible outcome. Be cruel to yourself. Spare no pain. Do this again, and again, and again. Until one day, you find yourself immune to it, and the fear no longer controls you.
I felt my face twist in an expression somewhere between rage and anguish. Fuck you, Oliver. In defiance, I forced myself to look down.
A sob caught in my throat when I found myself staring at Finn.
The only indication that he was still living was the faint wheezing that escaped his lips. I put both my hands on the werewolf’s chest, stupidly thinking that I had to stop the bleeding. Why wasn’t he healing? My lips felt stiff and cold as I said, with increasing hysteria, “Collith. Laurelis. Collith. Laurelis.”
Both of them materialized within two seconds of each other. Collith took one look at Finn and said, “I’ll get Zara.”
He sifted without waiting for a response. Laurie stayed, but he didn’t say anything. There was something about his expression I didn’t like, so I gave Finn my complete attention, even as the sight of him made my stomach churn. He’d been ripped apart.
Just like my parents.
Laurie must’ve heard a noise I couldn’t, because he quickly strode to the door. He pulled it partway shut, hiding whoever was on the other side. All the commotion had woken the rest of my family, no doubt. Laurie’s voice was low and level as he sent them away.
My touch had roused Finn—he blinked up at me confusedly. Desperate to comfort him, I forced myself to speak, but I barely heard what came out of my own mouth. It was all terrified, nonsensical babbling. “Just hold on, Finn. Collith is getting a healer, okay? So I just need you to hold on a little longer.”
I was still talking when Finn lost consciousness.
Panic roared through me as his face went slack. We were losing him. There had to be something I could do. Finn was part of my Court now. We shared a bond even deeper than the one we’d already had—a bond of magic.
