Page 201 of Heir of Broken Souls

Blind panic infiltrates my system, overriding my magic as I thrash wildly. But no matter how much I claw at the shadows, all I’m successful at is scratching my own skin and kicking the tree bark at my back.

“Finally,” Hazel breathes, taking in a deep pull of air. The veins along her arms protrude, turning from blue to black.

My eyes widen in horror as her eyes darken, now wholly black.

“I command thee, God of Death, release the Fae in your grasp. I command her to return, I command?—”

The babble from this psychotic woman falls on deaf ears as I take in the chaos before me. As I struggle for air.

Hazel’s hands reach out. “Bring her back to me! I command her life to be returned, her life force to be full, her magic to be renewed.”

“You’re so fucking stupid!” I snap. “She will never be the same! You are condemning her to a body that will never be whole or pure?—”

Hazel’s head snaps down, her black eyes turning blue. “She is mine. She doesn’t belong to the God of Death.”

I gurgle, choking on my words.Why isn’t my magic helping?

“It’s a shame, honestly,” she says slowly as she struts toward me. “A travesty that you will die, not knowing your full potential.” A slow smile spreads across her lips. “Although it’s wonderful for?—”

A blade pierces through her back and out of her chest, the tip of it protruding with black blood. Her words stop entirely.

Black blood pools in her mouth as the hold she has on me drops, as Axel stands behind her with the blade through her rotted heart. “It’s about time you stopped talking.”

Catching myself before I drop to the ground on my ass, I quickly rise, breathing in deep gulps of air.

He rounds her form, a sinister smile curving his lips. The second her eyes lock on his, his hand snaps out, wrapping around her throat. He lifts her with little to no effort, his knuckles turning white as her face turns red.

He brings her close to his face, rage contorting every feature.

“I’m going to enjoy every second of this.” His eyes flare. “Mark my words, Hazel, this will be the most painful moment of your life, and nothing fills me with more joy than to be the one to do it.”

He slaps the golden egg out of her hand like it’s nothing but a pesky fly, and her eyes fill with horror as he brings a dagger up to her face andcarves.

She screams out with such agony I’m stunned speechless. I can’t even do anything until he finishes, pulling the dagger away, smiling at the words he carved into her face.

Ace.

“So you’ll die knowing who this was for,” he spits before shoving his dagger into her chest and pushing down. He flings the dagger away as Hazel chokes on black blood, and before I realize what he’s doing, Axel shoves his hand into her chest and wraps it around her heart.

He grins. “Still pumping I see. Very interesting.”

His entire being vibrates with the anger brimming in his body.

Axel doesn’t make the mistake I did.

He doesn’t hesitate and he doesn’t pause.

“I hope you burn in hell for eternity,” he whispers so dangerously low his voice is death incarnate. “But mark my words, if you don’t, I’ll hunt you down in the afterlife and torture you until Death himself condemns me to hell.”

And with his words he rips his hand from her chest, taking her heart with him.

Hazel’s body sags, her eyes now unseeing as her head drops.

Black blood pools from the various wounds along her body and despite the heart in his hand, he drops her body to the ground only to pick up a blade with his free hand.

He strikes, over and over, screaming with such hatred and rage. His swings never stopping.

Rushing for him, I place a hand on his shoulder, scrambling backwards as he turns his animalistic eyes on me.