Series: The Un Series by Izzy Sweet
Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
It’s the very essence of my life, and I’ll willingly trade everything for her.
There’s never been a doubt in my mind that we belong together, here and in eternity…
But if I have to die for her to live, then so be it.
The beast breaks free of his chains, and I’m unable to stop him.
Flying from my side of the bond, he attacks the poison tainting her blood.
He lashes, bites, claws, and tears into what’s sickening her. Doing everything I couldn’t do alone.
Nothing but pure rage burns in my soul.
Then my eyes are blinded by an explosion on her side.
Every single nerve in my body alights with a radiant euphoria.
Following the source of my bliss, I race into the bond only to find Alena curled up inside me.
I watch as dark smoke swirls around her.
For the briefest of moments, I fear the prophet has followed her into my soul.
But it’s not the prophet. It’s something far stronger than that bitch.
My inner beast.
This is what I should have permitted all along.
My berserker howls with joy. Finally demonstrating his true purpose.
To protect Alena and the bond.
Pulling myself out of the bond, I turn to Chloe and find she’s still savagely hacking at my arm like some half-crazed lumberjack.
Alena is safe inside me. Protected by the berserker I’ve hated for so long.
I’ve cursed him. I’ve hated and tried to destroy him.
But this was always his true purpose.
To be my beloved’s protector.
“Mother,” I grunt, “you can stop now.”
Only Chloe doesn’t stop. Her hand swings down again against my wrist.
“Chloe,” I say more firmly, trying to get through to her. “It’s okay. Alena’s safe.”
My efforts are hopeless, though. Holding my hand in a death grip, Chloe continues to slice into me.
The blood flowing from me is no longer being absorbed by Alena. It’s just uselessly falling to the bed.
Chloe’s fixated on the blood and the flashing of the knife.
She can’t stop herself.
“Asher,” I gasp. “Help…”
This crazy mother of mine is going to bleed me to death, and I can’t stop her because I have to focus on holding Alena.
Once again, my bedroom door explodes open. Only this time the hinges aren’t up to snuff. Flying from the frame, the door slams into the dresser near the bed.
Asher only stares at us for a moment before he flashes across the room to sweep Chloe into his arms.
When he turns Chloe away from me, I watch as she keeps slashing at the air with the knife.
“What the fuck did you have Chloe doing?” Asher snarls at me.
I exhale deeply. “What only she could do.”
Fuck, this was bad. There’s blood everywhere…
Alena looks like she’s been bathed in it, and I know I don’t look much better.
“Where do we stand?” Asher asks me quietly as the Slicing Beauty in his arms starts hacking away at his forearm.
I give him a tired grin and point at my chest. “I have Alena. He’s protecting her and our bond.”
Asher gives me a quizzical look. “Your beast? How is that possible?”
“He took over. Got tired of me fucking around.” I wince. “He destroyed the other link and saved her.”
I feel Alena stirring inside my soul.
“Fucking weird, bro,” Asher winks at me. “Let me get Chloe out of here. Do you need anything?”
Tapping into my body, I sense I still have a good amount of blood left, but it’s better to be certain.
“Bring me a couple blood of bags. I’ll need to fill back up. Slicing Beauty there went a bit too far.”
Laughing loudly, he hefts Chloe higher up. “She’s going to murder you if she hears you call her that. I’ll get Andrei to bring the blood bags in.”
Nodding my head, I say, “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve died.”
Asher leaves the room as I pull Alena’s empty body into my arms. Hugging her as hard as I dare to me.
Closing my eyes, I carefully drift into my soul. I probably should have pulled her into it from the very fucking start.
My soul is an empty, dark space.
Alena doesn’t seem to mind, though.
Because resting in her lap is my beast’s head.
Her hand gently strokes the dragon as if he’s a pet.
“Raphael?” she asks quietly, then looks up at me. “Is it really you?”
Nodding my head, I still can’t believe she’s petting my demon like a fucking puppy.
“We need to leave here, Alena,” I say gently. “You’re safe now. Fred and I made sure of it.”
“Fred?” she asks, confused.
Pointing at the smoky dragon head in her lap, I explain, “That’s the name I gave my beast.”
TWELVE
ALENA
The Prophet pets my head before I sense him leaning close and sniffing my hair.
My skin literally wants to slide off my bones and run away screaming.
But I can’t.
I’m trapped in this twisted metaphysical… Hell.
With no one to help me.
No matter how hard I try to will myself to wake up, I can’t. I know this is some kind of nightmare, that my body isn’t truly here, because the Prophet just sent Jeffrey off to retrieve it.