Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,112

my mother, so many questions I didn’t get to ask.

“What about you? Can’t you come with me?”

Her expression falls. “Oh no, darling. I can’t come. I’ve completed my mission. My time is done.”

My eyes burn and I don’t understand why. I’m so fucking confused. There was a time when I loved my mother unconditionally, but I’ve hated her for too damn long. And yet my heart is breaking, knowing if I go, I’ll never see her face again.

“Go now, Rufio. Your brother needs you. The whole world needs you.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“I know you are. I am too. Tell your brother I love him. I love you both. Now go.” She lifts her hand, palm facing forward, and creates a gust of wind that sends me back.

The tunnel begins to move again, this time in reverse. I lose the feeling of my body for a moment as I’m sucked into a vortex. And then I’m back in the middle of Chaos’s hell. But instead of being half dead, I’m filled with a primordial power that runs through my veins with the strength of lightning and the fury of thunder. I release it, and it emerges from my body in beams of light. His odious laughter ceases abruptly when a ray of pure energy pierces through his darkness. Instead of being consumed by the void, it cracks it down in the middle.

“You won’t defeat me. I am everything.”

“You’re nothing.”

“If I end, your friends die. The love of your life dies.”

“You’re a liar.”

I give everything I have, and the first crack multiplies to thousands, spreading rapidly through his mass. He roars savagely, the sound like an earthquake destroying an entire city. But there’s nothing he can do to save himself.

I’m the God-killer.

43

Daisy

It’s done. Chaos’s malevolence has vanished in the aftermath of an explosion of pure energy, leaving me in the vacuum. Bryce’s hand slipped through my fingers, and now I’m floating in the middle of nowhere, suspended in time and space. It’s neither dark nor light. It’s nothing. But my powers, my ability to unmake Idols, is flowing out of me unrestrained, and I don’t care.

I’m not sure how long I stay floating, disconnected from everything and everyone. It feels like I’m slowly fading. But then a featherlike touch brushes my cheek, infusing my body with warmth. The beautiful face of Phoenix appears in front of my eyes. He tells me to come back to him, kickstarting my heart once again. I hadn’t realized it stopped beating.

I begin to spin rapidly while I regain the feeling in my body. Tingles spread all over my skin, eradicating the numbness from before. My mind is whirling as my scrambled thoughts try to come together into something that makes sense.

The crash comes suddenly, leaving me breathless. My eyes fly open, but almost immediately I shut them again, unable to handle the brightness. I swing my arm over my face, covering my eyelids. It feels good to be solid once more. Warm sand cushioned my fall, or maybe that didn’t happen for real. The impact was only in my head, just like in a dream.

“Daisy, my love!” Phoenix brushes a strand of hair off my forehead. “Are you okay?”

I uncover my eyes and slowly open them. Phoenix is hovering above me, blocking the sun. His face is shadowed, but it’s impossible to miss the frown marring his forehead.

“I’m okay now.”

He helps me to a sitting position, allowing me to see the aftermath of our battle. Only there’s nothing to see but the peaceful white sand beach. The monsters are gone, and the jungle that felt foreboding and evil is not as dense or dark. It’s normal.

Bryce, Morpheus, and Rufio walk over, coming from different directions. My heart expands, finally released from the barbed wire wrapped around it. I jump to my feet, glad my legs are stable enough to hold me upright. Phoenix’s hand is on my lower back though. My boyfriends surround me, and for a moment, all we do is stare at one another in awe.

“Is it truly over?” I ask.

“Yes, I killed him,” Rufio says.

“I thought you died,” I reply through a choke.

“I almost did. But then my mother sent me back. She told me I wasn’t done with my mission.”

“You saw Mom?” Bryce’s eyebrows arch.

Rufio nods. “I’ll tell you more later.”

It’s impossible to miss their sadness. Morpheus steps closer to Rufio with eyes narrowed. “Your powers. They’re back.”

Rufio’s brows furrow. He presses his hand against his chest, dipping his chin. “Shit. You’re right.