Defying Destiny (Afterword Academy #3) - Katie May Page 0,16

of Hell. It only lasts a moment, though it feels like an eternity. I know that if I were to physically walk there—or glide, as the case may be—it would take days. Maybe even weeks. Fortunately, I have a tether to my body, allowing me to easily access it when I desire to.

The first thing I notice as I drag my withered, beaten body off the coarse, heated rock is Hadley’s essence. It hovers in the corner of the room, a few inches away from the other essences I have collected over the years, and seems to call to me. Sing to me. It’s somehow brighter than the rest, a molten, amber shade that blinds me. My soul physically weeps for her as I stare at the shimmery orb, wishing desperately I could grab it and take it with me, back to her. I’ll willingly spend the rest of my days in Hell if it meant saving Hadley.

It’s a strange sensation to be walking in a tangible body after months of merely hovering in the air as smoke. But as I will my legs to work, pushing one forward after the other, I become aware of a tugging in the center of my chest. It’s similar to what I feel when I return to my body after days of senseless wandering, almost like someone has wrapped coils of dense rope around my heart and is now pulling at it. The organ threatens to break free of my ribcage as I tentatively venture another step closer, towards Hadley’s wayward essence.

Are my eyes deceiving me, or is there a silver cord connecting her essence to me? I squint, sure it’s an illusion, but the more I stare at it, the surer I become. Hadley is irrevocably tethered to me in a way that defies natural logic. I imagine it’s because we’re Fated, our souls so intricately intertwined that unwinding them is virtually impossible.

As I get nearer, her essence begins to bounce around excitedly, almost as if it’s aware of my presence. Which is impossible. An essence isn’t a sentient being with cognitive function, though Hadley’s certainly acts like it.

I watch in wonderment—and a healthy amount of trepidation—as the essence nuzzles against my palm. The heat it emits is almost palpable as it flutters from my hand to my face, giving me what feels like a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m going to save you, my love,” I vow as the essence finally settles down, returning to its spot against the far wall of my cage. My throat tightens to unbearable levels as I stare at the missing piece of my girl. “I’m so, so sorry.”

The sheer magnitude of all I still need to apologize for crashes over me like a brutal and unforgiving tsunami ravishing the coastline. The sheer intensity of it has me falling to my knees, though that could’ve been my too weak legs.

Every decision I have ever made piles on top of me like dirt burying a coffin, trapping me inside.

If I hadn’t come to the Academy in the first place…

If I hadn’t stolen all of those essences…

If I hadn’t uprooted Hadley’s life for my own selfish desires…

I’m ridden with guilt as I stare at the twinkling ball of light. Hadley’s light. And because of me, it might be smothered irreversibly. How can I live with myself?

Maybe I deserve to remain trapped in here, locked away for all of eternity. I sure as fuck don’t deserve Hadley’s forgiveness or her love. I can’t possibly even begin to atone for my sins…and I sure as shit have a lot of them.

Maybe…

Maybe I won’t leave my prison cell. Maybe we’ll free Hadley’s essence, as well as the countless others, and I’ll remain behind as the others write out their happily ever afters. Villains like me don’t deserve a happy ending.

The idea solidifying, I turn towards the far wall and press my eye to the peephole that allows me to see into Hell’s belly. The last time I was here, I saw dozens and dozens of hideous monsters, each one more gruesome than the last. But this time?

I see nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

No monsters. No flames eating away at the walls. No Lilith. Instead, it resembles a cave you would see on Earth, with black rocks and emanating a distinct, musty scent.

Unease skates up my spine as I immediately leave my body, returning to where I left the others.

What does this mean?

What does Lilith have planned?

Question after question torpedoes me as I focus on the