Embracing Destiny (The Fae Chronicles #6) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,133

ground, causing the skull to detach from its body.

“What the fuck did I do?” I whispered thickly, hating the pain and fear that rushed through me at the thought of Synthia enduring what Asher had described.

No one stirred or replied to me. My heart pounded painfully against my ribs as I moved to enter the cave. Blood roared through my ears, and sweat beaded at my neck. Asher grabbed me, his eyes wide with terror, and I yanked my arm away from him.

“She’s my wife! I left her down there.”

“If you enter that pit, you might never return. You could search for Synthia forever. What happens to this world, Ryder, if both of you are gone from it?” Asher asked, watching me as worry and determination set in.

“I don’t want to live in a world without her. I did this for her, to show her that letting go of her old world doesn’t mean saying goodbye to it. She cannot die without knowing why I did this. It wasn’t to hurt her. It wasn’t to destroy who she was. I just wanted her to know what living in her world would be like without powers. She has her powers because of Faery; they’re to be used in this world. I just wanted her to fucking see it.”

“You go down there, and you won’t come back. That’s a simple fact. Time isn’t the same down there, and you don’t even know how long she’s been gone. She could have passed through thousands of portals into the never-ending worlds that this cave opens up into. I get it; you lost your girl. It’s hard, but you let her go. Even if she entered on her own, you let her go—she’s gone.”

“I can smell her. She can’t be too far into that cave.” I studied Asher’s gaze, finding the truth of his words in his eyes.

“Ryder, you need to see this shit,” Zahruk called from the other side of the pit, forcing me to turn in the direction he stood. “Something came out of there.”

Across from us was a ladder built of bones and held together by ligaments. My gaze traveled up the ladder until my heart stopped beating. I sifted across from the spot I’d stood, landing at the far side of the pit next to the ladder. I could smell her, the sweetness of her body, and the intoxicating blood that pumped through her veins. I moved closer to the wall behind me, pushing past the men who barred my way, and paused as the writing came into view.

Found my humanity, I left it for you.

Can you hear it beating?

I can’t.

But that was what you wanted, right?

I also discovered my wings… And my wings have shown me who I am, what I am. The thing is, I no longer care what I am, or about much of anything anymore.

You wanted a monster, right?

I have become one.

I hope you like the changes I’ve made to come home to you.

Side note, I’m fucking starving.

You should be careful what you ask for, because sometimes you do get what you want, and I’m everything you wanted, and no longer who I was.

See you soon, lover.

I think…

I died…

Are you here?

Where were you when I needed you most?

Help…

I’m coming back…

Ready to play with me?

Feeling cute…

Might fuck the world up later…Maybe sooner…It sounds…Fun?

On the wall were words written in her blood that went from making sense to gibberish, as if she was changing or evolving as she wrote them. Giant wings had been drawn as well, and on a pedestal beside the wall was Synthia’s heart.

My throat bobbed as I searched for the words to speak or say anything other than fuck. This wasn’t what