The Wrath of the Fallen (Gods & Monsters, #4)

by Amber V. Nicole

Kaden and Isaiah stumble closer to a truth I wish to keep buried, and all I can do is watch.

“Y-yes,” I managed to get out. “I heard rumors about the new age, a rebellion amongst the princes, and a newly crowned ruler. You’re the King of the Otherworld. Umemri.”

“You, therefore, I, tool of gods, decimator of those who walk or slither. Made of light, made of wind. Swords so sharp our foes shall bend For in a war between gods, no one wins.”

My arms tightened around Dianna as I watched her breathe. Her eyes fluttered as she fought for consciousness, her skin slowly knitting. My heart screamed that this was not the same lost girl from the desert. This Dianna was not the one who had begged me for her sister’s life. She was not the one who, at one point, looked at me with affection, even if it was a pale imitation of how she looked at Samkiel. No. Dianna was not mine. “No,” I finally said, casting a glance back at Isaiah and opening a blazing portal in front of us. “We’re heading back.”

“Don’t do that.” Kaden said, and my head jerked toward him. He was looking at the thumb I held between my teeth, and I dropped it. “What?” I said, exhausted with the back and forth between us. “The plan? We agreed.” “No.” He shook his head. “Don’t doubt yourself. Not now.” I blinked, unsure I heard him right. “You wish to rule these realms beside him? Build a kingdom and have the life you’ve always wanted? Then take it. You’re a queen, and not the Queen of Yejedin, but the Queen of Rashearim. You always have been. It is what you were born to be and why you’ve been hunted your entire life. Use it to your advantage,” Kaden said, and I don’t think one person breathed after his proclamation. I had never heard him speak so highly of me,

“And this benefits you how?” I said with a scowl, not believing him for a second. No hate marred his face. Actually, it was quite the opposite. He watched me as if I were the one who had tossed hateful words at him and not the contrary. “What is it you want out of this? We both know you don’t do anything without gaining something in return. So, if this is your master plan, what do you gain?” Kaden didn’t hesitate as he said, “You alive.”

“You will love only me, want only me. For eternity.” My mind grew fuzzy, but I heard her whispered chant. She repeated it over and over as if she hoped that speaking the words at the right time would enslave me to her. Nismera had not just given her a present. She had given her the memory dagger Kaden had made to steal Dianna from me. Milani pulled back, taking the dagger with her. The hilt no longer shimmered or glowed, all the magic now inside me. Ennis chuckled behind us as the room grew dark. The last thing I saw was her cruel smile before something cold and malevolent slithered through me, searching for the one thing I cherished most. My memories of Dianna.

“How you snuffed that fire from her eyes and left hate in its wake. You have no idea how deeply you have wounded her. She still carries the jagged, broken pieces you left behind after all the years of your lying and deceit. Do you know how long it took before she would allow me to even attempt to tend the festering wounds you left behind? How they still crack open from time to time because of you.” My fist connected with his nose. I knew he saw it coming, but he didn’t try to stop it. The logical part of my brain flared, allowing me to think past the protective rage that always violently reared its head when it came to Dianna, and I realized he wanted this. He wanted this punishment.

“Do you think I want these feelings? By all means, Brother, cut them from my chest. Carve out the heart that still beats only for her. I beg of thee.” I said nothing. I did nothing. Just held that blade there. “I know she is yours,” he said finally. “I know that. Everyone does. It was written in the fucking stars. I just thought I could defy them. I can’t, and I don’t want to anymore. You win, Samkiel.” He said the word not as a curse but with resignation. “Is that what you need to hear? I will not try to take her from you any longer. That part of me died, too.”

Behind me, Kaden finally took a breath. “Dianna,” he called out. It was just my name, but it was fraught with unspoken emotion. I paused with my hand on the open door, turning to face him again. “If it means anything… I’m sorry.” He paused, his jaw working as if tasting and discarding his words. “For everything.”

Unir’s nostrils flared. “I never locked them up. They left after slaughtering their grand sire, leaving with barely a note. So whatever lies they have fed you, make sure you tell them how I searched for them for centuries. We cried and ached over their loss, following every whisper of a lead, but always came up empty.”

“You want to hear the saddest part of the story? Fate saw a small babe who could alter the world. His sisters whispered that the change must happen alone. He must watch, but never intervene. However, fate fell in love, as a father would love a child. He watched her grow, watched her fall, and when chaos was not looking, he helped pick her back up. Fate defied orders, and a god heard of it, took him to a safer location so none could find him. It wasn’t until that babe, now a woman, ventured to him that fate knew. She took him, made him flesh, but that’s not all. Fate loved her so much that he grew a mortal heart.” Nismera tsked as my eyes burned, filling with tears. “Love is a curse, Ayla, and you are its wielder.”

“Go on, tell her,” Nismera said, poking him with the tip of the spear. Reggie hissed, but didn’t take his eyes off me. “She is right,” he said. “After I saved you, my visions ceased, and my body felt different. I’ve known for a while now, but it wasn’t until Gathrriel took you that my heart started beating out of fear for you. I pledged my loyalty and love to you long before we ever met, and loving you was the greatest gift of my existence. There is nothing I would change, and I don’t want you to be anything other than what you are. I know what you will be, Dianna, and it is glorious. Please know, no matter what happens, I would do it all again.”

“I love you,” I said to Reggie because I knew she would aim at me first. Reggie nodded, his eyes closed as if the fate thought he would never hear that word, much less have it directed at him. “I lo⁠—” The spear sang through the air, the strike so brutal and fast it was impossible to track. Bright, harsh light exploded from it in a wave of blistering heat. Reggie’s head hit the floor, and I watched in horror as the rest of his body fell to ash.

“You gave up your soul for one. You have nothing left to give for another.” My heart broke and cracked wide open once more. “Then take something else, anything else.” Death’s eyes met mine, and something in that alien gaze made me wonder if he’d truly cared for Reggie, too. “You have already given too much, and he’d never forgive me for hurting his little girl.”

I would not disrespect Reggie’s life with whimpers. He was loved, and he deserved to be mourned. I would take this time to grieve, and after that, I would do what I did best, because he also deserved to be avenged. Tonight I would weep, but come first light, I would rage.

I sent him one final thought, hoping it would be enough to keep him from ending the world. “Remember, I love you.” And I hope he did.

His eyes were wild with fear and despair, already knowing that only one thing would have prompted Samkiel to so violently unleash Oblivion on the world. The death of Dianna. Isaiah gave me a small, sad smile as the world descended into madness. “I know,” I said as his skin cracked, the fractures burning brightly. His form crumbled to ashes, and mine followed, the sensation now almost familiar.

shook my head and hugged her again. “Oh, gods, I missed you, but…” Samkiel. If I’d died and was in Asteraoth… No. He’d… no. She tipped her head and smiled at me, seeming happy but a bit bemused by my behavior. I opened my mouth to question her further, but then noticed the bangs along her forehead. My brows drew down because I remembered when we’d cut them. We’d watched a show and wanted to copy one of the characters we thought looked cool. Fuck. I didn’t need the calendar on the fridge to tell me what I already knew. I wasn’t in Asteraoth. I was somehow in the fucking past.

Kaden and Isaiah stepped into the room. They were covered in blood and dirt, scraps of brightly colored clothing hanging from the spikes and sharp edges of their battle armor. It looked as if they might have ported in Gabby’s closet. We stared at each other for a long moment, then my shoulders dropped. “Oh, fuck.”