“But Mag,” I whispered.
“Magnus will always be a part of us,” Cadmar said.
We were shaped by goodness. The trauma, the darkness that pushes us against the light, and the unbearable urge to lie down and give up didn’t have to shape us. We could find ourselves through the good of our actions, over and over again. The people who could push past those painful moments could be angels for the ones that couldn’t do it for themselves. Like me.
Mag would live forever becaus
e I was certain time was held up by an infinite set of gateways. I wouldn’t accept anything else.
As the two flanked me, I held their hands and squeezed, accepting the future was going to be unknown. It scared me, but we could get through it. ”You ready?” I asked.
I looked back at Mag one last time, and his body exploded into blinding light. Before I could even open my mouth to count to three, we were all sucked into the portal. Caught in the absolute turbulence and power of a vortex, my head twisted and whipped around my body like silly-putty. My eyes tried to adjust to the shifting dials of time. And then, it got easier. Reflections of my memories came back to me, but I could float through them so effortlessly. Everything felt so different.
We arrived in an empty room, but we weren’t alone. They shielded me, violently jerking their hands around my mouth and making sure I was silent.
The dull thud of heavy footsteps came from outside the room. The three of us faced the door.
Thud.
I pulled on their arms tighter, struck by the sudden fear.
Thud.
No time to think. No time to run. No time to do a fucking thing.
The sound stopped right in front of the door. Together, we watched the knob turn. The door inched open.
My heart sprang. I tried to break away from them. I saw him.
“Addie...”
I choked. “Mag?”
15
Adeline
Mag took my hand, gently bending to his knees like a man who had just found an oasis in a desert. Like a man who was willing to give everything to his mate. It was so fucking sexy. “Addie, I—”
“Stay back,” I warned, completely delirious. Who was I really looking at? It couldn’t be... “Mag?”
That warm smile graced his face. The peculiarities of his body were gone. He was the soldier I had come to know, not a beast. But none of this was adding up. I saw his body. I kissed him when he was cold and lifeless.
He stood up and brought my hands together, kissing my knuckles with excitement. “I have been waiting here for so long,” he said.
“But, but...” I stopped and swallowed, throat so unbearably dry. My heart ached. His heart.
I briefly caught a glimpse of some blood, a few minor drops on the carpet. I knew where we were now. I was inside the facility my father took me to when I was a little girl. “Something—something happened,” he said, shaking his head with confusion. “Something with the outside mechanisms here. I-I-I can’t explain it. It’s like things never got turned off.”
“That’s impossible,” Cadmar said. “I designed the realm to simulate from the inside. The outside world has nothing to do with it.”
Mag’s breathing turned intense. His eyes were wide and knowing. “I’m telling you now, something happened when they opened fire on us.” He turned to look at Donovan. “You were right. It altered things.”
Donovan stepped forward. “How long have you been here?”
“Three years,” he said. “Not even close to the time spent in that realm. And look—I am the same age as when I entered. You are as well.”
Indeed, they all looked the same, except for the beast-like qualities, which had now diminished considerably. No, they were not monsters anymore. They were incredibly handsome men. We could go anywhere. We were free.