Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Sydney shakes her head, stubborn as ever. “I’m not leaving without you.”
My heart swells with love and pride, even as panic grips me. Locked in this cell, I can’t protect her, and we’re both running on fumes. “You and the book are all that matters. Go!”
“We go together!” She shoots a panicked glance at Mathias, who’s starting to recover. “Hit him again!”
I strain to channel more energy to my clone, but there’s nothing left. Replicating myself took so much that I’m empty, drained.
“Stupid neophyte,” Mathias sneers. “I’ll enjoy watching you die.”
With my magical energy tapped, I have to improvise. Time for some old-school ass-kicking.
My clone launches into a brutal roundhouse, catching Mathias square in the jaw. The wizard staggers, but his eyes gleam with malice.
“Think you’re clever? Your friends are coming,” he taunts. “Too bad they’ll be too late.”
In a blur of motion, Mathias’s wand flashes. The spell that hits my clone is devastating—molten lava and searing acid rolled together to burn flesh, tear through veins, and dissolve bone. I feel every excruciating moment as his organs shut down, our shared connection a conduit for unimaginable pain that threatens to fell me, too.
Sydney falls to her knees, clutching his hand. “No! You can’t… Caden, please!”
“Take the book,” my clone gasps with the last of his air. “Get out.”
The words are barely audible, but they carry the weight of a dying wish. As I feel my clone slipping away, one thought burns through the agony: I’ve failed her.
That pain eclipses everything else.
Chapter
Sixty-Five
Agony rips through every fiber of my being. As my clone’s eyes shut, Sydney vanishes from my sight. Panic claws at my insides, threatening to tear me apart.
The sounds of battle crescendo above, a cacophony of shouts and clashing magic. Through my fading clone, I hear Mathias’s taunting voice: “I’ve already killed your friend. So glad you’ll be next, Rion.”
The fight resumes with renewed ferocity. As my clone’s consciousness slips away, a strong hand lands on his chest. Lucan. My brother’s presence washes over me, a bittersweet reminder of the bond we’ve forged through tragedy. Regret pierces me that I won’t see what tomorrow might have brought us.
I drift, pain receding as peaceful oblivion beckons.
“Thank fuck you came to your senses and mated.” Lucan’s voice cuts into my haze. “The others are keeping Mathias busy. Quick! Kiss him, Sydney.”
Soft lips brush against mine, a phantom sensation through our connection. A spark ignites, feeble but there.
“Fight, damn it!” Lucan growls. “Take energy from your mate.”
Sydney’s kisses grow desperate, frantic. “Don’t. Leave. Me.” Each word punctuated by her lips on mine. “I love you. Stay with me!”
“Can’t. In the cell,” I manage, my voice a mere whisper.
“What the hell is he talking about?” Lucan demands.
“I-I…” Sydney falters, then gasps. “You cloned yourself?”
“Hmm…” I can’t find the energy to answer when my life force ebbs more with each passing second.
“Take me to him,” Sydney commands. “This is a copy. The real Caden is downstairs. Bring the body.”
“Go,” I protest, but I’m too weak to be heard.
Lucan lifts my clone. Every move brings a fresh wave of torment. Sweat drenches me as I cling to consciousness, focusing on the promise of Sydney’s touch.
The descent to my holding cell is an eternity of agony. A crash signals our arrival—Lucan blasting open the cell door. Suddenly, Sydney skids to a stop beside me, her lips pressing to mine.
Energy trickles in, then surges as our connection flares to life. I deepen the kiss, drinking in her essence. Vitality floods my system as Sydney pours everything she has into me. The Doomsday Diary pulses between us, but it’s her touch that truly revives me.
Reluctantly, I break away. “Better, firecracker. Thank you.”
With renewed strength, I focus on reabsorbing my clone. A violent jolt, a sickening sucking sensation, and the two of us are one again.
The room spins as I adjust to being whole. But there’s no time to recover. Above us, the battle rages on. Sydney’s hand in mine grounds me, her eyes blazing with determination.
“Ready?” she asks, clutching the Doomsday Diary to her chest.
I nod, drawing on our shared strength. “Let’s end this.”
Together, we rise to face whatever comes next. The war isn’t over, but with Sydney by my side, we have a fighting chance.
“You can clone yourself?” Lucan smiles. “Impressive, little brother. Mum was right.”
She’d predicted I’d be a once-in-a-lifetime hero. I’m not—yet.
“The others?”
“Holding their own against Mathias and the Anarki.”
“Take Sydney and the book back to Bram’s for me. I have unfinished business.”
Lucan frowns. “You have little experience in these battles, and I—”
“I have energy.” I grip Sydney’s hand. “And the means to get more, if need be. Until you win Anka back or find someone to fuse with, you’ll be weak. Take her and the book to safety. For me.”
“Come with us,” Sydney pleads. “Don’t risk yourself.”