Chapter 137 – Firestorm of Shadows

Chapter 137 – Firestorm of Shadows


Nasir's POV

The world froze the moment her hand burst forth, black fire charring in a mad arc and for an impossible beat, I could've sworn to see every flicker of that damned flame albeit, alive, hungry and writhing with Morgana's venom. It wasn't Trinity, it couldn't be but it was her hand, her fingers and her power.

"Trinity" The word tore from my mouth like a war cry and my wolf churned inside me, struggling against my ribs, demanding I protect her at all costs. My instincts were screaming at me to dodge, to survive but my heart anchored me to the ground and to flee would be to let Morgana believe she had already won. 

The fire hit and it wasn't sun-warmth or flame-burning from a regular fire, this was not the same, it burrowed inside the skin, clawing for bone, drawing breath in blasphemies that twined themselves around my veins and my knees buckled but i straightened them, clenching teeth so hard i thought they'd break.

Out of the smoke haze, her gaze crossed with mine. Not Morgana's but hers and for a moment, Trinity stood before me with terror and desperation etched on her face.

I clung to it like a lifeline "You're still in there" I growled through the hurt "You're fighting and i see you, dammit."

Morgana's laughter vibrated in her throat but it was not Trinity's "Gaze at her to your hearts content, she is mine now, her soul, her will, her strength and even her lips will cry out my name before long"

She smiled with lips that weren't hers and something inside of me broke and I rushed the attack not away, not to escape forward. Straight through the fire, through pain that tore at my muscles and scorched my lungs. My wolf tore at my side with me, howling, lending me his strength and the bond between us, between Trinity and me grew stronger, a flame cord of light that would not let me quit.

I bumped into her, sending her to the ground and the flame faltered, died with the snap of the swing as her concentration was broken and her body beneath me convulsed not with fear but with something less common and her lips parted.

"Nasir" And this time, it was her voice, gentle but authentic, tainted with a pining desire.

My chest was split asunder as she was still fighting.

Hold on to that" I demanded, shaking her shoulders as Morgana fought to regain control. Her eyes flickered, one moment radiating darkness and the next blazing bright with that silver light I'd learned to remember. "Don't let her kill you, you're stronger than her, Trinity and stronger than you know"

Her hands trembled on my chest as though she wanted to shove me away but wasn't sure. Morgana seethed inside her, distorting her mouth into a snarl.

"You silly fool. A bond will rescue her and Love will vanquish me?" he said

"I don't believe" I growled, shoving my forehead against hers, sweat and smoke mingling into my eyes "I know"

The words weren't for Morgana, they were for Trinity.

Her body contorted beneath me, caught in a storm between the two of them, then my wolf howled inside my head, wanting to tear Morgana apart but we couldn't because she was stuck in Trinity's existence. One wrong move would kill both of them so I did the best I could.

I poured all of strength, every shred of devotion, into the bond and I allowed her to feel me not as Alpha, not as fighter, not as the man who had shattered her but as the mate who would incinerate to ash if it would give her light and for one moment, the shadows cracked.

Her silver eyes fluttered up at me, full of tears "Nasir....i'm afraid"

My throat closed but I forced my voice steady. "I know but you're not alone and you've never been alone."

Morgana shrieked, the sound unnaturally vibrating the very air around us where we fought. Black whips burst from her chest, lashing at mine, sending fresh jolts of agony through me and my vision blurred but I would not let go.

"Give her back" I roared, man and wolf both to hear in my voice "You can have me but not her!"

Her laughter cut, sadistic "Then you'll both burn together"

The black fire blazed again, this time not just from her hand but down the full length of her body, devouring us both. It flowed over my back, rending every nerve ending but I would not let her go and my arms encircled her trembling form, holding us bound even as the world was consumed by flames.

"Nasir" Her voice cracked, her words broken but alive.

"I've got you" I rasped, even as darkness began to close in on my vision but Morgana's whisper cut into my ear like a blade.

"You can't hold what was never yours to keep"

The fire burst up and in the searing flash I saw Trinity's face distorting, her body sagging as Morgana surged forward once more. Her silver eyes dissolved, lost in the night until all I could see was black.

"No" My scream ripped through the fire, naked and animal as her body stilled in my arms then silence and the flames died away just as quickly as they had ignited, leaving only smoke and the rasp of my breathing.

She lay still beneath me, eyes closed and chest barely rising.

My wolf howled in anguish, tearing the walls of my mind.

"Trinity… please" My fingers trembled as I held her face close, willing her to open her eyes but she didn't and then, just as hope was going to be snatched away from me, her lips parted but the voice that spilled out wasn't hers.

"Nasir" Morgana cooed through her mouth, her voice silk threaded with poison "shall we finish what we began?" she asked

"Nasir" Morgana cooed through her lips, her voice honey filled with venom "shall we finish what we began?" she asked.

Her fingers crept up my chest with slow, calculated cruelty and the motion so intimate bile crawled to the back of my throat. It was not Trinity's touch, it was an abomination, a desecration.

I took hold of her wrists, holding them in place, my heart racing "Leave her alone" I snarled, my wolf's snarl vibrating beneath my skin "This is not your body and this is not your soul."

She smiled, her eyes flashing darker than night "Oh, but it is. She opened the door when she hesitated and I walked right in. Now, she's just a whisper and a memory you can cry over when I'm done"

"Liar" I growled, cinching my grip harder. "I heard her and I could feel that she's still fighting."

Her laughter sliced through me, cold and wicked "Then listen more carefully, Alpha" she said

Then, in a heartbeat, the bond between us, our mate connection flared faintly like embers that were dying. The heat I'd always felt glowing faintly at the bottom of my chest died away to near nothing.

Panic struck me full force "Trinity" I screamed, shaking her body.

But all I saw gazing back at me was Morgana's grin and all I felt was the stomach-sinking emptiness where my mate's heat should have persisted.