Chapter 488: A Fool’s Bargain.

Chapter 488: A Fool’s Bargain.


(Third Person's POV)

Taylor staggered back, boots scraping against the uneven rock. Her lungs burned, every breath tasting like metal and smoke. Theresa was beside her, hair disheveled, eyes sharp despite the fatigue lining her face. They had been fighting Odette for what felt like hours, though time inside the cave twisted and coiled like a serpent.

Odette stood across from them, calm and untouched, her black cloak barely disturbed by the chaos around her. Her lips curved into a slow, satisfied smile, as if this had always been a performance staged solely for her amusement.

“You’re getting tired,” Odette observed lightly, tilting her head. “I can feel it. Your heartbeat is uneven, Taylor. Your steps are slower. You always did wear your heart too openly.”

Taylor wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. “And you always talked too much.”

Theresa stepped forward, muscles tense. “Enough games. You said you wanted her. Here we are. Let’s finish this.”

Odette laughed softly, the sound echoing too long in the cavern. “Finish this? Oh, darling. This is just beginning.”

She moved suddenly—too fast. Her hand shot out, dark energy coiling around her fingers like smoke given form. The force slammed into Taylor’s chest, sending her flying backward. She crashed against a pillar of crystal, the impact rattling her bones.

“Taylor!” Theresa shouted, racing toward her.

But Odette was already there, intercepting Theresa with a flick of her wrist. A barrier of red-black energy exploded outward, forcing Theresa back.

“Stay out of this,” Odette said, her voice losing its softness, sharpening into something lethal. “She’s mine.”

Taylor struggled to her feet, dizziness swarming her vision. “Why?” she demanded, voice hoarse. “What did I ever do to you?”

Odette studied her, eyes glowing faintly in the crimson light. “You exist,” she replied simply. “That has always been enough.”

Taylor clenched her fists. “You used Dylan. You manipulated him. You lied to him.”

Odette shrugged. “Of course I did. He was convenient. A wounded man with a shattered sense of destiny is easy to guide. I knew he’d cling to any illusion of purpose. And he did.”

Theresa muttered, “Disgusting.”

Odette ignored her. “He thought we were partners. That I wanted Taylor alive for some strategic reason. He believed I’d help him take her from Killian.” Her smile widened. “He wanted someone to blame for his pain. I gave him you.”

Taylor’s stomach twisted. “So you never cared about any alliance.”

“Alliance?” Odette echoed, amused. “No. My goal has always been your death.”

The cavern hummed louder, as if reacting to her words. Taylor felt Theresa’s hand brush against hers, grounding her. “We’re not letting that happen.”

Odette tilted her head. “You don’t get a choice.”

She raised her hand, energy condensing around her palm like a living storm. The pressure in the cavern intensified, crushing down on Taylor’s chest. She dropped to one knee, gasping.

Theresa lunged, claws flashing. “Get away from her!”

Odette didn’t even look at her. A pulse of power flung Theresa across the cavern, slamming her into the wall. She groaned but forced herself up, shaking.

“Theresa—” Taylor tried to stand, but the force pinned her down.

Odette walked toward her slowly, savoring every step. “You, I will finally end you.” She knelt, fingers curling around Taylor’s chin, forcing her to look up. “This ends now.”

Dark energy surged, forming a blade-like edge around Odette’s hand. She raised it, aiming straight for Taylor’s heart.

“Taylor!” Theresa screamed, scrambling forward.

The world slowed. Then a figure slammed into Odette from the side, sending her stumbling back. The energy blade dissipated mid-strike.

Taylor’s breath hitched. “Dylan?”

He stood between her and Odette, chest heaving, eyes burning with something fierce and ugly. His hair was damp with sweat, his clothes torn from earlier fights, but his posture was rigid, controlled, and furious.

Odette laughed, clapping slowly. “Right on time.”

Dylan turned on her, voice shaking with rage. “This wasn’t the deal.”

Taylor stared at him, confused and shaken.

“What deal?” Theresa demanded.

Dylan ignored her, pointing at Odette. “You said we were working together. You said Taylor was off-limits.”

Odette’s smile was almost affectionate. “Did I?”

“Yes!” Dylan snapped. “You said you’d help me get Killian out of the picture. You said Taylor was meant to be with me. That she was necessary.”

“And you believed me,” Odette purred.

His jaw clenched. “You lied.”

“Of course I lied,” she replied, as if explaining something obvious to a child. “Why would I ever keep her alive?”

Taylor pushed herself up, staring at Dylan. “You… trusted her?”

He didn’t look at her. “This isn’t about you.”

Odette tilted her head, eyes glinting. “Actually, it’s entirely about her.”

Dylan took a step toward her, fists clenched. “You used me.”

“Yes.”

“You used my feelings.”

“Yes.”

“You used my pain.”

“Yes.”

She stepped closer, unafraid. “And you let me. Because you wanted to believe someone else saw what you saw—that fate was wrong, that the Goddess was wrong, that Killian was wrong.”

His breathing grew uneven. “You wanted someone to validate your delusion that she belongs to you,” Odette continued softly. “You wanted me to be your proof.”

He looked away, jaw trembling. “Shut up.”

She smiled wider. “No.”

Dylan raged. He moved faster than Taylor had ever seen, claws extending, fangs flashing. He slammed into Odette, sending both of them crashing into a pillar. Crystals shattered, raining down like blood-red shards. Their clash was brutal—no strategy, no restraint. Just fury colliding with calculated cruelty. Dylan’s blows were wild, driven by betrayal. Odette parried with precision, her movements graceful and detached.

She twisted out of his grip, slashing him across the chest with dark energy. He staggered back, blood soaking into his shirt.

“You’re nothing but a tool that broke,” she said coldly. “And broken tools are discarded.”

Taylor watched, heart pounding. She felt no pity—only a strange, heavy sadness. Dylan’s anger wasn’t for her. It was for the illusion he had clung to, now shattered.

Theresa whispered, “We need to end this.”

Taylor nodded. Dylan roared and charged again, slamming Odette into the ground. He pinned her, claws at her throat.

“Finish it,” he growled.

Taylor's hand flew to the small bottle at her waist—the one containing the powder. She uncorked it with her teeth and hurled the contents forward, channeling her energy into it.

The powder ignited in the air, transforming into a silver-white cloud that wrapped around Odette like net. Odette froze, eyes widening for the first time.

“What—”

Taylor stepped forward, voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “You underestimated me.”

Theresa joined her side, eyes blazing. “Big mistake.”

The powder reacted with Odette’s dark energy, binding her movements. She struggled, but the more she fought, the tighter it became. Dylan stared, stunned.

Taylor walked closer, stopping just out of reach. “You wanted me dead. You wanted to erase me because I disrupted your balance.”

She raised her hand, channeling her power into the powder, forcing it to solidify. “You don’t get to decide who deserves to exist.”

Odette’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “So you’ll kill me instead?”

Taylor’s eyes hardened. “No. I’ll end your control.”

She slammed her hand forward. The powder detonated, releasing a burst of light that swallowed Odette whole. Her scream echoed through the cavern, then faded into silence.

When the light faded, she was gone—nothing left but scorched crystal and fading shadows.