Chapter 76 The Breaking of Bonds
Dorcas’ hands trembled, her fingers curling into fists as she faced Michael. Her chest rose and fell with rapid, shallow breaths, her eyes aflame with a storm of fear and fury that threatened to spill over. “Why would you want me to destroy Lucifer? Our brother… he’s never wronged me,” she said, each word sharp, measured, yet trembling at the edges, as if the very sound of her own voice could ignite the lightning above.
Michael’s face was a mask, unreadable, his gaze cold enough to freeze the heat in her veins. “We both know Lucifer belongs in hell,” he said slowly, his words deliberate, slicing through the room like a blade. “But he walks among humans now, free. And you… you let him be. You let nature shield him.”
Dorcas’ breath caught in her throat. Outside, the rain began hammering against the stone walls, fat drops drumming a wild, chaotic rhythm, splattering against the window panes. She rose abruptly, fists clenched so tight her knuckles turned white. A gust of wind howled through the chamber, carrying the scent of wet earth. Michael’s eyes flicked toward the storm, knowing full well that Dorcas’ anger had always commanded the elements.
“And it’s not just that,” he continued, stepping closer, each movement slow, calculated, like a predator circling its prey. “He has a woman, Dorcas. Selena. She belongs to another… but he wants her, forcibly.”
Dorcas’ jaw tightened until it ached, her entire body coiled as though ready to spring. Her storm mirrored the tempest outside, winds rattling the roof and shivering through the trees. She could feel the electricity in the air, thick and tense, as if the sky itself waited for her next move. “And you, Michael,” she snapped, her voice low and dangerous, “you shouldn’t even be here. Why should I let you linger on earth? I am the Queen of Nature. I control life, death, growth health. I cannot, will not, destroy him.”
Michael’s grin cut across his face, sharp and cruel, glinting like steel in the dim light. “Is it because you love him most?” he asked, his tone almost casual, as if discussing the weather. “Because he is the reason we never united in the Crimson Eden? He defiled it, Dorcas. And now all immortals are bound outside it.”
Dorcas pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat hammering like a drum against her ribs. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to inhale slowly, counting each breath as the storm outside began to soften, the rain tapering to a relentless drizzle. When she opened her eyes, they were calm, piercing, accusatory. The winds had quieted around her, but the tension between them crackled like static.
“You… you are the cause, brother,” she said, her voice low, every syllable weighted with accusation. “You spilled Lucifer’s blood that day. You ignored the prophecy he told you about. You wanted it for yourself. And now you blame him?”
A cold, hollow laugh escaped Michael, echoing against the stone walls like ice cracking in a frozen river. “No, sister,” he said, voice smooth and deliberate, each word dripping with menace. “I made the prophecy real. I want war across the Kingdom of Darkness. Let them tear each other apart… and when they’ve bled themselves dry, I will sweep in and annihilate whatever remains.”
Dorcas staggered back a step, disbelief etched into every line of her face. Her mind spun with memories she had long buried sunlight spilling across green fields, laughter that had once belonged to them alone, the careless games of their childhood. Her chest tightened, and her stomach churned with a mix of grief and fury. “When did you become this… this monster?” she whispered, voice trembling with outrage. “We used to play together, Michael. And now… now you want to destroy Lucifer?”
Her eyes blazed as she advanced a step, rain from the open windows dripping down her hair, soaking the edges of her cloak. “Tell me this,” she demanded, her voice rising, shaking with the weight of accusation. “Did you… orchestrate the King of Vampires Monica’s incident? Were you behind all this? I have the right to know! I am the Queen of Nature. I protect the earth! And you… you’re working against me!”
Michael’s smirk was sharp and chilling, unnervingly calm amid the storm raging inside her. He leaned slightly forward, the shadows flickering across his face, making his grin seem sharper than it was. “Yes,” he said softly, yet each syllable struck like a blade. “I am involved. Darkness is spilling over the earth. I needed to stop it. I used her as a sacrifice… one human had to pay, and she became my prey. Will you help me, sister? Or will you stand in the way?”
Dorcas’ gaze narrowed, ice creeping into her stare. She could feel the pulse of nature beneath her feet, hear the trees outside whispering, their leaves trembling in the wind she had summoned. Slowly, deliberately, she took a step closer, letting the wind swirl around her, carrying the faint scent of rain-soaked earth and wildflowers. Her voice dropped to a low, lethal whisper, cold enough to cut through steel. “I will not help you. Lucifer will not take over the earth.”
With that, she was gone whipped away in a swirl of leaves and wind, the sound of her cloak tearing lightly as she vanished into the storm outside. Michael’s eyes stayed fixed on the empty space, the faint scent of ozone hanging in the air where she had stood, a reminder of the force he could never control.
“I told you,” a smooth, detached voice murmured from the shadows.
Michael whirled, every muscle tense, his chest rising and falling with measured control. “Show yourself,” he demanded, his voice carrying authority but a hint of caution threading through it.
From the darkness, Dream emerged, his long coat brushing against the stone floor, making no sound but bending the shadows around him. His hair fell in dark waves over his shoulders, framing a face that held nothing but quiet, unreadable calculation. Blue eyes met Michael’s, sharp and piercing, like shards of ice in the dim light.
“Since when have you been listening?” Michael asked, the edge in his voice betraying a flicker of surprise.
“Since the beginning,” Dream said softly, settling into a corner of darkness as if he belonged to it, the shadows curling around him like living things.
“I have a way to make her help us… without her knowing,” he added, voice smooth, dangerous, the calm before a storm.
Michael’s grin widened, a flash of teeth catching the muted light, almost predatory. “Tell me.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Hey lovely readers!
Thank you so much for following along and sticking with me through this stormy chapter literally and figuratively! Dorcas and Michael’s confrontation was intense, and I hope you felt every moment of the tension, anger, and heartbreak with them. Your support means the world to me, and it’s your love for these characters that keeps me writing.
I’d love to hear from you what did you think about Dorcas standing her ground? Do you think Michael can really go through with his plan?