Chapter 59 - A Hasty Bargain

As if on cue, the snakes dunked into the open space on the cage floor, sinking into the river of lava beneath.

Alaris didn't bother to try to think about what must have called them back. Instead, he raced over to Belladonna to find her there on the cave floor, her body still; the sandglass on her arm had lost its glow.

It had stopped counting. They had failed and she was… no.

Eli didn't sacrifice for nothing. She cannot be… no!

The loud pounding of his heart killed his ears, boiling rage consuming him as he held her in his hand, he could feel his beast rise from a deep slumber within him, his eyes golden with its presence.

Her name rang in his mind, but he couldn't speak; his throat was tight with anger, his muscles filled with rage.

Nightshade.

“You have run out of time.” A voice said from the dark.

The Killer.

It was the Killer.

Alaris tensed, seeing murder. His claws itching to yank a heart, his being thirsty for blood and agony.