Chapter 92: THE POWER OF UNITY
Chapter 92: The Power of Unity
Darkness. Cold. Nothing.
Then suddenly, Liana’s eyes snapped open. She was lying on the mountain peak, but everything was different. The world looked sharper, brighter. She could see threads of light connecting every living thing for miles.
"You’re awake," Kael said, relief flooding his voice. He was kneeling beside her, and she could see similar changes in him. His eyes held flecks of silver that hadn’t been there before.
Jace and Rowan were nearby, both transformed in their own ways. Jace moved with impossible grace, as if he was dancing with the wind itself. Rowan’s touch made flowers bloom in the rocky ground beneath his fingers.
"The phoenix tears," Liana whispered, sitting up slowly. "They worked. We died and came back."
"But something’s wrong," Rowan said quietly. "I can feel it in the mate bond. We’re different. Changed."
That’s when Liana’s father stepped into view, no longer pretending to be kind. His eyes were completely black, and shadows writhed around his feet.
"Very different," he agreed with a cold smile. "Phoenix tears don’t just bring you back from death. They remake you. And whoever controls the resurrection..." He held up an empty vial. "Controls what you become."
Horror washed over Liana as she realized the truth. "You’re working with the creature."
"Working with it?" Her father laughed. "My dear child, I AM the creature. Or rather, I’m its original host. The one it possessed centuries ago before it grew strong enough to exist on its own."