22. Zaiah

22

ZAIAH

The world spins for a second, and I steady myself on Addy's shoulder. Her strength surprises me; there's a certainty in her grip that wasn't there before. It's like she's a different person, someone who has stepped through the veil of uncertainty into a realm of power she was meant to hold.

I throw a glance at the others—Corvus with his jaw clenched tight enough to shatter bones, Zephyr looking like he's calculating the odds of all this turning to shit, and Ignatius, whose fiery eyes now burn with something akin to reverence.

"What destiny?" Corvus demands. His voice is the whip crack in the silent tension that wraps around us.

Addy looks each of us in the eye before she speaks. She's changed, something older and darker swims beneath her surface now. "My destiny is not just a regular Vesper or a regular vampire. I'm something more. A lot more. I'm tied to Crimson Shadow in ways I'm only just beginning to understand. But I know this is right."

My throat is raw from whatever had possessed me, aching to get to her. I feel nauseous from the darkness, the void that tried to take over my soul. "Tied how?"

Ignatius reaches out, an unspoken question lingering in the touch he places on Addy's forearm.

"We are sisters. Same dad, Randall Black, and different mothers. I'm not sure why she is in my head, my consciousness, but when Randall stabbed me in the heart to open that portal, he was trying to kill her. Her sacrifice will tear the fabric between the worlds down."

"But it didn't work," I say.

Addy's gaze is steely as she nods. "No, it didn't. Because of her—because of what I am—I survived."

"You mean you can control the creatures that have been attacking students?" Ignatius asks, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Yes," she confirms, looking back at us, but then her face falls. "They were here as a harbinger."

"Ooh, I don't like the sound of that."

She smiles at me. "No one does, but they are here to warn us of what is coming."

"And what is that?"

Her face falls into a frown. "That I don't know. Yet."

"So why did they attack the students and destroy MistHallow's sanctity?" Blackthorn says, coming closer, wary of the docile shadow pet at Addy's feet.

"They were trying to find me. The wards made it confusing for them. But…" She trails off, clutching her head.

"What is it?" I go to her and place my hand on her temple. "Whoa," I say, eyes wide when the connection snaps into place with the entity inside her head.

Hello, dear . Crimson Shadow smiles at me as if this were any old day in the park and she was standing right in front of me. You are a special boy, aren't you?

"You make me sound like fucking Pinocchio," I grouse.

Addy snorts, even though her face is still grim. "You know how Pinocchio is?"

Concentrating harder, I step closer to Addy. She claps her hand over mine, and the connection strengthens.

Djinn magick is wonderful. Now we can all have a little chat.

"About what?" I ask.

About the shadows that are mimicking my pets and are currently tearing MistHallow to shreds looking for me.

"So there are two different kinds of shadows?"

Yes. Mine were trying to get to Adelaide. She killed one of them. Or her little bug did.

"Bug?"

"Orby," Addy murmurs.

"Huh. I'm confused. So you're saying that MistHallow is still in danger? That the students who were taken?—"

Are likely dead. The portal that Randall opened let some of them out, along with my pets. I need to get back.

"Back?"

Yes back. I'm stuck in this half-state and while I am, things are going to get worse. And you, dear boy, can help me.

I exchange a glance with Addy. She nods encouragingly.

Corvus, Ignatius, and Zephyr are leaning in close, expecting to hear this conversation going on in Addy's head.

"How?"

Well, you can create worlds, love. I need you to create a world, a pocket dimension, if you will, that will bridge the gap between here and there.

"And how is that meant to help anything?" I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that. I have never heard of a bridge dimension being created before.

For starters, I need you all to perform the ritual that will free me.

"Free you?" Caution is an understatement right now.

"It will allow Crimson to be split from me," Addy murmurs. "We need to do this. The horrors that I've seen…" She looks up at me with those dark eyes that thrill me. "We need to do this. I trust her."

"You'll forgive me if I don't," I spit out. "She made you try to kill yourself."

Addy rolls her eyes. "Okay, I'll give you that. But we've reached an understanding, Crimson isn't the enemy, Randall is. To both of us. And if Crimson dies, so do I. As I said, we are connected in ways I'm just beginning to understand. Our life forces are connected. I was born to be her conduit."

"What?" I drop my hand from Addy's head, breaking the connection with Crimson. "No, Adelaide, that's not true. You are you. You are amazing and special?—"

"Thanks," she says with a small smile. "But it doesn't make it any less true. My mother…" She turns to Blackthorn. "You know, and you are going to tell me everything right now."

I look between Blackthorn and Addy, the other guys and Crimson are forgotten. Blackthorn is silent as they glare at each other, but my mind is reeling. Crimson says I can create a bridge between worlds. How? How the fuck am I meant to do that?

I've always known my djinn abilities were unique, even among my own kind. The power to shape reality, to create small pockets of existence - it's a gift that's both blessed and cursed me. But this is on a whole different level.

My gaze drifts to Addy, watching as she confronts Blackthorn. There's a new strength in her stance, a certainty that wasn't there before. It's like she's finally embracing who - or what - she truly is. And yet, I can't shake the unease that settles in my gut.

Conduit. The word echoes in my mind, heavy with meaning. Was Addy really born for this purpose? To be a vessel for an ancient, powerful being? The thought makes me sick.

I remember the first time I met her, how lost and confused she seemed. How human. And now she's talking about destinies and life forces and bridging worlds. It's almost too much to comprehend.

My thoughts are interrupted by Blackthorn's voice, low and grave. "Let's start with hers," he begins, and I can see Addy tense. "She was a remarkable woman. Powerful beyond measure, but also unstable."

"Unstable, how?" Addy presses her voice tight.

Blackthorn sighs. "At the very beginning, she had the same duality that you're experiencing now. Light and dark, constantly at war within her. But she couldn't maintain the balance. In the end, the darkness won out."

I watch as the colour drains from Addy's face. "Are you saying I'm going to end up like her?"

"Not if I can help it," Corvus growls, moving to stand beside her.

But my mind is already racing ahead. If Crimson's mother couldn't maintain the balance, if she lost herself to the darkness, what does this mean for Addy?

My role in all this suddenly becomes clear. The bridge I'm meant to create isn't just between worlds - it's between light and dark, between Addy and Crimson. A way to maintain the balance that Crimson's mother couldn't.

"I'll do it," I hear myself say, my voice steadier than I feel.

All eyes turn to me, curious.

"Do what?" Zephyr asks, his eyes narrowing.

I take a deep breath, straightening my shoulders. "Create the bridge. Between our world and wherever Crimson needs to go. But," I add, looking directly at Addy, "only if we're sure this is the right thing to do. Only if we're certain we can maintain the balance."

Addy meets my gaze, and for a moment, I see both her and Crimson looking back at me. It's disconcerting, but also strangely reassuring. They're two halves of a whole.

"How exactly do you plan to create this bridge?" Ignatius asks, his curiosity overriding his caution.

I shake my head, a wry smile tugging at my lips. "Honestly? I have no idea. But I know I can do it. I can feel it."

And I can. It's like a new power has awakened within me, responding to the challenge I'm facing. I can almost see the bridge in my mind's eye - a shimmering pathway between realities, anchored by Addy and Crimson on either end.

"It's going to be dangerous. We'll be messing with forces we don't fully understand. But if this is what it takes to save MistHallow, to stop whatever's coming and to save Addy, then I'm in."

She smiles at me, but then looks back at Blackthorn. "My mother. I need to know."