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    Xander's Chance (#1, Damian Eternal)
    Xander's Chance (#1, Damian Eternal)
    Xander's Chance (#1, Damian Eternal)
    Ebook416 pages7 hours

    Xander's Chance (#1, Damian Eternal)

    By Lizzy Ford

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    A continuation of the "War of Gods" saga ...

    As the single-most powerful vampire on the planet, Xander is the ultimate bored predator with too much time on his hands. He manipulates the minds of immortals for fun and bullies around the Gods, while guarding the secret source of his power, a crystal that can wipe out the planet. But beneath the surface, he’s a shrewd creature who learned the brutal lesson of why there must be a balance between good and evil. An unwilling protector of the playthings known as humans, he knows when and where to use his power – and never to let anyone close enough to betray him. It’s easy to do, since he has the power to read the minds of everyone around him.

    Except for one: Jessi, an innocent looking woman with an unusual talent who shows up unexpectedly in his life. Her sudden appearance is too convenient to be coincidence or chance. Xander determines quickly that she was sent by someone, but he can’t read her mind to discover why.

    Jessi’s secret – and Xander’s – have the power to forever change the human world. Intrigued by a new sort of challenge, Xander won’t know how much danger he’s in, until he’s placed his fate in the hands of a woman whose betrayal will cost either his heart or his life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLizzy Ford
    Release dateMar 21, 2013
    ISBN9781623781088
    Xander's Chance (#1, Damian Eternal)
    Author

    Lizzy Ford

    I breathe stories. I dream them. If it were possible, I'd eat them, too. (I'm pretty sure they'd taste like cotton candy.) I can't escape them - they're everywhere! Which is why I write! I was born to bring the crazy worlds and people in my mind to life, and I love sharing them with as many people as I can.I'm also the bestselling, award winning, internationally acclaimed author of over sixty ... eighty ... ninety titles and counting. I write speculative fiction in multiple subgenres of romance and fantasy, contemporary fiction, books for both teens and adults, and just about anything else I feel like writing. If I can imagine it, I can write it!I live in the desert of southern Arizona with two dogs and two cats!My books can be found in every major ereader library, to include: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Sony and Smashwords.

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    • 5/5
      I received this book in exchange for an honest unbiased review!!~~
      Xander's Chance by Lizzy Ford

      OMG comes to mind when thinking about this book. This is my 5th book that I have read by her and man does her writing just keep getting better and better. Her writing is like Karen Marie Moning to me! ADDICTIVE!! Holy Moly I had emotional overload while reading this book!! I loved the characters and I loved their banter back and forth. I loved how Xander is mysterious bad boy who has a hidden nice streak. Half the time I wanted to yell at Jessie and say hurry up give in give in!! I did an almost part of the nighter reading this book I just couldn't for the life of me put the thing down. AMAZING!! I was so entralled I'm having a hard time explaining it. Have to read it for yourself to understand! I'm in love and his name is Xander!! The story is well written and flowed wonderfully and there was something always happening in the book. Had a hard time sitting still.

      The book starts out by giving the reader insight into how Xander came to be then goes to modern day where he is like a reluctant immortal policeman who only does something when someone messes up. I guess more like a mediator especially between the black god and white god. A secret plan is hatched and a Natural named Jessie is blackmailed into stealing something Xander holds dear. Xander is blindsided my this mortal who happens to have the ability to be stealthy and hidden from reading her mind. He takes it as a challenge. What will happen? Gotta read!!
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    Book preview

    Xander's Chance (#1, Damian Eternal) - Lizzy Ford

    186

    Xander’s Chance

    #1, Damian Eternal Series

    A War of Gods spinoff series

    By Lizzy Ford

    http://www.GuerrillaWordfare.com/

    Cover design by Regina, Mae I Design

    http://www.MaeIDesign.com/

    Smashwords edition

    Xander’s Chance copyright © 2013 by Lizzy Ford

    Cover design copyright 2013 by Regina at MaeIDesign

    All rights reserved.

    No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

    See other titles by Lizzy Ford

    Website: http://www.GuerrillaWordfare.com

    Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/LizzyFordBooks

    You can follow the GW team on Twitter:

    @LizzyFord2010

    @J_Pringle2012

    Twitter hashtags:

    #pnr #paranormal, #romance, #paranormalauthors, #vampires #amreading

    Prologue: Xander’s Origins

    Chapter One

    The boy ran through the crowded marketplace, dodging merchants’ carts and weaving through the patrons. Masked and hooded to hide his deformity, Xander relied on his special senses, the ones that no one else possessed. He was able to see, hear, smell and predict the actions of those around him. The world moved like it was in slow motion, giving him time to react with unnatural agility.

    A full head and shoulders taller than other kids his age, he had lost the ability to work with the rest of the street urchins. No one took pity on a young man in a mask the way they did a cute little boy with dirty hands and huge, innocent eyes. Xander was forced to learn to use his special skills to steal from the market’s patrons rather than beg with the rest of the kids. He was able to creep up, snatch a purse and run before anyone registered that the hooded youth ever approached.

    Today, however, he wasn’t lifting anyone’s coppers. He used his gifts to get him home, fast, after another of his senses tipped him off. Sometimes, he could even hear the thoughts of others. It was this strange talent that warned him of something very bad.

    He reached the hovel he shared with his mother beyond the edge of the city, where all those who lived in poverty were similarly exiled. The one-room shack was neat, with pallets on one side, a fire at its center, a small area to prepare food and crates lining one wall that acted both as storage and seating.

    Xander yanked the door open and froze. His mother – who had been sick for weeks – was not alone in their home. A well-dressed noblewoman knelt beside her still form. The stranger wore well-spun clothing and carried ornate weapons with bejeweled hilts. Her kidskin boots alone were worth more than everything Xander had ever stolen combined.

    Who are you? he managed at last.

    Come in and close the door, boy, the wealthy woman directed.

    Xander obeyed. He didn’t remove his mask and hood, even within the confines of his home. The stranger glowed strangely in the otherwise dim lighting. Her aristocratic features were pale and her eyes exactly as Xander’s mother had once described them: the hue of spring. They were pale green with silver rings that seemed to liquefy and swirl as Xander watched.

    The sudden sensation of falling made him clutch the door frame. The feeling that there was someone else in his thoughts made him shake his head viciously.

    How old are you, boy? the woman asked.

    Ten summers. Xander’s surprise turned to concern for his mother. "She cannot serve you today, ikira."

    I do not seek a handmaiden, boy, the stranger said.

    Xander crossed to his mother and knelt, wary of the stranger. His mother spoke of a rich woman often, one who sent her on errands when his mother was not wanted at the whorehouse where she made what living was afforded a poor woman beyond the marriage age.

    His mother was so pale, like the bodies of the dead he saw tossed in the channel at the other edge of town. His attempts at braiding her dark hair the way she liked it had ended up in a series of knots, because he didn’t quite understand how to do it and his man-sized fingers were too clumsy.

    The instinct that warned him flared again. Her mind was too weak to talk to him anymore; she’d gone silent this afternoon.

    Take off your hood, the stranger said.

    My mother forbids it.

    Son, your mother is nearly gone. There was a soft note in the haughty woman’s voice. You do not hide yourself when you pay your respects.

    Xander’s eyes were glued to his mother. He hadn’t wanted to admit that the sudden muting of her thoughts was a sign of her sliding into death. It made no sense. She’d been sleeping for weeks; surely she could stay sleeping until she was rested enough to fight the illness?

    He removed his hood and mask and inched away from the stranger. The two times in his life he recalled people seeing his eyes – which glowed like the red gem at his mother’s throat – were not pleasant. He was beaten once, at the age of seven, and the second time, his mother was.

    Good boy, the woman said.

    Xander held his mother’s hand and lifted his gaze. The stranger didn’t flinch or curse or scream or run. Instead, a slow smile spread across her face. It was not a warm smile, like Xander’s mother gave him, but a kind of smile that left Xander scared, without knowing why.

    The stranger placed silk-lined gloves on the ground and removed her cloak.

    Xander barely resisted the urge to touch the finely woven garment with a fur lining that was certain to be the softest thing in the world. With his extra sensitive senses, he often found himself lost in the feel or scent of things. Right now, he wanted to touch the lining, to see if it would bring him comfort. At his silence, the stranger looked where he did.

    You like my cloak? the woman asked.

    Xander nodded.

    Take it. It’s yours. She handed it to him.

    Xander was instantly fascinated by the sensation of downy fur and cotton spun so finely, it was like silk. He dug his dirty hands into the depths of the folded cloak, relishing the feel of it, then hugged it. What would it be like, if the whole world was so soft?

    Your mother never spoke of me? the woman asked.

    The question drew Xander from his wonder. He forced himself out of his senses and draped the cloak over his mother. It was the kind of finery she should be wearing, instead of being trapped in rags at the edge of the city. He hadn’t been able to steal enough coppers to replace even her boots and almost sighed. If only he was like the stranger: powerful enough to buy a home and wardrobe worthy of his mother.

    I think so, he answered finally. She said there was a woman who came to see her three days every five, with eyes like the first leaves of spring.

    Good. What else did she say?

    Xander shrugged. His attention shifted to his mother, whose breathing was shallow enough, he barely heard it with his super sensitive hearing.

    She told me about you, the woman continued.

    Xander braced himself, waiting for the rejection he knew would come.

    She said you are a thoughtful, sensitive, strong boy with a unique gift, she said. She also said, when her time came, for me to find you and protect you. It’s why I’m here this evening, boy.

    She will be well come morning.

    No, boy, she won’t. And neither will you.

    Xander stroked the cloak draped over his mother’s arm.

    I know how you feed. I’ve never seen anything like you, but I think I know what you are.

    I don’t know what you’re talking about, Xander whispered.

    The mention of feeding made his stomach roar to life. He hadn’t eaten in a week, afraid of making his mother sicker by drinking her blood. He managed to catch a few stray rats for food, but they tasted different. Gross. He even tried to eat real food, like his mother and everyone else around him did. He ended up too sick to steal coppers.

    The noblewoman withdrew a delicate knife and flicked the inside of her wrist with the tip of the blade. The scent of blood ensnared Xander’s senses like nothing else. Gaze riveted to the crimson drops, he instinctively opened his mouth for his incisors to have room to emerge.

    She gripped his chin firmly and lifted it to what light was in the hut. She observed Xander’s fangs as they grew. With apparent satisfaction, she released Xander and placed her bloodied wrist to Xander’s mouth.

    Xander recoiled.

    This woman’s blood didn’t smell like any blood Xander had drunk. This smelled sweeter, like nectar. It compelled him in a way that made him frantic to run away, before he crossed the line his mother warned him about and caused harm. As if reading his mind, the stranger spoke.

    You will not hurt me, she assured him. In fact, you cannot hurt me.

    Hunger pulsed through Xander. He was unable to keep from inching forward. One drop then two fell to the ground, and he almost flinched at the thought of his only real food in a week escaping him.

    Just close your eyes and drink, the woman urged. You cannot bury your mother if you’re too weak to carry her, can you?

    Shaking his head, Xander knelt beside her. This time, when she placed the bloody wrist to his lips, he sank his fangs into it. The woman didn’t move, didn’t react.

    The warm liquid that filled his mouth was as sweet as it smelled, and unlike anything he ever experienced. His whole body felt alive for the first time. He became aware of the subtle movement of air beneath the front door, the cloudlike cloak clenched in his left hand and gritty dirt beneath his right, the trickle of blood down his throat to his gullet.

    She withdrew, and Xander was shocked to feel the hunger gone after so short a drink.

    You see? You didn’t hurt me. The stranger touched her other hand to the bloodied wrist, and the wounds healed. All gone.

    Xander sat back on his heels, guilty and uncertain about what he’d done. He looked again at his mother. Would she be upset with him?

    There’s a place where everyone tastes like me. Not only that, but they are barbarians, like animals, that feel no pain. You could walk around without your mask and feed whenever you were hungry. The woman then asked. Do you think you’d like such a place?

    Xander hesitated then nodded.

    I’ll take you there. They will treat you like a god. You will have power unlike any other creature in either world.

    Power, Xander repeated.

    Yes, boy. Her eyes flared with light. Power beyond your dreams. No one you love will ever die again, and you can punish men like your father, who cast you out. How does that sound?

    Confused, he said nothing.

    There are more of us, boy. Special people like you and me.

    I’m not special, Xander said matter-of-factly. We are here, because I am deformed.

    Your mother told me. Your father tried to send you away for your deformity, but she wouldn’t let him. So she went with you to the streets?

    Xander swallowed hard with a nod.

    He did this to her and you. He put you on the streets, made her sell herself to keep clothes on your back. Now, she’s dying.

    I know. I hate him, Xander said. Heat crept up his neck and into his face.

    As well you should. He made your mother suffer. She loves you with all she is, Xander.

    I know. Just like that, his anger was gone, replaced by sorrow.

    Do you hate him enough to seek revenge, to right the wrong he’s committed against you and your mother?

    Yes. But she won’t die.

    The woman studied him. If she does? What will you do? How will you eat? Where will you live?

    Xander was unable to grasp how something like that might come to be. He grappled with the answers. There had never been a world without his mother. All he had to do was keep feeding her soup every night, and one day, she’d be better.

    She won’t die, he repeated.

    The stranger’s face softened with the warmth of pity, a sight Xander was accustomed to. Most people saved that look for his mother while casting uncertain or suspicious looks at the masked child who followed her dutifully through the city.

    Do you know the tavern with the sword and dagger on its sign? the noblewoman asked. Once more, the silver ring flared to life and spun around her cool green irises.

    Xander nodded. The sense of falling once more made him clutch the cloak.

    In the morning, I’m leaving from there for the place I told you about. If your mother has passed, will you consider joining me?

    She’s just sleeping.

    I understand. However, if something worse comes to pass, you will have a choice to make. You can serve me in this new land, where you will never have to hide what you are. We will build an army unlike any that has ever existed, and we will use it to seek revenge on your father for betraying you and her.

    Betrayal. Revenge. Something within Xander shivered at the thought. Was he excited or scared by the idea? He hated the man who threw them out. The emotion was stronger than hunger and sorrow.

    Or, you can stay here and pray no one ever finds out what you are. They won’t spare you. But, the woman added it’s your decision. Life is about choices, boy, those you make and those you don’t. You will need to learn that quickly.

    She rose as she spoke, gloves in hand.

    I wish the circumstances were different. Be that as it were, I anticipate seeing you in the morning.

    She strode to the door and left, closing it behind her.

    Xander stared after her then crept closer to his mother. Her skin was warm still, her breathing faint. Her mind, however, was gone. She wasn’t there to help him any longer.

    The green-eyed stranger was right; his father did this to them. Xander touched the soft skin of his mother’s face. He made a fire and prepared her nightly soup. When he finished carefully feeding it to her, he curled up beside his mother under the heavenly cloak. He drifted into restless sleep, praying his unusual visitor was wrong.

    He woke in the middle of the night to check on her as he did every night. His mother’s body was as cold as the extinguished fire. Xander pushed himself up, eyes on her blue lips and white skin. She didn’t appear dead; she was as flawless as the marble statues he saw once when he ventured to the wealthy side of the city.

    He felt nothing, seated beside his dead mother, except the prick of anger. Born to a wealthy merchant family, she’d been disowned when it became known what kind of deformed child she bore. She wouldn’t be buried in the ethereal silks of the wealthy or have her hair inlaid with flowers and perfumes. Her body wouldn’t be placed in a funeral pyre or surrounded by family and friends who bore her gifts one last time.

    All because of his father. He rarely thought of the man he didn’t remember, but since the stranger’s visit, Xander wasn’t able to get his father out of his mind. He couldn’t control the surge of adrenaline he experienced whenever he thought of sinking his teeth into his father’s neck and draining his life from him, the way his father drained his mother’s life.

    Obsessed with the thought, he rose and began digging in the hut. Anger and sorrow gave him strength. He dug for hours, until the shallow grave was nonetheless large enough for his mother. He cleaned his hands of dirt then knelt beside her. With great effort, he worked the knots free from her hair and braided it one last time. Far stronger than boys many years older than he was, he bent and lifted her, carrying her to her permanent resting place.

    Xander arranged her dress and hair with care. She was still beautiful, even worn down by the life she’d been forced into. His gaze settled on the only piece of jewelry she owned, a red gem that matched his eyes on a strip of leather around her neck. She’d worn it his whole life.

    Did he take it, so he had something to remember her by? Or was it disrespectful to take her only treasure?

    He sat in thoughtful silence for a long moment before he retrieved the rich stranger’s cloak. He draped it over his mother’s body. The gem meant something to her. If the stranger really did take him away from this place, he didn’t want to go alone, with nothing to remind him of the woman who gave up her life for him.

    Xander gingerly pulled the necklace free and rearranged her hair. He placed the cloak over her body and covered her face, not wanting to get dirt in her dark hair.

    Before the sun was fully on the horizon, he pushed the last armful of dirt into place over the low mound and sat back. Xander tied the necklace around his belt and stood.

    He missed her already. Pain struck him so hard, he gasped. It was followed by the stark reality that he had nothing – and no one – else to go to. He was hungry and alone.

    Pain turned into an emotion almost too strong for him to control.

    You will have a choice to make.

    Revenge or death. Xander’s fangs grew. His mother never held a grudge against his father, and suddenly, Xander didn’t understand why not. How was she unable to see what his father did?

    Xander’s eyes settled on the mask and hood he dropped near the door when he arrived the day before. He hated them, too, and how they’d always come between him and his world.

    The stranger spoke of a land where he was accepted and never hungry, where they’d build an army to kill his father.

    The fury within him grew. He swiped the mask and hood from the floor and put them on. With one last look over his shoulder, he stepped into the early morning air.

    Xander engaged his senses and trotted through the nearly vacant streets. The tavern where the woman told him to go was in the center of the city. He slowed as he neared the tavern, taking in the amount of armed men gathered outside at such an early time. His eyes spotted the form he sought, and he wove his way through the crowd, trailing her down a quiet side street.

    The stranger turned, her bright eyes on Xander. She didn’t seem surprised to see him. She had a new cloak, one that appeared as soft as her other one. Aware of his dirty appearance, Xander wiped his hands on his worn breeches.

    You’ve made a decision?

    Xander nodded. I want revenge.

    Good. That smile again, the one that scared him, crossed the stranger’s face. Where we are going, you don’t need your mask. My men will not harm you. From this day forward, you will never have to hide again.

    Xander reached up slowly. He pushed the hood back first and shivered at the breeze that ruffled his dark hair. Peeling off the mask, he waited for the world to crash down around him and people to lynch him.

    Nothing happened. The indirect sun was warm on his face, and he was surprised how much better he was able to see the world without the depths of the hood hindering him. He dropped the mask on the ground.

    Have you ever heard of a human, boy? the woman asked him.

    No.

    They are the barbarians I told you about. We will conquer them and return here, once we have created an army.

    To kill my father.

    Yes.

    The rage stirred and with it, Xander’s fangs. The image of his mother lying serenely in the grave he made her was engraved in his mind. There was nothing that would stop him from punishing the man who left his mother to die alone.

    Are you ready? the stranger asked. I will teach you to kill without mercy and turn the humans into obedient beasts. Together, we will teach your father that betrayal is rewarded with vengeance.

    Xander nodded. No one will ever betray me again.

    Come with me.

    She led him into the tavern and up a narrow stone stairwell that went to the roof. They emerged into the morning sun, and Xander shielded his delicate eyes from the brightness.

    They went to the edge of the stone roof. From this point, Xander was able to see most of the city, including the white dome of the palace at its center that marked the home of one of the three Gods that ruled the immortal realm. He’d never been to the middle of the city, mainly because it was walled off and guarded. He didn’t know what lay inside the dome, but he saw how large of an area it incorporated. It was where he was birthed and spent only a few weeks before his mother was cast out.

    Pain registered once more.

    There are two realms, boy, the human realm and ours. Right now, we are not strong enough for our vengeance, the woman spoke softly. A fire was in her eyes, the cold smile on her face again. In the human realm, you will grow powerful. Do you know what happens then?

    I kill my father.

    Yes, boy, you will. You will become the man who slaughters the Grey God.

    Xander gazed up at the stranger. How do you know all this?

    I’m an Oracle, a creature from the human realm who has the ability to see the future. My name is Eden.

    I will grow strong enough to face a God? Xander asked.

    Why else do you think your father threw you out? You will become more powerful than him.

    Xander focused on the dome. He would make his father pay for tossing them out.

    The next time we stand here, you will have marched through his streets with my army at your back and claimed his life. The streets will be awash with blood. You will become so strong, no one will ever be able to hurt you again. Would you like that?

    "Yes, ikira Eden, Xander said quickly. What must I do?"

    Eden was silent, but that smile again was on her face.

    Chapter Two

    Twenty years later

    Immortal world

    Eden stood on top of the tavern overlooking the immortal city of the Grey God. The two visions that haunted her since she was a child were forefront in her mind. As an Oracle, she’d foreseen this moment in time, as well as another. Both were possible, until this very moment, where she would know if her efforts to save her world succeeded.

    She paced along the rooftop, waiting for the dreaded vision to fade. In order to prevent the destruction of the human world, she’d taken an aggressive, borderline reckless, course of action. One that had to pay off. She, Eden, the Original Human, would be the one who saved the human realm by killing the Gatekeeper, the God who maintained the bridges between worlds. With the bridges open, the threat she’d foreseen was going to overtake the human world.

    What happens next?

    She spun. The man before her – a Watcher by his glowing green eyes and the Original Watcher by his unusual height of nearly six feet – was smiling. One of two immortal sects whose war threatened the realms, the Watchers were supposed to keep their noses and hands out of human affairs.

    The Grey God falls, and my kind is safe, she replied instantly.

    "No, Eden, what happens next?"

    She knew what he was asking. With a unique vantage point into the world, the Watchers were able to perceive what she couldn’t. She was an Oracle, a human with the spotty ability to predict the future. The gift served her well. It let her amass an army unlike any that had ever existed and showed her the key to victory.

    However, here was where the gift’s usefulness ended.

    I’ve had no other visions, she said. Nothing beyond this moment.

    Do you ever wonder why?

    Certainly. But clearly, I am meant to be here, now, to fulfill this destiny.

    Your involvement doesn’t end here, not if you want anyone to live through this.

    Eden studied him then faced the dome marking the Grey God’s palace. She strode to the edge of the roof. The streets of the city were littered with dead. The armies of vampires spared no one. Warriors, women, infirmed, elderly, children. All fell beneath the creatures she created in the human realm and used the bridges to cross into this one. The city would be completely dead before morning, decimated within a day.

    It is what it is, she said.

    Is it? the Original Watcher asked. There are only five of us Original Beings meant to exist. The Human, Watcher, Other, as-yet unborn Immortal and Vampire. Only one is a predator.

    He kills out of necessity, she said.

    You fed a predator human blood, and then you removed any kind of restraint standing between him and his nature.

    Eden said nothing. She wasn’t certain where her perfect killer was right now. Assuming she’d done all she was supposed to in order to achieve her goal, she would know his location within minutes.

    You have become the only thing holding him back. You replaced his mother; it’s how he views you.

    He is no threat to me. You fear for your own life, Watcher?

    We Originals cannot kill one another without destroying the worlds, the Watcher said.

    No sense of humor, Eden said to herself.

    I am simply curious at what cost you are willing to pursue your goal. You cannot see it, but I can see what happens next.

    Pray tell.

    You have the ability and the army to protect your realm and seize them both, if you desire.

    Good, she said, pleased.

    I’m not the only one who knows this, he said, smiling. The Watchers and their sworn enemies, the Others, are uniting. The Black God and White God are becoming allies. Combined, they have the power to stop you.

    Let them come.

    They won’t come for you.

    Eden’s attention shifted from the blood-soaked city to the creature beside her. She tested her vision once more. It showed her nothing.

    Humans are afforded special protections in most cases. You’re safe, he added. Vampires? He shrugged.

    They are inconsequential. Non-sentient beasts that kill, she replied.

    They were human once, he reminded her.

    There are sacrifices in any military campaign.

    You are driven by something other than power. I cannot say the same for your precious Original Vamp.

    One vision shimmered in her mind. Eden held her breath. The image of her world being destroyed was hazy, fading.

    Gone.

    Xander succeeded in slaughtering his father, the Grey God.

    The sudden release of the pressure built up over a lifetime made her too weak to stand. Eden dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. She released a deep breath then sucked in the humid air. Had she ever been able to breathe without the vise of her destiny squeezing her chest?

    It’s done, she whispered. My world is safe.

    What happens next?

    I’ll take what I want from your realm, Watcher.

    Then you will lose the only other thing you hold dear. There is a reason your Sight brought you here and no further. You have to choose, human.

    I’m not afraid of your alliance. Nothing can stand between Xander and victory.

    "On that point, you are correct. Nothing will stand between Xander and turning the worlds into this level of destruction. Nothing but you."

    Sacrifice is –

    "You saved the human world. You won’t let anyone – even him – destroy it."

    We’ll return to the mortal world and live normal lives. He will do as I say.

    For now.

    Irritated, Eden’s eyes cracked open. It was her moment of triumph. For the first time in her life, she didn’t want to think about what happened next. She wanted to sit in this moment and relish it, take pride in the fact she achieved an incredible victory, even if those she did it for would never know.

    I am here, because we Originals are obligated to one another. The Watcher knelt beside her. "You have what you want. If you don’t stop now,

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