King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

Chapter Two Hundred Fourteen

Adrik

“Sephie…” I said, almost breathlessly. I was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to say, but I kept my hand on her neck as she was still leaning into my hand. “That night that I compared you to a diamond and you said you would only compare yourself to a black diamond to match your soul? Remember that?” I asked. She nodded her head slightly, but didn’t open her eyes. The corners of her mo uth were starting to curl in a smile as she thought about it. “I told Viktor and Ivan about that part of the conversation the next morning while you were still sleeping. I believe my exact words were ‘we all know she has the whitest soul of anybody ever, but it’s still funny.””

She kept her eyes closed, but she had a small smile on her lips now. She thought for a moment, then opened her eyes. “I think you can have both,” she said.

“Both what?” I asked.

“Both whi te and black on your soul. Ivan does for sure. He saw it We probably do too,” she said. She suddenly looked like she’d just solved a puzzle that had been perplexing her, but she immediately looked at me like she didn’t mean to say it out loud.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t have to tell me, but I can’t deny I’m very curious to know how that happened.”

She chewed on her bottom lip, torn between wanting to tell me and not sure she should. She sighed, then whispered, “whatever. You already know.” I laughed at her, which seemed to put her at ease. “When that truck hit us, I saw Ivan turn toward me. He was using his body to try and shield me, but I can clearly remember the look on his face. I could see the worry on his face when he looked at me, but then he was looking at something around me that I couldn’t see. The look on his face clearly changed to one of wonderment. The truck was pushing us into the parked cars on the side of the street. When we hit those cars, I shu t my eyes. I think that’s when I hit my head. He was unconscious when I opened my eyes.” She paused again, not sure she should continue. She started to fidget with the buttons on my shirt again, focusing on that instead of looking at me as she continued. “My dad told me what Ivan saw. When I was with Ivan in his room that day that he broke down at the house and then I broke down later, he told me what he saw, after I assured him he wasn’t crazy.” She was still for a moment, then looked at me. “Ivan got his wings that day. My dad said he wrapped his wings around me right before the truck hit us, but when Ivan turned toward me, that was the moment that he got his and he saw them wrap around me and even my dad’s wings.” She dropped her gaze, chewing on her lip, not sure how I would take what she had just told me. As she was talking, I felt goosebumps rise over my entire body.

“But… How? He’s still here,” I asked.

I still don’t fully understand it, but he’s not allowed to go anywhere now. My dad said he’s fully stepped into his role as my protector now that he proved he would give his life to protect me. He also said Ivan’s wings are way cooler than his. They’re wh ite, but fade to black on the ends and apparently he’s the big guns,

design suddenly made perfect sense. “That’s why…” I caught myself before I said anything further.

why what?” she asked.

“If I tell you that, it will ruin the surprise,” I said, reaching up and pulling her down to me. I pressed my lips.

needing to search my eyes. “You don’t think I’m crazy for saying all this?”

bit. Ivan has spent so much time in He ll, but

protector for you. His inability to feel pain gives him a unique advantage,” I said. She

looked surprised. “That’s exactly

smiled at her, happy to see her opening up to me and

looked at me seriously. “I don’t think Ivan is the only one among us that’s spent so much time in Hel l that he can walk freely between Heaven and He

not wrong. When you were in your nightmare loop and my voice pulled you out of it, did you go to a

been there too. That’s how you pulled me there. That’s how

don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I did wander how you pulled me there, especially after I did it for Ivan and

I passed out on the way to the hospital. I remember feeling relief that my father was there and I felt safe, so I let go. It took me three days to wake up. Those three days were the first time I remember the darkness. I was scared at first. I cried. I screamed. I fought. Nothing worked. I finally gave in and got quiet. When I did, 1 realized I could vaguely see and I could barely hear voices. I was hearing my father’s voice. He never left the hospital room those three days. The man who I barely saw when I was awake wouldn’t leave me when I was out. It was his voice that I followed to find my way out. His face was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. It was one of the few times he told me he loved me and that he was proud of me.” I had opened my eyes when I started to tell the story. I’m