Time slowed, and Marius’s heart became a roaring drum in his ears. His breath caught in his throat.
Wails rose from all around him.
The dagger heated.
Shadows streamed from the First.
A clap of thunder came from the heavens.
In front of Marius, shadows swarmed the undead vampire Luna and Sebastian had been battling. One moment, the creature was there. The next, it was gone in an explosion of ash and darkness.
Had he done it?
Had he stopped them in time to save Vivienne?
Marius wanted to look and see if she was alright, but he couldn’t move.
Darkness swelled from the First’s chest, pulsing like a wave. It swept over Marius, stealing his vision for one long, never-ending moment. It was as if the entire world took a breath at the same time.
His heart stilled, his lungs ceased breathing, and even his magic solidified in his veins.
The moment lasted for an eternity, and it was over in the blink of an eye.
When the darkness lifted, several things seemed to happen at once.
Marius tightened his fingers around the blade.
The First’s mouth fell open in shock, and she stared at him, unblinking.
The fingers gripping his arm convulsed.
An ear-piercing, high-pitched whine came from the Forsaken Blade. The hilt glowed bright blue, lighting up the night sky as black blood seeped around it.
The ancient vampire opened and closed her mouth. She lifted her hand from Marius’s arm, her fingers twitching.
“Impossible,” she croaked, black blood pouring from her mouth. “I... can... not...”
Her next words never came as the blade’s whine became a scream. Shadows swept across the ancient vampire’s ashen skin like spilled bottles of ink, covering her in seconds.
Ashen skin turned black.
Marius’s eyes widened, and he fought the urge to remove his fingers from the blade as the First’s flesh shrunk in on itself, hugging the vampire’s skeletal frame.
It seemed to take the First forever to die. Or maybe it was Marius’s desperate need to get to his vampire that had him wishing this ancient creature would cease existing faster.
Endless, painful seconds dragged on as the First’s blood hardened to glistening black stone.
Seasons went by in the blink of an eye. Lifetimes passed. Universes were made and destroyed.
Thoughts of Vivienne consumed Marius’s mind. He had to get to her. To see her. To save her. To tell her he loved her. He needed her, but he was frozen in this warped moment with this gods-damned blade.
Why wouldn’t the First die?
Time was his adversary, and he couldn’t even fight it as he waited for this to be over.
Finally, after an endless eternity, the hilt cooled in Marius’s grip.
He withdrew the blade, and the First’s body fell to the ground with a thunderousbangthat echoed through the forest.