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To Hell and Back vii
~ Penny hesitated. She knew what needed to happen, but she didn’t want to leave Marx’s side. Her reluctance was coming from a deep-seated fear Penny had of losing someone else she loved. After Lochlan died, the grief was enough to break a part of her, causing her to change into what she was.
She was a werewolf, yet not. Penny knew it, and the others did too. She had already lost so much. If Marx were also to fall, the last bit of light inside of her would die with him. He was a good man. Even after she brought hell storming into his life, he accepted her as part of his family. She knew another member of her pack was dead. Marx didn’t say who. It had to be someone close. Shea? Helick? Garrick? She would find out once she reached the Mountain.
Unable to communicate with Marx, she placed a hand over his heart. Through her eyes, she allowed him to see her, as he
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~Martha moved to run to Nico as a shadow took possession of his body. Four steps in his direction, she stopped. Nico faced her direction, his eyes twin pools of swirling mist. The thing inside of him had his lips turn up in a smirk. With hot tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks, Martha clutched her fingers into tight fists. The words came from the pits of her stomach. The ground under her feet undulated, rippling with energy as she spoke them. Nico charged in her direction, his face twisted in rage. Martha held up her hand, palm open, continuing the chant, repeating it with fervor and a new understanding. Death fueled shadow magic. Hate. Anger. All the dark things that sullied the world. The spell was the most powerful she had ever attempted since Ava infused the revenant soul with hers. She had to release control to it. Allow the magic to ru
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