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Blood burned my tongue, sliding down my throat and I shoved the rest of his heart in my mouth before he could reach me. His face transitioned from fury to shock to pain with each chew. I struggled not to spit it out, knowing I had to eat the whole thing in order to destroy him.
My throat spasmed, and I stepped up onto the gazebo, forcing breaths through my nose as the vile heart broke down between my teeth. Lucifer crawled forward and I suppressed my gag reflex, swallowing what chunks were left.
My esophagus clenched and I fell to my knees, folding over at the pain that bloomed in my core. I grabbed a fistful of snow and shoved it in my mouth to calm the burn.
Lucifer grabbed my wrist and I yanked away from him, falling back onto my butt.
The power encompassed every fiber and I bellowed, pushing myself to the opposite wall with my feet. The wounds on my chest formed a patchwork-healing pattern and after a blink, my skin flushed clear. The wounds disappeared and the power inside me flashed beyond comprehension.
Bitter cold sucked into my lungs as I huffed through the pain gripping me. This was far more painful than the shadow virus had been. It felt like two masses of air ramming into each other creating an internal tornado. White and dark, fighting for dominance as they melded together into one and CJ’s power braided through it like a golden lasso, tying it together and bonding it to every cell in my body.
Lucifer chuckled, his gaze still animated and locked on me. I pushed myself into a standing position and he dragged himself up as well.
Another cry filtered through me and I looked at the window. My second child. The storm settled like rain and I snapped my gaze back to Lucifer and the gaping hole in his chest.
“So that’s how you steal grace,” I said and stepped forward, slamming my fist into his face. Bones crunched, and this time, I knew they were his. He flew onto his back on the snow and then turned onto his hands and knees crawling away.
I stared at the withered wings, feeling a level of triumph I had never known. I always assumed I would die at his hands and a just fury wrapped around my heart. I sent the first blast of power at him, crushing him into the ground.
“Go to hell,” I whispered and the power leapt out, striking with the full force of a flamethrower at point-blank range. Nothing was left but a blackened patch and I stared at it.
Freedom.
The word had a new meaning and I looked up, crossing the bloody snow to the house that held my future.
A future filled with hope.