“It wasn’t always like this,” Darkness said, placing a kiss on top of my head. “There was a time when this place was beautiful. Many here called it heaven.”

I turned and looked into his eyes. It was like I was searching for something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

“You’ve got me all wrong,” I said, pressing my lips together.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m only here because you were right about having the medallion near my aunt,” I said, resting my face against his chest. “It wasn’t like I could go back to Noah’s place after stealing the artifact.”

Darkness cupped my face, forcing me to look up at him. “You wanted to go back there?”

“Well, no,” I said, blushing as I remembered how it felt to be held by him, kissed by him. It was forever etched into my brain at how my body reacted to his touch. Even at that moment, my insides were warming just being near him. “To be completely honest, I don’t know where I belong.”

“Here,” Darkness said, his thumb gliding down my chin. “You belong here.”

“Don’t do that,” I said, my brows pressing together.

He pressed his lips to mine, grinning as he pulled back. “Do what?”

“You want me here, and I get that, but I’m not convinced. I don’t want you to pressure me into thinking I belong here because you think I have some magical ability to stop the apocalypse,” I said, pressing my lips together.

“I don’t mean to pressure you into anything. If you are just a regular human that can visit our realm, I will still feel the same way about you that I do right now,” Darkness said, squeezing me tighter. “My feelings are not contingent upon you being anything other than yourself.”

I released a heavy sigh. “But you still want me to be The Bringer of Balance or whatever.”

“It’s not that I want that. It’s that I believe you are,” Darkness said, dismissively waving his hand in the air. “I’m merely presenting you with the option of staying here. You don’t have to stay with me. We can find you a place if that is what you desire.”

My eyes narrowed. “Um, what?”

Laughter dripped from Darkness’s lips only seconds before an explosive fury of lightning crashed somewhere behind the house. Storm emerged from the shadows, strutting toward us, wincing as she approached.

“Ew,” she said, rolling her eyes at us. She shifted her eyes to Darkness and crossed her arms. “Nightmare is sick or something. He wants to see you.”

“Sick?” Darkness asked, his spine tensing.

“Poison from the dreamworld, he claims,” Storm said, looking at her nails.

Darkness sighed as he pressed his hand to his forehead. “I don’t have time to take care of him. Get the druid to him at once.”

“He won’t help,” Storm said. “Thinks it’s too dangerous.”

“Call upon the shaman then,” Darkness boomed. “Why are you troubling me with this when I have much more important matters to attend to?”

Storm’s eyelids fluttered. “What is more important that your sibling? Your dear, precious, and favorite brother?”

“Fine,” Darkness said, his voice low with boiling rage. He grabbed my hand and started toward the shed.

“Oh,” Storm said, taking several steps back. “You don’t have to go anywhere.”

Darkness turned and glared at her. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“I may have brought him here while you were off looking for her,” Storm said, jerking her chin toward me.

Darkness let go of my hand and stomped toward the house, muttering what sounded like curse words in another language. He left the front door open and gestured to me before vanishing from sight.

“Sorry about that,” Storm said with a laugh. “Didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you two were doing.”

“It’s fine,” I said, feeling the heat filling my cheeks.

“Oh,” she said, cocking her head. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re anything special either.”

“Uh, good, I guess,” I said, twisting my fingers together.

Storm’s lips contorted into a sardonic smirk. “Maybe for the smallest second, I thought it might be possible, but Balance before you would never have run off. She would never have hesitated to help in any way she could. She was an amazing person who wanted nothing but peace and harmony.”

“I’m not her,” I spat.

“Obviously not,” Storm retorted, coldly eyeing me as she walked away, leaving me standing there alone in Darkness’s front yard.

Inside the house, Darkness was pacing in front of the couch where Nightmare was lying. His skin had a pallid hue, a sickly undertone of green, while his pupils had expanded to saucers. He mumbled nonsense as he stared at the ceiling.

“This is not good,” Darkness said, stroking his thumb along his chin. “I need to collect the druid. Time is of the essence.”

“Yes, go,” I said with a nod.

“I hate to ask—”

“I will stay with him,” I said, offering a reassuring smile. “Is there a way to reach you if necessary?”

Darkness pressed his lips together as he placed his cool hand on my shoulder. “I will sense your need. I won’t be long.”

“Darkness?” I said, turning as he approached the front door.

“Yes?” he said, grabbing the door as he pivoted to meet my gaze.

I drew in a sharp breath. “This is not a great time to ask this, obviously, but where are the artifacts?”

“They are all safe now,” Darkness said. “They are protected.”

“Okay,” I said, watching him as he slipped out the front door, closing it behind him.

My eyes narrowed as I looked around the suddenly finished room. “Where did this couch come from?”

“Storm brought it up from the basement,” Nightmare said with a long groan. He rested the back of his hand on his forehead. “Darkness’s house used to be magnificent. Better than mine even.”

“I’ll bet it was,” I said, sinking into a luxurious high-backed chair with sumptuous red velvet upholstery. My fingertips glided over the smooth, polished wooden armrests.

Nightmare pulled in a breath as he pulled himself into a sitting position with ease. He smirked, holding up his hands as he got to his feet.