Warwick’s laughter echoed through the clearing, sharp and cold as the green light from the runes flared again, filling the air with an oppressive energy. I barely had time to react before he lunged forward, his movements faster than I thought possible. The orb pulsed desperately in my hand, but it wasn’t enough.
Dark energy wrapped around me like iron chains, locking me in place. I struggled against it, but the harder I fought, the tighter it squeezed, draining the strength from my limbs. My vision swam as Warwick’s silhouette loomed over me.
“You really don’t understand, do you?” he murmured, his voice unnervingly soft as he crouched before me. His face was close now, too close, his golden-green eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten. “This isn’t about Logan. This is about us.”
“Us?” I spat, though the words felt hollow, my strength ebbing against the suffocating magic. “There is no us, Warwick. There never was.”
His expression flickered with something I couldn’t quite read-pain, perhaps?-but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the same sharp-edged smile. “You’d rather believe that, wouldn’t you? That all those moments we shared meant nothing. That you never felt anything when I was Liam.”
“I didn’t!” I snapped, the words instinctive, but my voice faltered when his gaze darkened further.
“Liar,” he hissed, his hand reaching out, the edges of his fingers still glowing with dark energy. He cupped my cheek with a gentleness that contradicted the storm in his eyes. “I could see it every time you looked at me. I was there, Audrey. Not Logan. Me. I knew you before him.”
I froze, the weight of his words threatening to pull me under.
Warwick leaned closer, his breath brushing my skin. “But you didn’t choose me. You chose him, didn’t you?” His voice cracked, and for a fleeting moment, the anger melted into something raw and unguarded. “Even after I gave everything… you still chose Logan.”
“This isn’t about love,” I managed, glaring up at him despite the chains of his magic. “This is about control. Power. And you’ll never have it, no matter what you do.”
He recoiled, as though my words struck deeper than I intended. But then his smirk returned, more cutting than ever. “You think you have me figured out,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “You’re wrong, Audrey. I don’t need your permission. The Nexus chose you, and by extension… it chose me.”
Before I could respond, Warwick’s energy surged, the dark chains dragging me closer. The orb in my hand flared wildly, its heat searing my palm as it fought back, but Warwick’s magic was overwhelming.
“I didn’t want it to come to this,” he murmured, more to himself than to me. “But you leave me no choice.”
The air rippled, a portal tearing itself open behind Warwick, its edges crackling with raw power. The swirling void beyond it made my stomach churn, its pull undeniable.
“Warwick,” I snarled, struggling against the restraints as panic surged in my chest. “Let me go. You can’t do this!”
He leaned closer, his expression a twisted mixture of regret and resolve. “Oh, but I can.”
Without another word, he yanked me forward, dragging us both into the portal. My scream was swallowed by the darkness, the last thing I saw before the world vanished was the smirk on Warwick’s face, his eyes gleaming with triumph.