Can’t Win Me Back

Jasper felt a pain unlike any he had ever known.

It wasn't a physical agony like having flesh torn away, but a slow, excruciating torture akin to being slowly sliced by a blunt blade.

It was a hundred times worse than dying instantly.

His mind raced through a chaotic sequence of images, like a black- and-white movie playing backward.

He saw people retreating and leaving —Javier, Anne, Newton, Landon, Lauren, Jonah, Axel...

He reached out desperately, trying to grasp any of them, but they were slipping away, one by one.

Finally, the image settled on Alyssa's radiant face.

"Lyse...

Don't go..." Tears streaming down his face, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her.

But she dissolved into golden dust, vanishing into the frigid air.

"No! iy A beep sounded in his ear as if everything had been reset.

him, and

there was just

staring

dead, but

heard footsteps

turned to see Remy emerging

on his face,

a glance at Jameson, Remy's voice dripped with barely

you

sure you have no objections, right,

motionless,

looked like a man who had been

had been drained of all his worth—now thrown

of the goddess closed

laughing

your life has

deafening roar of a helicopter

its shadow over the

was a thunderous crash, and with that, the seemingly

rained down, cutting Jameson's neck, cheeks, and