by Alicia Rades
I skidded to a halt to take in the scene. Teagan and Ryland were long gone, and Sondra’s shackles hung empty. The wire used to pick the locks lay on the ground beside them. Venn stood with his hands on the bars of his cell, looking like it took all his strength to stay upright. His soft brown eyes met mine, and relief flooded through me. Venn looked down at himself in confusion. It was like he couldn’t process what was going on.
“Venn!” I rushed over to him, grabbed the wire, and began fiddling with the lock on his cell. My fingers shook so badly that I couldn’t get it in the hole.
“What happened?” Venn asked, sounding a bit disoriented.
Jenna grabbed the wire from me and began working on the lock so I could focus on Venn.
I reached out to take his hands. “I did it, Venn. I killed Valkas.”
He looked beyond relieved. “How did I survive? The transformation must’ve not finished.”
I shook my head, choking back the tears. “No, it only killed Valkas. Everyone else survived, but the spell is broken now.”
The lock clicked free on Venn’s cell. I yanked the door open and fell into his arms.
“I thought I’d lost you,” I whispered.
His lips met mine, and I knew without a doubt. It was Venn—my Venn. Valkas had failed to take him from me.
My chest came alive, sending a rush of happiness through my veins like a strong ocean current whipping me off my feet and pulling me out to sea. I’d never felt such an emotion hit me so fast and so strong before. He cupped the sides of my face and tilted my head back. His tongue slipped inside my mouth, sending that ocean current to take me faster.
He drew away and spoke through shallow breaths. “I thought so, too. I’m glad everyone’s okay.”
I relaxed into him for a mere moment, until I remembered Sondra was still hurt. Now that Rogers was dead, she’d be waking any moment—if she wasn’t awake already.
“Sondra,” I said quickly.
Fiona gave me a wide-eyed look, like she just realized something. “Your magic’s working. You can heal her!”
“Then let’s go,” Jenna insisted.
Venn took my hand, and the four of us hurried out of the chateau and to the boathouse. When we arrived, we found Teagan and Ryland preparing an expensive-looking boat for the journey home. It looked even fancier than the one Richard had brought me there on. The boathouse itself was just as nice as the chateau, with three stalls for different sized boats. It looked like a fancy garage, only with docks for flooring and open water where the boats sat. Several piles of clothes covered in ashes lined the dock, presumably where Ryland and Teagan had killed the boathouse guards.
“Nothing’s going to happen to them,” Teagan was saying to Ryland. “They’ll be fine—oh my God!” She caught sight of us and jumped off the boat onto the dock. “You’re okay!”
Teagan stopped in her tracks when she noticed Venn with us. Slowly, she backed away. “What’s going on?”
“Rae did it!” Fiona exclaimed. “She killed Valkas and broke the curse.”
Teagan’s eyebrows came together. “Vampires are… human again?”
“Apparently,” Fiona answered, shooting a smile in Venn’s direction.
“What happens to their souls?” Teagan asked. “I mean, are the Soulless still… soulless?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Jenna said. “Venn could be different since the transformation wasn’t finished. All we know is the others are still alive.”
Ryland poked his head out of the cabin. “If they’re still a threat, then we have to go.”
“I don’t think they are,” Jenna admitted. “The blood slaves outnumber them, and they surrendered as soon as the spell broke.”
“Let’s heal Sondra,” I suggested. “Then we can figure out how we’re getting everyone off this island.”
“This way.” Ryland gestured to me to follow him.
We stepped inside the cabin to see Sondra lying across one of the bench seats. Her chest rose and fell slowly, but she otherwise didn’t move. She looked so frail.
I knelt beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Everyone went quiet while I took several long, deep breaths, trying to channel my power.
But the familiar tingle never came. That couldn’t be, considering Rogers was dead and his spell had been broken. Had the fall not killed him? Was he still blocking my magic?
No, that didn’t seem right. This seemed stronger… like my entire connection to Synchrony had been severed.
That’s when it hit me.
Matias hadn’t been misinformed about what would happen to the vampires when I broke the curse. He hadn’t just taken a wild guess when he told me all vampires would perish with Valkas. He told me exactly what I wanted to hear—exactly what he knew would drive me toward this very ending.
“What’s wrong?” Venn asked.
I looked up at my family in horror. “This was Matias’s plan all along. There never was a successor. He wanted me to kill Valkas to release his own soul, so that he could access his witch magic again and use the Artifact. You guys…”
I could hardly breathe as the cold, dark reality of what had just happened hit me. “I played right into Matias’s hands. And now he’s taken all our magic.”
THE END
Continue the series in book four, Retribute.
Never miss a new release!
Join Alicia’s Email List
About the Author
Alicia Rades is a USA Today bestselling author of young adult paranormal fiction. When she's not getting into magical mischief in fantasy worlds, she's either trying new recipes, exploring the outdoors, or spending time with her son. Alicia lives with her family in Wisconsin, where she's happily addicted to cheese.
Website
Facebook
Instagram