The wraith looks up into the hazy red sky. “He’ll take her if you don’t do it.”
Caelynn’s body convulses in my arms, her mouth opening in a silent scream.
“It’s already begun,” the Night Terror says. But she doesn’t move. She doesn’t come for us.
“Caelynn!”
“Do it now! Destroy her body so he cannot take it,” the wraith cries. “She’ll die thinking I was willing to betray her,” he adds in a whisper. “But it must be done.”
“No.” I whimper. I can’t do it. How could I...
“You are weak.” The voice coming through Caelynn’s lovely lips is gravelly and sinister. Not her.
The breath freezes in my lungs.
No.
“She is mine now.” Caelynn’s lips curl into a cruel smile.
“No!”
Panic and desperation take over, and my magic flares to life again. I blast my healing magic into her body, violent and harsh. Her whole body convulses, mouth foaming, and then she falls still. Her wound has stopped bleeding, but otherwise, I’m not sure what good I’ve actually done.
Her eyes fly open, and they are glowing golden, almost auburn.
“Caelynn!” I call, elation flooding me. It worked!
“Kill me,” she croaks. “Please.” Her face crumples, and black tears streak across her cheeks.
The dagger is in my hand. An iron-studded, obsidian blade. So much like the one that killed my brother—that began this whole terrible journey.
I press the blade to her chest with trembling fingers. Her soft flesh sags against the blade. I should obey her wishes. This time... this time, it’s the only thing that makes sense.
The Night Bringer has her, he’s stolen her soul and will take her body. He’s already begun.
“You cannot have her,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Death would be a mercy,” her voice hisses, her eyes black. I can’t tell who’s talking. Her, or the monster inside.
Her pupil glows red. He’s there. He’s taken her. She laughs manically. “You are too late.”
I failed her, I realize. This happened because her soul disintegrated. Because she didn’t love herself enough. If I was better for her— if I had tried harder to show her what I now see...
It was my job as her mate to save her.
“You promised you wouldn’t leave me.” I heave with sobs.
She is not gone yet, princeling. This voice is soft, and... inside my mind? Feel your soul stone. It still warms. Her soul remains yet alive.
“Who are you?” I whisper through my tears, but those stranger’s words echo through my mind, sparking hope. A tiny light in the darkness.
And I feel it. The warmth pulsing in my pocket. Gripping the little stone between two fingers I pull it out. It’s my Lumistone, the one I plucked just before the High Court ball. It feels like a lifetime ago. It’s just a little berry turned to stone with time but... it’s glowing.
My eyes widen. The wraith gasps.
You have the power to heal what no other can. You have the power to undo their curses.
“You are going to save her,” the wraith whispers.
Caelynn convulses beneath my hands, back arching. She gurgles black liquid and forces out cruel laughter.
The smoke magic that makes up my mate’s wraith lightens, and a golden light flickers in his chest, growing brighter. “Tell her,” he whispers. “Tell her she saved me.”
I don’t have time to ask what he means. Or wonder why the golden light has taken over his being. His smoke magic dissipates and flutters away in the wind.
This time, when I use my healing magic on Caelynn, I do so with confidence. I delve into the mystery that this is my fated mate. Terrifying and lovely and everything I could have ever hoped for in a soulmate.
My hand glows bright white, and I press it as far into her wound as I can. Eyes closed, I feel her. Her dark essence, enigma and stealth, beauty and passion and determination. So much bravery. And kindness. And protectiveness.
When my mind loses all time and place, I don’t recoil. I press deeper into it. Into her. It’s a void, vast and empty. Abandoned.
No, I whisper in response to that feeling. I won’t ever leave you, Cae.
Raging winds begin to blow. Leave, the Night Bringer demands. You are in my domain now.
But I ignore the voice because he is wrong. She is here. I can feel her.
Weak and dwindling but still pulsing with the tiniest of warmth.
A small ember glows in a pile of cooled coal.
My mate, I whisper.
The ember flickers but fades again. I take in a long deep breath just as the storm begins in earnest. A tsunami of shadows roar toward me, but all I see is her.
My white light brightens the void and streams directly into the dying soul of Caelynn, my lovely shadow fae.
Caelynn
Every nightmare I’ve ever had is nothing compared to the agony I feel now as my life slips and he takes me. The Night Bringer’s jagged talon carves its way through me, splitting my very soul.
This time, I know I am right that the Night Bringer has taken my soul. Everything I am and was and will be. He has it in his very hands, and he will crush it.
All I know is pain.
It is who I am. Who I will be.
I am drowning, suffocating, burning alive, and being flayed all at once. And it doesn’t stop. It continues on and on, for all of eternity.
I will not leave you, Cae.
The pain halts for only an instant. Then, it comes crashing back into me. The controlling rage slams down on my weak heart.
A rushing wave is coming, I can feel it. Harsh hands grab me, hold me, caress me. Hands that I do not want to let me go. I take hold of his magic, unsure how but willing to take it.
My lifeline.
Rev
Caelynn heaves in a desperate breath and claws at my arms. I hold her, press her to my chest.
“Caelynn?” I barely dare to hope.
“Rev,” she cries.
It’s her; she’s awake. She’s here.
Terrifying hope fills me, and I hold her close.
“What happened?” she asks as her nails claw into my skin. I don’t even care. This pain is more than worth it.
I hold my Lumistone tightly in my palm. It burns bright and true. My mate is here, with me. Home. “I don’t know.”
Neither my brother nor her wraith are anywhere to be seen. It’s just us, lying in the valley below the mountain.
Then, the ground beneath me booms, and a massive shadow looms over us.
“Do you suppose this means you’ve won?” her voice trembles with rage. The Night Terror’s red eyes blink down at us. We are but flies to her. Pesky rodents she requires.
Pets. Slaves.
I swallow.
“He will take her back. And even if you think she can keep control of her soul now that you’ve saved her, what now?” she whispers, amusement clear in her tone. Her finger-like branches twist and turn like stiff snakes. Her roots scurry like spider legs, causing a near-constant tremor in the ground.
I look over my shoulder. We are miles from the Wicked Gates. Caelynn weighs heavily in my arms, her body limp. She couldn’t walk herself out of here, not with her injury, and who knows what kind of mental state she’s in right now.
The Night Terror is right, I don’t know how close she’ll be to succumbing to that darkness inside of her. It’s not gone. It’s just under her control—for now.
“All I have to do is crush your skull, and she will falter once again.” Her fang-filled mouth twists into a smile. “And you have to escape me and all of my friends.”
I shiver as the groans begin. Distant at first, but they grow quickly.
I pull Caelynn into my lap, cradling her. Her eyes are lidded, barely open, but I can feel her fire, her muscles relaxed. I hold her tightly, realizing that I’d saved her from that fate only temporarily.
Crooked, grey limbs appear over t
he bank of the swamp, and several bodies pull themselves out of the water. They crawl, unable to walk. But I watch in horror as dead bodies pile out. Hundreds of them. Thousands.
My mouth falls wide.
Then, wraiths appear, whipping through the flame wall and floating toward us. Soon, the army becomes so thick it blocks out what little light of the sun we can still see.
A wall of obedient wraiths has come to the Night Terror’s beckoning and have created a shadow so thick it may as well be night.
“Do you see the hopelessness now, princeling?”
I wince, keeping my eyes closed. The knife weighs heavy in my hands.
WE’RE BOTH GOING TO die.
And, well, dying is the better of the two possibilities for her.
“Unless,” the Night Terror purrs, “you’d like to make a bargain with me.”
My breath comes out ragged, trembling. Caelynn stirs against me and wraps her arm around my neck. She pulls herself up so her lips are at my ear, her fingers gripping me tightly, desperately.
“No,” she whimpers but says no more.
“No,” I echo, and she relaxes against me once more.
“You haven’t even heard the deal.”
“Why would you make a deal? You have us where you want us, don’t you?”
“I am confident in our ability to win this war once and for all. But I wouldn’t mind... speeding up the process.” Her eyes flicker to the blade in my hand.
I could end it now, I realize. That’s what she’s afraid of. If I carve Caelynn’s heart out now, her hope would be lost. We would both die. But they would lose.
That is what Caelynn wants.
“If you were brave enough, perhaps you could sabotage us just before your death,” the Night Terror admits. “But there is another option.”
Brave enough. Am I brave enough to kill her? Am I strong enough to take her life like I’d promised so long ago? Now that I know who she is. Now that she is mine.
“Use the spell book,” the Night Terror says with a smooth voice. Tempting. Taunting. “She has it in her bag.”
My eyes flash to a bag hanging off of her shoulder. She has it? She reached it?
“Break the curse. Free us.”
My mouth falls open, eyes wide, stomach twisting. “Wh-what?”
“Open it. Use your soul stone...”
I open my palm to stare at the flickering gold and black light inside the Lumistone. Is this what she means? “I thought... I thought only Caelynn had the power to break the curse?”
“Yessss,” the Night Terror hisses. She crouches down, lowering herself. “But your mate connection allows you certain... abilities. You can use enough of her magic to unlock the spell book and use its power.”
I blink. And release the Night Terror from her prison.
That’s what Caelynn’s wraith was talking about.
“You heard the bargain I offered the foolish wraith, yes? I am generous. Free us, and you can have all you desire.”
I frown.
“I will allow you a happy life with your mate. A long life. With children, if you wish. No more running. No more fear.”
My stomach twists, hope flutters in my chest again.
It couldn’t be that easy...
“Name your terms, princeling. Consider what you could gain.”
I don’t dare look her in the eyes, but I do consider. If I were to complete a magical bargain, they couldn’t touch us. Ever. “
“You would be bound if I freed you—,” I mutter, unsure if I’m talking hypothetically or... not. “You and your mate would never touch Caelynn or me ever again. You’d never order anyone to attack us. You’d never hurt us, directly or indirectly. And the same promise will hold for any children either of us may have.”
“Yessss.” She shivers eagerly, but my head is screaming not to do it. My heart is screaming to do anything to save her.
What will they do if freed? How many will die because of their terror? How many more lives shattered?
I look down at my lovely shadow fae. No one has ever chosen her.
Tears stream down my cheeks at all she’s endured. The loneliness. The grief. The guilt. She believes herself worthless. It’s why her soul has faltered so deeply.
This is how it will end.
The Night Bringer has been free for five hundred years. The world hasn’t ended. What will he do once reunited with his mate?
I stare at the dagger still gripped tightly in my fist.
My choice is to doom the world to save myself and my mate.
Or kill her myself.
I would have to shove this dagger into her heart, here and now. If I don’t—they’ll win anyway. They’ll take what they want with nothing to stop them, with no bargains or deals to restrict their rule. I can’t keep Caelynn’s soul alive indefinitely.
Kill my mate or free the villain who terrorized us for the last decade.
“Your choice, princeling.”
I pull Caelynn from my chest and look down at her peaceful face, eyelids fluttering. She moans softly. For the second time, I hold the dagger tip to her chest, right at the red dot I’d created the last time. Her skin buckles. A tiny prickle of blood pools at my dagger point.
All of it—every ounce of grief and pain and fear—it all comes down to this.
It cannot end this way. This can’t be all there is.
A terrible desire stirs up in my belly. Dark ambition. Will I kill another to save her as she did me?
Could I make the same choice she did?
Am I as strong as Caelynn? Stronger? Am I even capable of the kind of selflessness this would take? I know what I have to do. What I must do, no matter the cost.
My muscles clench, arms pressing harder, chest heaving in sobs.
The ground rumbles with bitter laughter.
Choose.
Caelynn
Light and peace are all I know for moments at most. He holds me, comforts me. Loves me.
And then, the pain is back. Pressure on my chest, sharp talons carving into my heart.
Night Bringer.
No, not this time. This is him.
Rev.
He’s... going to kill me. My mind spins. He’ll end it. It hurts. My heart aches that I’ll never know what it’s like to love him completely. I’ll never know what true happiness tastes like. The game is over. I always knew I wouldn’t win. I could only ensure the enemy fails. And that’s what he’ll do now.
I am ready to die.
Agony takes over, my mind flickers black.
The ground shakes, building until it’s a full earthquake. Shattering. Crumbling.
Laughter. My monster is laughing. His mate joins him.
Their laugh becomes one, soaring like a symphony of suffering and rage. Bitter. Pained. Terrible.
Power is sucked from my body in that one quick moment, and my thoughts are wiped silent. My mind quiets, and finally... there is peace.
Rev
The army of wraiths scatter to the winds as the mountains fall, the ground splits, cracks, opening to the void. The fire wall tips over, sending roaring flames over the miles surrounding it, scorching the land with streaks of black scars, and thick smoke rises to the sky.
I remain there on my knees in the valley surrounded by death. I stare at her peaceful expression. Eyes closed, mind spinning over what I’ve done as the world around me implodes. I allow it all to take place without moving an inch.
An hour must pass before I dare to look up.
When I finally do, I am alone. The Night Terror is gone. The bodies she’d raised have fallen limp where they stood. I’ll have to climb over them to get out of here. But now, it seems, the path is quiet.
My hands gently cocoon Caelynn’s head, cradling her limp body in my arms, and begin the long journey from this place.
I won’t leave her here. I couldn’t leave her here.
She is mine. And I will not fail her again.
Caelynn
Gentle rocking s
ets my body at ease, even as my mind spins. My body is numb. Slowly, a tingle begins in my fingers. It crawls up my arms and to my chest, which buzzes with an uncomfortable prickling.
I force my dry eyes open, and I see the sky.
Midnight blue, almost black, and scattered with stars glowing gloriously. Their patterns distract me, but I can’t focus on any one constellation. It’s beautiful. I just wish I could stay still to get a better look. But my head sways, making the twinkling stars continue to move.
I wasn’t supposed to ever see the stars again.
I groan and try to pull my head up.
“Shh. We’re almost home.”
Home?
Confusion and hazy memories twist over my mind. A dull ache grows in my limbs. “Rev?”
“I’m here,” he tells me.
“What... what’s happening?” I whisper. Where is he taking me? What is home? I haven’t had a true home in over a decade. Does he mean the cottage? Does that mean we are still alive?
My veins run cold. No. We couldn’t be alive. Is this home something else? Have we somehow passed beyond? To the light the spell book told me lies beyond the darkness.
“Heaven?” I mutter, words failing me.
Rev’s chest rumbles with laughter. “Not yet, angel.”
I groan and cling to his neck. Rev is carrying me, I realize. I am cradled in his arms like a child. I curl into his chest, willing to take the moment of happiness—even though I have no idea what’s happening.
Are we okay? Are we running from the Night Terror?
Rev doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. I blink as the stars are hidden behind translucent white leaves, shining rays of light all around. “Where...”
I watch the leaves peacefully drifting by. Maybe I don’t want to know. Maybe I just want to feel this peace. This warmth. Contentment I haven’t felt in... well, ever.
Minutes pass, and the leaves disappear, exposing the star-scattered sky once again.
Soul of Thorns (Wicked Fae Book 3) Page 19