I caught Faolan’s foot as it rocketed toward my head, but I didn’t have much strength left, and as I tried to twist it and break his knee, he pushed against me and threw me off balance. As I landed on my back, the breath left my lungs in a jarring whoosh, and I couldn’t draw new air to replace what I’d lost. Chest aching and eyes bulging, I was desperate for a deep breath. Faolan capitalized on my distress and brought his heel down on the center of my stomach. “Bastard!” I wheezed.
I hated this place-hated it with every fiber of my being. I was weakened, nearly impotent in this fucking Faerie Realm. I wanted to go home. I wanted to throw my hands up and just-
“Surrender.” Faolan finished my thought, kneeling so he could stare into my bashed and bloodied face. “You can’t stop what’s going to happen. So don’t try. I’ll kill you quick. I owe you that much for the part you’ve played. Just lie there and be still, and I’ll put an end to your suffering.”
My mind must’ve been addled, because I thought about closing my eyes, nice and compliant, as I waited for Faolan to deliver the sweet, blissful oblivion he promised. But, as always, Fate had other plans for me. I wasn’t thinking when I let my eyes wander to the spot where Brakae had been lying unconscious-the spot that was now unoccupied.
Faolan spun on the balls of his feet, rising to his full height. Brakae stood before him, the long dagger I’d discarded held aloft in her shaking hand. Bruises marred her beautiful face, blood dried and crusted on her robes. So much for true love.
I rolled onto my hands and knees and dragged in ragged gulps of breath. My lungs burned, and I wanted to throw up. But I didn’t have time.
“What are you going to do, my love?” Faolan’s voice was tender, concerned, as if the SOB hadn’t beaten and sliced her up earlier. “Would you kill me?”
“Y-yes.” Brakae’s voice quavered, her eyes brimming over with tears that spilled down her cheeks. “If you don’t stop, I will have no choice but to kill you.”
I pushed myself back up to my knees and took a moment to stabilize before standing. Brakae had Faolan’s undivided attention, her sapphire blue eyes glistening with a steady stream of tears. Her jaw trembled as she fought to keep it raised in a defiant set. But she was struggling; I could see the almost-imperceptible breakdown of her resolve. She’d loved him. Hell, she might’ve loved him still. I knew better than anyone what that felt like. I’d taken Azriel’s life, and despite everything he’d done to me, I’d held him close to my heart.
Faolan inched closer to Brakae. Her eyes darted from side to side, frantic like a trapped animal, and she flinched as he brought his hand up toward her face. “Don’t touch me.” She raised the dagger as a warning.
“If you feel nothing for me”-Faolan edged closer to Brakae and I tensed-“then do what you must.” He made a show of bearing his chest to her and lifted the tip of her blade with his fingertip, positioning it over his heart. “Your new Guardian couldn’t protect you. It was
The heavy dagger vibrated under Brakae’s trembling hand. She couldn’t kill him. Not the man she’d loved. She was Raif’s daughter, a warrior’s blood coursed through her veins, but she was no killer. If she had been, she wouldn’t have needed a Guardian to help protect the natural order.
Slowly, her fingers uncurled from around the dagger. Faolan had his back to me, but I didn’t have to see his face to know the triumph written there. He’d kill her, I had no doubt. He’d come too far, and his insanity had taken him to a place he couldn’t return from.
I no longer wobbled on my feet. My lungs rose and fell as I drew deep, steady breaths. I watched as the dagger slipped from Brakae’s hand, falling soundlessly in this place frozen in time. Faolan reached out, his hands curled into claws, and a snarl tore from his throat. I pushed at the ground, the heavy tread of my boots slipping and then catching hold of the snow.
“I’m sorry,” Faolan said as he reached for Brakae. “I will always love you.”
I jumped, arms outstretched, and shoved her out of the way before Faolan could seize her. It wasn’t a graceful maneuver by any standards as Brakae went flying, but it got the job done. I rolled in a swift, fluid motion and scooped the dagger into my grasp.
With a quick, upward stab, I aimed for the spot Faolan had laid bare for Brakae. The dagger sliced through skin, muscle, and bone as though his body were nothing more than a sheet of silk fabric. Veins of green glowed against the obsidian blade as Faolan pitched forward, knocking me backward. As he fell, the long dagger drove farther still, burying itself to the hilt.
I shimmied my legs up between us and used the leverage to roll him off me. Blood, red and bright, stained the pristine snow and covered my hands with a slick warmth that nauseated me. I’d never had such an attack of conscience before-unless you considered Azriel’s death. The tragedy of it all hit too close to home for me to feel anything but regret. Only love could drive a person so completely into the arms of madness.
“You are a Guardian worthy of the Order,” Faolan rasped. “My Enphigmale brothers would be proud to have you amongst their ranks.”
I knelt beside him, speechless.
“Thank you.” His breath labored in his lungs, an ugly, gurgling sound. “For protecting her.”
A scrambling noise drew my attention, and I looked up to see Brakae crawling through the snow, silent sobs catching in her throat. The dagger still protruded from Faolan’s chest, and I pulled with everything I had left, determined to provide Brakae with a slightly less gruesome image to remember her beloved by.
Taking the dagger with me, I turned my back as Brakae gently lowered herself on to his torso and wept in earnest. Had she been able to look into his eyes one last time before he faded away? I refused to intrude upon her private moment by turning back to see. Brushing away hovering snowflakes, I limped to the stone podium at the center of the ring of stones. A
I approached the hourglass with caution. It wasn’t every day I attempted to set time aright. My ring glowed white on the neck of the broken half as if waiting to be put to work. Love really was an amazing thing. It could mend hearts, break them, and bend the very fabric of time and space. It bowed to no one, and could bring you to your knees for the right person. My eyelids drooped; I was keeping my eyes open by sheer force of will. Damn, I wanted to sleep for a century or more. But my job wasn’t finished-yet.
Chapter 31
I stared unblinkingly at the hourglass for what seemed like forever. I looked around past the ring of stones at the naked tree branches and snowflakes dotting the air.
All I had to do was reach out and pluck my ring from the neck of the glass, but my brain was having a hard time getting my arm, hand, and fingers to obey the command. How could I face Tyler again? My actions had been a betrayal of our love. Shame boiled in my stomach, twisting it with regret.
“Just reach out and take it, Darian.” Moira’s voice was soft, soothing.
She stood behind me, and I didn’t turn to face her. “When did you come to?”
“Too late to be of any use.”
“Sorry about that.” I really was. “I shouldn’t have knocked you out.”
“No. And I won’t forget it either.” She sounded playful, but the moment was too somber for comic relief. “You did well.”
I choked on a sob, swallowing it down. “Yeah, well, I don’t think I’ll be counting it as a victory.”
“No,” Moira whispered. “This is indeed a tragedy.”
Understatement of the century. “Just reach out and grab it, huh?”
“The ring belongs to you.”
“It’s not going to explode or spontaneously burst into flames?”
Moira laughed without humor. “Not likely. Just take it, Darian. Trust.”
