Brennan was crying tears of blood over him, and Violet fell to her knees just beyond his reach. At least his beloved, his Violet, would live if he lay dormant. Violet was safe.
It was with Violet’s image filling his mind and his soul that he closed his eyes, and one last time, pushed the only words that ever mattered in his life through their bond.
I love you, Violet. My beloved.
Chapter 27
The agony of watching Finn die before her eyes caused Violet to shatter, her scream reverberating over the walls in a deafening echo. All around her their friends were still as statues, as stunned as she was by what just happened.
It was impossible to breathe or to shed a tear; what she felt was way beyond that. There was no reason to remain on this earth if Finn O’Malley was not walking it by her side. With her eyes transfixed on the unmoving man on the ground, her beloved, Violet didn’t care about the rest and didn’t even react when Brennan approached her. Protected behind his shield, there was nothing she could do to avenge Finn.
Someone yelled behind her, either Hunter or Soren, when two strong arms pulled her inside.
Brennan, face streaked with bloody tears brought her upright as the others, left behind the barrier, bashed against it with all their might.
“Let her go! Now!” Soren was roaring like the weredragon he was.
“Don’t you see the damage you’ve done? You’ve condemned them both.” Layla, despite her size, was as formidable as ever.
Ignoring everything else, Brennan brought her to Finn and helped her to kneel. That was all Violet wanted in this world, if she had to die, it would be in her beloved’s arms.
Her hands went to his face, set in stone for eternity, and she sobbed as her lips brushed his temple. His skin was quickly losing the little heat it had, and she tightened her grip around him, afraid he’d disappear.
“Witch. He’s not dead.”
The words took time to cut through the noise outside the bubble and the thick turmoil inside her. Not touching her, Brennan crouched as close as possible so he was almost at eye level with her, however, when he put a hand on Finn’s shoulder, she shoved him away.
“Don’t you dare touch him! You killed him! You killed your own brother! Didn’t you know how much he grieved for you when you were separated? How many times he thought about you?”
Finn may not have told her everything, but Violet remembered vividly how he’d felt when Brennan appeared, the swirl of emotions was undeniable through their bond.
“Witch, I heard your words, and they made more sense than ever. I didn’t know my brother had found his beloved. I know you want me to say that I regret it, but I can’t. You don’t know the toll it takes to live forever, and my brother wasn’t spared either. I think he would’ve ended his existence if not for you, and even then, I don’t know if the darkness will always leave him alone. I don’t have someone with your light, and for that reason, I’ll never feel again or exist as a human, but my brother has that chance. I was desperate, but I’d gladly return to the bowels of the earth so that Finn can live.”
Again, he put his hand on Finn’s shoulder. The touch was tender. “I always thought I pursued my quest for myself. For a chance to be reunited with my family again, with my brother. Now I know Finn found love, my quest has changed. I want my brother to have the gift of becoming a man again. And only you can offer him that. Both of you can do it. I didn’t kill him.”
It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, the fire in her belly was starting to tear her apart, but she focused on what Brennan was saying. “We are bonded. I believe you when you say you haven’t killed him, because if you had, I would no longer be here. But I’m dying because of you. You’ve condemned your brother!”
“No! I know the power of a beloved, the link between them, and I think it’s because you’re bonded that you will survive this. That was the piece I didn’t see. I thought I’d need to sacrifice a witch to gain my mortality, but with death, there is life. The circle is necessary to complete the spell. And that circle expands to you both as you have a greater strength that keeps you alive, because of my brother.”
Lost, Violet put a hand on the silver disc over Finn’s heart. “Why did you stab him? To get a reaction out of me?”
“No, it was an offering. The final push and my gift. My life for his. Save him now.”
Violet didn’t fully understand, but she would seize the opportunity, maybe the only one she had to save herself, and consequently save Finn.
“How do I do that? What am I supposed to do?”
Brennan relaxed and helped her up. “I will share with you what I learned. But first, I need you to make me a promise.”
It was too good to be true, so she nodded and braced for what he had to say.
“I want you to end me once it’s over. I’m giving my brother the life he wanted, but in return, I don’t want to continue living as a vampire. However, my hand still rejects the idea of ending my life. I can’t do it alone.”
“Brennan… you can’t ask me to kill you. Death is not the answer. If we succeed, it means I can do the same to you, too.”
For the first time, a sincere smile came to his handsome face, and she could now see the resemblance between the brothers.
“It’s a one-man chance. The power churning inside you needs to get
