Layla seemed unsure for the first time in her life. “I’m way out of my depth here, child. I don’t know what to tell you. I fear the impact on you and Finn. I don’t want to lose you, Violet.”
Her mentor’s words rang deep as she spoke from her heart. “We can test it. It’s worth a shot.”
Without waiting for Layla’s answer, she went to kneel on the other side of Brennan and reached for Finn, touching his hand until he turned his tear-stained face toward her.
“Finn, do you want to test something? We don’t have time for a long explanation, but maybe we can try to save your brother. Not a promise, but a possibility.”
Brennan opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He wasn’t in a position to refuse anything, so she ignored his plea.
“What? What can we do?”
Violet offered Finn her hand and put her other one on Brennan’s chest. “Just follow my lead. Close your eyes and connect with me.”
Finn did as she requested, and she could immediately feel him in her head, skimming through her thoughts and knowledge until she felt him hesitate, doubting what she believed. He was greatly opposed to the idea of possessing the powers of a necromancer, but when she pushed at him with the fact that it might be the only hope to save his brother, he didn’t hesitate.
With her powers unsteady and Finn unused to them, it was a dangerous and unstable situation, but she hoped that with the circle still mostly untouched and the silent support of everyone inside and outside the house, this feat might be possible.
The summons between the two forces flared up way faster than she’d anticipated. Between her lack of experience and his desperation, Violet expected trouble, but what happened next surprised her. No hiccup, no fight, the dark and light inside them both came together like lovers through their bond, without a struggle or pain and flowed out of them toward Brennan.
Soren gasped, and Layla padded closer. Violet opened her eyes, keeping a stronghold on the power and link. Brennan was shaking, and Soren put a hand on the handle of the blade, looking at her for her signal, as it needed to be removed to save him.
In a silent plea, she urged Finn to increase his power, to let go despite the unknown, and once he did, she nodded at Soren. The weredragon pulled the blade out, and blood gushed, but Violet closed her eyes, staying with Finn for the final push.
After everything that had happened, there wasn’t much fuel in her, but Violet didn’t want to let Finn and his brother down. Shaking, her body starting to buckle, but she pushed through. Finn, who was in the throes of these new powers, felt her faltering.
Love?
The worry in his tone was undeniable.
Just a little more, we just need a little more. As soon as I feel how I did when I saved you, we will stop.
Digging deep, and before Finn could talk her out of it, she opened the floodgate of her primal powers, the deepest inside her, and white light flooded her to the point where she lost her vision. And then, Finn’s calming darkness enveloped her, and she shut down, hoping her gamble had worked, and if not, that Finn would forgive her.
Chapter 28
Violet didn’t have to open her eyes to know she had the worst headache of her life. How much booze had she downed to achieve this level of throbbing? The fog made it difficult to remember, and when she dared to turn to her side in her bed, something shifted beside her.
“Violet? Darling?”
Finn’s voice filled her world, and she rolled in his direction, too caught up in discomfort to utter a word.
Love? You have to answer me. You’re scaring me to death, and I don’t want to die anymore.
The words in her head lessened the pressure some until they made sense. There hadn’t been a wild party last night, but one of the most powerful magical sessions of her life.
Finn was human. Burying even closer to him, she put her arms around him, searching for his skin, and pressed her ear against his chest.
A low groan rumbled in his chest, but it was the steady beat against her ear and the warmth of his body that finally pushed the tiredness and headache away. “It worked. I can’t believe it worked.”
Finn relaxed at her words and caressed her hair. There was such calmness in the link between them, it engulfed their reality. Only then did she open her eyes.
They were in a room at Sanctuary, she recognized it as the one she usually used when visiting. The sun was low over the horizon, barely lighting the room as it started to rise.
Minute by minute, she returned to reality until she remembered what had made her lose consciousness in the first place. “Brennan!”
She pushed against Finn until she could sit and see his face. The room was chilly, and she realized she was only wearing a t-shirt and panties. Finn was still fully clothed and wrapped part of the comforter around her before settling to answer her question.
“Brennan is alive.” He shook his head. “I didn’t believe I’d ever say that. It’s weird on so many levels. He’s resting in a room nearby. Just so you know, Layla is pissed at you. You scared everybody when you collapsed over Brennan.
“I’ve never been so tired or exhausted, but I panicked and went to you. I was ready to accept my brother’s death, but I couldn’t accept you sacrificing your life for him. You had fainted, and Layla said it could happen if a witch exhausted her powers to the very limit. Some sort of kill switch to make sure you can’t kill yourself from emptying your powers.
“It was scary, nonetheless. I was holding you in my arms when Brennan woke, healed and human again.”
