Blessed darkness dropped over her, and she knew no more.
Chapter Thirty-Five, plus next book preview
Calan skidded to a halt at the edge of his prison. Dirt was filling in the sinkhole, burying it. With Harley inside.
“No!”
He called on the well of power he rarely tapped into. Energy rushed into him. He directed it into the hole. Dirt and rocks whipped upward, forming a cyclone. The whirlwind grew until it towered hundreds of feet into the air. It hung for a breathless moment, then burst, showering the area with soot and stone.
He yanked the force back. His gaze darted to the partially collapsed entrance of his prison. Fear rushed up. He swung his legs over the lip and let gravity pull him in. He slid down the sloped banks, pushed to his feet, and raced into the hell he’d thought he’d escaped for good.
The tunnel had collapsed in several spaces. He clawed at the rocks, used his shoulders to widen the gaps and kept crawling, deeper and deeper, into the bowels of the earth. He didn’t care if the ceiling buried him. He’d dig himself out. Nothing would stop him from getting to Harley.
He cleared the last obstruction and raced into his cell. His attention zeroed in on the female he loved and had given up.
Harley hung from the manacles that had bound him. Her head slumped forward. The wild mess of her curls obscured her face. Throughout the platinum strands, black streaks bisected her hair. The change meant something. He didn’t know what, nor did he have time to ponder it. The stillness of her chest worried him more.
He ran the few feet separating them and tipped up her chin. “Wake up, flower.”
She didn’t stir.
He gently shook her. “Harley, it’s me.”
Nothing.
She couldn’t die. The knowledge didn’t explain the cold, clammy touch of her skin nor the fact that her heart didn’t beat. He pried her eyelids open.
Vacant.
“No, she can’t be dead. She’s a fairy. Immortal.” He shook her again, harder than before. Panic seized him. “Dammit, Harley, open your eyes!”
Any minute, the healing process would begin. She’d start breathing again, but a minute passed, then two. Still nothing. She grew colder.
He opened his mind to Rhys. “Brother, what happened?”
Silence met him.
Calan lifted his head. His eyes widened at the alteration to his cell. Open alcoves replaced the sleek stone walls, each leading to another room, another cell. His prison had been the center. His siblings hung lifeless from their chains. Although no black streaks bisected their hair, their slumped bodies mimicked Harley’s.
What had happened?
He reached out metaphysically and examined the barrier separating Hell from the human world. Not mended, but the deterioration had returned to the state it had been when he’d been released.
They’d sacrificed to stop the barrier from cracking open completely. It was the only explanation. Not their pain, that was obvious. They couldn’t suffer while unconscious. They’d sacrificed something more precious. What?
He glanced at Harley. Dead. She looked dead.
He slipped his finger into the torn fabric of her shirt. Blood coated the swell of her breast, but there was no wound. He spun and raced to the bed. The key no longer lay on the pillow. He tossed the sheets aside, crawled on his hands and knees and spotted a glint of silver. He snatched it and hurried back to Harley.
On his knees, he unlocked her feet. Her body sagged. He wrapped an arm around her waist and stretched for her bound wrist. A click, and the manacle opened. Harley tumbled against him. He carried her dead weight to the bed and laid her out. She didn’t move. He stared at her sprawled on the sheets and didn’t know what to do. A long moment passed before he climbed onto the bed. He reached for her hand and froze.
A circle showed on her palm.
Her circle.
“She never gave the words. I made sure of it.” The knowledge didn’t change what his eyes showed him. She’d completed the bond, but he’d ripped his half away.
And killed her?
“No, please, no.” He cupped her cheeks and kissed her cold lips. Over and over, he worshipped her. He willed his life to hers, prayed he could return what he’d taken. “Harley, don’t leave me alone.”
Calan covered her mouth with his and breathed into her, hoping to share his warmth with her. “Love you, my flower, love you always.”
Harley sighed. Her lips moved against his. He jerked back. Beautiful blue eyes focused on him.
“Harley?”
“Don’t ever leave me again.” Her teeth chattered with each word.
“Never, by the gods, never. I love you.”
A small smile spread over her angelic face. “Good. Now kiss me, Calan. I’m cold.”
“Yes.” He bent his head and captured her mouth, kissing her with teeth, tongue, and love. His essence poured into Harley with each breath he fed her. The silken second skin that had tied them together slipped through her once more but instead of acting as a barrier, it melded them together. Her essence joined with his, and her purity resonated through them.
The chaotic taint staining her body and soul was gone. She was half-human, half-Seelie and all his.
“My mate.”
She trailed her fingertips over his cheek. “My love.”
Her touch brought with it the awareness of each of his siblings. Rhys first, then Tegan. The others stirred, and he was reunited with each of his brothers and sisters.
He leaned back and stared into her eyes. “You did it.”
She held out her hand. Two overlapping circles showed on her palm. “We did it.”
He twined their fingers. “Yes, but I never want to be forced to make such a decision again. Losing you nearly destroyed me.”
“We’ll never have to. We’re mated, bound to each other for eternity.” She grinned. “Come on. Let’s go release your family.”
Out of habit, Calan went to Rhys first. Rhys remained silent while Calan unlocked him. Free of the bindings, Rhys extended his right hand, palm up. In the center was a black jagged line that extended
