And it works.
We can feel it, feel her gasping and whimpering settle into steady breaths while her heartbeat strengthens.
But we don’t dare move until the magic releases us – then even a few more minutes after that.
“It worked,” Roarke gasps, his forehead resting against her temple. “She’s alive.”
“Vexy,” Seth stutters, gulping, maybe even crying somewhere under his exhausted panting.
Killian rumbles, still holding her in the air, hard against his chest, and not looking like he’s ready to let her go – none of us are.
The Spring chose her, then Silva chose her, but fuck them all because I chose her first.
When I’m free from the most intense connection with Pax I have ever had, I shake myself up from the dark mist-covered floor of the inside of his mind and tilt my neck back to howl.
If he had more energy, he’d be pissed at me – he has never liked me doing that.
Instead, he offers Killian a nod that says, ‘Don’t let her go,’ then turns to inspect the body on the ground and the various parts of bodies strewn around.
Beautiful is alive – just. Barely. It was too close. They’re all dead, and he’s itching to fight, to kill, to demand the world pay for his pain.
He rolls his sword over in his hand again and again, pacing.
Hurting.
I flash an image of our Beautiful’s back into his mind, and instantly, he grabs at the distraction.
There’s no one else to kill except Lucif or Lithael or whoever the hell is on the throne, but the Black Castle is too far away – and the man who left scars on Beautiful’s back is just beyond the border. Now that I know he’s there, know what he did, know what kind of monster he is, I can smell him, and the scent is begging me to hunt.
No one talks as Killian passes Kitten up and into Seth’s arms. Seth’s horse doesn’t even move, as if sensing how precious its new cargo is.
She’s alive.
My body aches, struggling against exhaustion that pulls all words from my mind before they can form on my lips.
Doesn’t remove the relief.
She has a steady heartbeat that doesn’t require my power to keep it pumping in her chest, and her lungs are drawing in easy breaths. But Aeons, if this woman dies one more time, it will be the end of me.
Maybe this is my punishment for ending so many lives? Watching the one I love die again and again. Sounds about right.
I tie Kitten’s horse behind mine. There could be more enemies in these trees, but we can’t be sure, so we can’t stay here.
We also can’t stop looking at each other in disbelief.
Just another impossible thing. Healers can fuel a Saber’s existing magic, but the Saber’s body does all the work, directing the power through its normal subconscious effort. Kitten managed to concentrate hard enough to direct my power into one single broken arm. It took every bit of mental strength she had, but she had to be the one to do it. We couldn’t have pulled it off if she was unconscious.
Only, this time we did. Our powers knew her. They knew what to do.
Pax and Thane are battling for control. The fact that he gets on a horse just marginally shows who’s winning. But where they’re going… that has everything to do with his Alpha need to protect. The Cataclysm is dead. Shade’s attacker is dead. That leaves only one more person he needs to remove. Killian throws himself onto his big black gelding, the animal turning in sharp, agitated circles, waiting for the rest of us to mount up and get moving.
Seth’s already on his horse, with Kitten in his arms. It would be Pax, if Pax didn’t have something else on his mind. We circle round and head north. None of us able to, or daring to, speak.
Not a single word.
Disbelief is a powerful emotion.
Pax stops his mount and doubles back past each of us, looking us in the eye for an argument, though none of us challenge him. He stops beside Kitten, runs a hand down her cheek, then clicks loudly and spurs his horse, Killian a whole beat behind him, straight for the border.
Straight for the Manor.
We always knew this would be his reaction after seeing Kitten’s scars. But on top of everything, not a single one of us wants to talk him out of it. Seth and I continue into the night.
“About here?” Seth asks.
I look around and nod.
“Are you sure they’ll listen?”
I nod again and move into the lead, walking straight into the Tangled Forest.
Straight into vine territory.
It doesn’t take long for the forest to grow too thick for the horses.
“You want to let us through. The heart of your vines welcomes us as we mean you no harm and seek only protection,” I say, using the last of my Allure.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this drained. This empty. Being healed used my power too. Then healing her – I would happily use everything for that.
Everything.
The vines resist but ultimately move aside, creating a path then settling back into place. We ride in until we can feel Ximena, then stop. The Silvari trees are just as tall here, except they’re covered in sentient vines – curious creatures that unfurl to investigate our intrusion.
“A place to rest, please,” I try, and mostly fail to share our needs, fail to pull the magic.
But the vines creep back, letting early morning light in and uncovering a small pond in the center of what must have once been a really big boulder. It’s worn almost flat now, just enough of a groove in the middle to hold water. The ground is mostly moss, and the vines hover nearby like a crowd of eager children and suspicious elders.
I dismount and take Kitten from Seth, the guy giving a little
