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KEENAN
“But…” I stare down at Vanessa and as I watch, her last breath leaves her lips. “No!” I press my head to her chest, but I hear nothing. I narrow my eyes at Mags. “Bring her back.”
Mags’s face crumples in anguish. “I can’t.” Her voice cracks. “You know I can’t.”
“Bring her back! You did this, now you fix it.”
“Keenan, I – ”
Rush drags her away from me. He’s right to do it. I’m seconds away from attack.
I sweep the shocked crowd, hating them all for not saving her. “Leave!” I bellow. “Get the fuck out of here.”
A scream of anger momentarily pulls me from my grief. Pinky is staring at Vanessa, dragon fire leaping to her eyes. “Vanessa,” she says brokenly and rushes for the cliff, leaping off.
“Pinky, no!” Angel screams.
A dragon thunders into the sky, roaring so loud rocks slide down the cliff peppering the people below. The witches lift their shield to protect the humans.
Pinky shrieks fire into the night as she shoots away, her massive wings throwing gusts of wind at us.
Vanessa’s body shifts in my hands. Under my astonished gaze she starts to disintegrate, her body turning to ash in my arms. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know!” Mags says desperately, pacing away from Rush. “The spell was a longshot, but if she died, then she should just be… dead. I don’t understand this.”
In seconds, she’s gone and I’m left holding nothing but a fistful of ashes.
My wolf screams in pain, throwing himself against the wall of my humanity, attempting to push me back so he can avenge our dead mate. I try to leash him, but he’s strong, stronger than I’ve ever felt him. Losing Vanessa is the final straw.
I punch the rock wall next to me, the pain shooting through my knuckles a welcome respite from the grief. I do it again and again, flecks of blood flying as I revel in the pain of my ravaged flesh.
“Keenan, don’t.” Rachel grabs my shoulders, trying to pull me away. I shove her hard enough that she falls on her ass and continue punching the mountain, ignoring the shrieking humans.
Rush and Lock grip my arms, dragging me back. I try to fight free, but Sarina and Rachel leap in to help, all of them clinging to me, making it impossible to shake them off.
“Look!” Mags’s shout freezes us. She points to where Vanessa’s body disintegrated. The ashes are lifting off the ground in a graceful smoky spiral.
“What’s happening?” I ask hoarsely.
Mags’s eyes meet mine and her lips turn up into a relieved smile. “From the ashes she will rise, a phoenix reborn. She’s transforming, just not the way I thought she would.”
I hardly dare to hope.
Lock grips my shoulder and we watch in breathless silence as the ash twines and twists, faster and faster, a golden glow coming from within the tiny storm. It grows bigger, moving faster, bursts of yellow and red shooting out from the smoke.
I don’t dare to take my eyes off it as it takes the shape of a bird, its wings sweeping out from its sides in gusting sweeps. As it rises, the ash falls away, revealing a stunning phoenix, fire licking at its wings and body.
I can feel the mating bond again, strong as ever. I can feel her!
My mate is alive!
* * *
VANESSA
I have wings. Oh my god, I have wings!
I flap them experimentally and tip over, tumbling to the ground. I pick myself up and take a tentative step, gasping when I see a huge group of people looking down at me with varying expressions of astonishment. They’re all so big!
