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Waning and exhausted, I sag against him, lay my damp forehead on his chest, and burst into tears. I’ve given him everything…and it’s still not enough.
Because I’m never enough.
Marrok jerks under me suddenly. I pull back as he sucks in a deafening gasp and clamps a huge hand around my nape, jackknifing upright with a startled stare. His disconcertingly silver eyes—eyes I wasn’t sure I would ever see again—scan me with concern. “Love?”
“Oh, my god. I’m here,” I assure him, trying to shove off my sluggishness. I use the last of my strength to urge him back to the mattress. “Are you okay? Rest. You need rest. You…”
Finishing that sentence takes more energy than I have.
He sits up again with a scowl and yanks me onto his lap as if I weigh nothing. As if he’s got all the strength in the world. “Shh. Cry not. I am here. I am healed.”
Healed? I glance between our bodies. The jagged cut bisecting him is gone. Poof. Like it was never there. No gaping wound, no puckered flesh, no scar. Not even a scratch. Nothing. I blink in disbelief, but no. He’s whole.
Thrill and relief blend with his touch to buoy me. I throw my arms around him and absorb his strength. “Oh, my… You’re all right! You’re…perfect. I-I was so worried!”
He catches me in a fierce hug and presses a kiss to my temple. His soft stare says he’s grateful…and more. “Thanks to you, I am mended. Even now, I feel you through our bond.”
“Really?” I smile through my tears. For that shining moment, I feel complete. I’ll worry about tomorrow then. “How is that possible? How is any of this possible?”
“Your power, just like I said,” Bram supplies behind me. “Once transitioned, you won’t simply be a great witch. You’ll be a force to be reckoned with. You’re special.”
It’s probably silly since Bram is like the brother I never wanted, but his words make me feel special. My mom never treated me like I was. My dad? Most of the time I was with him, he wasn’t my dad at all. But having found magickind—the people I belong with—and accepted the destiny of my bloodline, I feel not just special but exceptional. Significant.
Truly important.
It’s something I’ve wanted my whole life…but where does that leave me with Marrok? Without him, nothing matters.
“He speaks true. Not only am I cured, but I feel pain again. I bleed. I am more human than I have been in centuries…for better or for worse.” Marrok smiles wryly.
Selfishly, I don’t want to say my next words. Now that he no longer has a use for me, he’ll probably leave. But I can’t hold him back. I can’t claim to love him and withhold what his heart desires most. “You are human again.”
Under me, he freezes. “’Did you release me from my curse?”
Bram shakes his head. “Olivia’s power is unparalleled for a witchling, but no. She only healed you, my friend.”
Marrok pauses as if scanning his memories. “My curse ended in the tunnel. I felt it. Mayhap ‘twas some spell Mathias performed?”
“A curse like the one Morgana laid on you couldn’t have been ended with a mere spell. Have you heard of such a possibility?” Bram asks the others.
“You know I have no idea. This bloody business of magic is shit I’m eager to avoid,” Caden assures. “Once we find Anka and restore my brother, I’ll be returning to Texas.”
“Transition is hard on your heels,” Bram warns.
“Says you.”
“How long before you turn thirty?”
Caden scowls. “How long before you help me find Anka?”
“I’ve never heard of magic stronger than the curse Morgana laid on Marrok.” Duke gracefully changes the subject. “But my family is more human than magical, so…”
Ice crosses his arms over his chest. “We don’t have a human gene in our bloodline for ten generations, and I’ve never heard of such magic, either.”
“If obscure dark magic could break a curse, Shock would know.” Bram cuts his glance in my direction. “You saw him last. Where did he shove off?”
“He disappeared with Mathias.”
Bram curses. “So we can’t ask the tosser. Was anyone able to retrieve the book?”
