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A swirl of energy gathers at Kai’s fingertips as we near, every stair making the reality hit harder, like a punch to the gut. The beginnings of a portal shimmer to life, a dot in the air that grows bigger and bigger by the second. Valeria’s grip tightens on my hand and for a moment, I don’t want to let go.
Would she hate me if I took her away? If I simply hid her against her will, until the deal timed out? Could she ever forgive me if I did?
“Don’t take this choice for her,”Kai says into my head.“Trust me.”
I meet his eyes as we reach the cobblestone, and the air hums with magic, thick enough to taste.
"I’m—" She swallows hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m not sure how to say goodbye.”
"Then don’t.” I turn toward her, tucking her dark hair behind her pointy ears. “But I won't forget you, Starlight. Not in a thousand lifetimes."
"Until we meet again, Starlight," I say, cupping her behind her neck and bringing our foreheads together. I close my eyes a moment, then plant a kiss on her brow.
"In the next life," she breathes as I pull away. Her emerald gaze finds mine and the sheer sight of the tears threatening to fall from her eyes is like a vise around my heat.
"Turn around," I say gently. "Lift your hair."
She complies, and with shaky hands, I unclasp Jade’s necklace from my neck. The metal feels like ice against my fingers, or maybe it's just the loss already setting in. Looping the chained pendant around her throat, the silver chain rests against the golden one of her red stone, the one that gives her magic.
Valeria’s arms move, like she’s reached up to touch it, but I can’t bring myself to see how it looks on her. All I know is no one has ever captivated me the way Jade had until her. No one. And I hope that the magic in that pendent, the one that houses a piece of my soul, will keep her safe. I hope she looks down and senses my presence there. That it gives her comfort and reminds her someone believes she’s beautiful.
"Don’t turn around," I whisper in her ear, staring at the portal a couple of feet in front of us.
My brother’s men have already poured through that swirling light, but he’s still waiting for Valeria beside it, watching us. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was on the verge of tears, too.
"Just walk," I say, my voice raw with unshed emotion. "It'll be easier, I promise."
It’s a lie. There's nothing easy about this.
With one last touch, a brush of her soft skin, I step back. She nods once, so small, so brave that fractures my heart anew. Her steps carry her toward the portal where Kai waits, hand outstretched, reading to steal her away from me.
Kai reaches out, taking her hand, and guides her toward the shimmering gateway. But at the threshold, she hesitates, turning back to give me one last smile, one last look. My gaze falls to the necklace, and I catch the white glow emanating from within the crystal. The sight steals the breath from my lungs, and a quiet gasp escapes me.
My heart lurches, every beat a drum of war within my chest, but I remain motionless, watching the glowing crystal as she enters that portal. I’m too stunned to move, to speak. The crystal should only glow when it touches my soul or my mates, yet it gleams against her skin, a flare of light so bright that sears through the space between us.
She’s… my mate.
Valeria grips the pendant I gave her, her form barely visible from within the portal as Kai tries to pull her through. Her hair whips through the air, and that image will forever be burned into my brain. Panic claws up my throat, but it’s too late. There's no time for words, for declarations or pleas.
The portal swallows her whole, and as it fades, so does a piece of me, leaving nothing but shadows and the memory of her touch. The air dies down, leaving me rooted in place, like a statue cursed with a beating heart. Suddenly, I’m drowning, and pain radiates into every bone.
I just let my mate leave. I agreed to honor her wishes to be the sacrificial lamb and marry a man she doesn’t love, for my family, for our kingdom, for the peace of both of our people.
No… No, no, no. This is all wrong.
32
Asmodeus
Alice knew.
And she didn’t fucking say anything?
She just let Valeria leave.
Alice is the only person with access to Jade’s soul. It was kept in Hell Hold for a reason. And I know damn well my brother doesn’t have an itch for creating happily ever afters.
The signs were all there. At the keep, the day I was stabbed, she'd asked me if I thought I could ever fall in love again. Why now? Why, after all of these years of knowing each other, was she interested in my love life?
