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Can you do this, Ethan? You’ll have to leave the battling to everyone else? Can you do that?
That’s when he understood the full breadth of what Samantha’s presence in his life had come to mean, that now he could do what had before been impossible. Yes, I can turn the battle over to Finn and Quinlan: I trust each with my life.
Good. But she sounded strained, her voice faint in his mind. Because the time has almost come. I’m very weak right now and his personal frequency is pounding hard, demanding admittance.
Samantha, just tell me, what is the signal for our forces to begin battling?
When I fall to the ground.
Oh, sweet Goddess. He didn’t know if he could bear the sight without reacting before he should.
You can do this, Ethan. Now, let everyone else know. It won’t be long. Maybe half-a-minute from now.
Ethan closed down the communication and sought Finn and Quinlan. He outlined what Samantha had related to him. Each was ready. Quinlan had brought a hundred-and-twenty-five of his Guard from Grochaire. This might just work.
He could only watch now and wait for the signal.
But nothing happened. Instead, Ry kept drinking like he couldn’t stop.
Ethan pathed to Samantha. He won’t stop. Samantha, we have to do something together to break him right now.
So weak.
I’m going to send my personal frequency straight at you. Just turn and embrace me with your faeness, that’ll give you some strength. Once that happens, I’ll hit Ry with a jolt of my own. My guess is, his rage will fly off the charts and instead of reconnecting with the ancient fae, he’ll want to battle me. When he breaks free of you and turns in my direction, just drop to the ground as planned.
Okay.
Using all the power he could muster, he focused on his personal frequency and sent it straight at Samantha. She responded and the moment her faeness touched him, he sent a stream of power through the pathway, found Ry’s frequency and sent a jolt straight toward him.
As predicted, Ry came off Samantha’s neck roaring his rage and turning at the same time toward Ethan, his eyes blood red.
Samantha dropped to the ground.
And all hell broke loose.
Finn and Kyle attacked Ry with short-swords so that he had to shift his attention away from Ethan, away from the dark fae, and toward to fellow Guardsmen holding nothing back.
At the same time, Ethan’s Guard turned on the Invictus and the battle was on, more visceral than usual since they didn’t have time to form the battle shield. The sound of metal weapons clashed in the night air.
Ethan used his dagger to release himself from the now powerless web-trap, doing the same for the Guardsmen next to him. He ordered both to engage in battle.
He heard a wailing sound and the stench of the ancient fae grew strong around him. She’d lost control. He tried to see her, to find her, but she had tremendous shielding capacity.
But apparently without Ry, she was incapable of action.
Ethan shot up the gorge, but instead of engaging in the fight, he picked Samantha up in his arms, and carried her away from the fighting.
She was very weak, but she pathed, Fly me to the monolith. I’ve felt the crystals calling to me for the past few minutes. I can find strength there.
He took her to the eastern ridge and the rock outcropping that had once held the waterfall. He carried her to the ledge from which the water had once spilled and fed Sweet Gorge Stream.
But the ancient fae magic clung to the space and at the same time her stench grew stronger.
The fae is here.
He nodded. Just ignore her. She can’t act apart from Ry, not in this form.
I can sense that as well.
She breathed deeply and smiled. He felt her strength return just as her blood-supply began renewing at light-speed.
Ethan looked at the cave-like opening from which the water had at one time emerged. “Samantha, did you see this in your vision?”
She shook her head, staring into the cave.
“But you can feel the crystals?”
“Yes, absolutely.” She stood straighter now, stronger.
Ethan turned her to face him. “What do you think would happen if you engaged these crystals right now, with me, with our joint power?”
Her lips parted. “Do you think we could break this apart? Remove the dam?”
“Maybe. Maybe that’s what we’re meant to do, but there’s something I need to say first.”
“What?” She looked startled.
“I love you. Just wanted to say it. But I love you, Samantha.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I love you, too.” She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight.
He wanted to prolong the moment, but they had a job to do first.
He nodded in three quick dips of his chin. “Good. We can talk later.”
She smiled, she even chuckled. Then she leaned her head against his chest, and he felt her open her faeness to the wealth of blue crystals inside the upper birth of the monolith that flattened to a long plain to the east, a place partially hidden all these years.
He felt the flow of her power begin and saw that the air surrounding her now filled with violet-silver light.
But nothing happened.
She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. Then she drew back.
“We need to be bonded,” he said. “Is that what you’re sensing? In order for this to happen?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “I’m ready, but I’ll only do this if you are as well.”
Peace flowed through him like nothing he’d ever known before. “I want to bond with you more than I’ve wanted anything in my long-lived life. Will you have me, Samantha, as deeply flawed as I am, impulsive and stubborn, will you have me?”
“I will. But will you have me? I’ve not been the easiest person to be around over the last few days and I’m stubborn, too.”
He stared into light blue eyes and knew he’d never forget this moment, of love passing back and forth between them, the sweetest vibration he’d ever known. “Without question.”
“I love you, Ethan with all my heart.”
He nodded and pulled her into his arms. He let her feel his answering love as he opened his personal frequency to her. At the same time, her faeness became a vast world for him to explore as she held nothing back. His frequency passed inside and she embraced him fully.
I willingly bind myself to you, Mastyr Ethan of Bergisson.
And I with you, Samantha of Shreveport and now my realm.
The bond clicked in place, and sent a responding vibration back through his frequency and up and out. The same happened for Samantha as she drew back and arched her neck.
