“Won’t you be cold?” I asked. “We can stay here awhile longer until the storm passes.”
Corvin smiled at me. “It must be the essence of the Winter Court within me—but I’ve always found the first snow of the season rather invigorating. The cold doesn’t bother me so much. I’ll be back to warm you up.” After the kiss we’d just shared, the words were more than just a kind offer; they were a sensual promise. I shivered, but not from the weather. “I’ll be waiting,” Ireplied, wanting nothing more than to feel Corvin’s arms around me again.
Forget blankets. The memory of his lips against mine was all I needed to burn away the cold. A lightness spread throughout my body as I waited for him to return, giddy with the knowledge he felt the same way about me, that we were in each other’s lives and in each other’s dreams. I twirled around the alleyway, suddenly flooded with so much positive emotion I found it necessary to move, to bask in the glow of my happiness.
Warmth blossomed in my chest—
A tall, shadowy silhouette filled the alleyway entrance, veiled within a thick, wintery flurry of falling snow. It wasn’t Corvin. A strange man emerged from the snow instead, casually brushing away the white powder heaped on his shoulders, without acknowledging my presence. He took another step toward me, and I instinctively took a step backward, something about his lack of greeting and the eerie, silent way he moved setting off alarm bells in my head.
Warmth blossomed in my chest—
And with it, a red stain, rapidly spreading across the front of my tunic.
There was a second man behind me. And a sword sticking out of my chest.
My assailant whispered in my ear, his voice a heartless sneer. “Let it be known that Archlord Ramon’s vow has finally been fulfilled. You put up more of a fight than the others, Moon Witch, and for that you should be commended. For all the supposed power of the Midnight Sovereign, your predecessors have always been soeasyto kill. You should have never left your island. You should have never been so insolent as to step foot within the Spring Court. You have no apprentice. The Midnight Sovereign is no more. Your body will languish here, and the magic of your island will finally crumble right alongwith it.” The moment the blade sliced back through me, a pain unlike anything I had ever felt before radiated through my chest, a white-hot searing agony which rapidly seeped into every thought, every sensation, every pore within my battered body.
I slumped against the alleyway wall, my fingers covered in my own blood.
A tear ran slowly down my face. I’d come so far, gained so much—only to lose it all.
My assailants didn’t stick around. They fled the alleyway, instantly swallowed back up into the snowstorm.
I clutched my chest, trying to apply pressure to the gaping wound severing my flesh, but there was no stemming the heavy flow of blood. My vision was fading, mylifewas fading. If I could just hold on until Corvin and Nix returned—just hold on a moment longer—
Then maybe…I could tell them…that I didn’t want to leave them.
That it was memories oftheirfaces, memories of our recent adventures, that flashed before my eyes, momentarily dispelling the encroaching darkness. I whimpered in pain, the contraction of my lungs filling my mouth with blood. My arms fell away from my chest as I became too weak to hold them in place.
Just hold on a moment longer—
A wet nose nudged my cold, numb hand. Nix…
“No. No, not again.” His voice became a guttural yowl. “NOT THIS TIME.No.”
“I’m…sorry…Nix…” Thick blood clogged my throat, preventing me from saying more.
“No,Little Moon. You have nothing to be sorry about. You’ve done so well, so well. This is my fault… I’ve failed you… I should have told you more…prepared you better…been less afraid to instruct you…This wasn’t supposed to happen…why does thiskeep happening…You deserve to live… YOU DESERVE TO LIVE.”
The sound of light footsteps broached the alleyway, followed by someone breaking out into a run. My vision was nearly gone, my entire world narrowing to shadow, but still I recognized Corvin’s panicked voice. “What’s happened? Nix, what’s happened?ELVIRA!No…how…I don’t understand…there’s so much blood…” A shattered scream tore from his throat. “Help! Somebody help us!What can I do? What can I do?Just hang in there, Elvira.I—I’ll think of something…my cloak…why don’t I have my cloak…”
He moved my body, tenderly cradling me against his chest. There was no pain anymore—just warmth and memories. Corvin pressed his face close, sobbing into my hair. “You’re my…you’re my… I can’t…I can’t lose you… I’m not ready to lose you… Please…please, Elvira…don’t go,” he pleaded, and when he pulled away, my vision returned, a single, shining moment of light and clarity spent staring into Corvin’s eyes, spent basking in the love and resolve that burned in his gaze before the darkness finally found me.
Before everything went cold—
Before my heart ceased to thump forevermore.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Iawoke in fire—wholly enveloped within its flickering embrace. Ribbons of red-gold magic swirled and danced amongst the flames, a soft, vibrating whisper across my naked skin. The magic was tentative, but insistent. Trying to offer me something.
The flames didn’t burn me. They couldn’t. I was so very cold. Too cold. Dead. The memory of my death came rushing back, forcing me to confront the truth—I was no longer alive. And yet, strangely—here I was, sitting calmly, while flames lapped all around me.
Again, the magic caressed me. Except this time, its red-gold tendrils burned, not soothed, causing me to jerk away from its touch. I could feel its frustration at my retreat. It was trying to help me. Was the magic strong enough? To burn away death? To warm my body again? The promise of life hummed tantalizingly within each flow and eddy of its swirling pattern.
And I understood then, if I wanted to live, that I was going to have to walk through the flame.
To let myself be consumed.
