Death was pressing in. As its shadow slid over Rune, Antonio’s words echoed inside her:
Sometimes our paths must diverge from those we love. But if love is the highest power, our paths will converge again—if not in this world, then the next.
Pressing her hand to Gideon’s heart, Rune whispered: “Come find me in the next world.”
And then Death found her.
SEVENTY-SIXGIDEON
GIDEON THOUGHT HE’D ALREADYseen rock bottom.
How wrong he’d been.
The moment she stopped breathing, he knew it. As her body went limp in his blood-soaked hands, all he could do was stare at her, disbelieving.
She’s gone.
As the sobs crawled up his throat, Gideon dropped his forehead to hers.
Cressida was shrieking somewhere behind him. Cursing his name. Her presence like an imminent hurricane.
He didn’t care. The world beyond him was nothing but a blur.
Let her come.
Gideon was still cradling Rune in his arms when the witch queen’s shadow slid over him.
“You have no idea, the ways I’ll make you suffer for this.”
He tore his gaze from Rune’s face and looked up at her.
Spellmarks were inked in blood down her bare arms and rage contorted her face. Her hair billowed in the wind as if she were a storm incarnate.
Her presence was a deafening thunder.
As she spoke, she smeared more blood onto her arms, forming symbols. The air sparked with magic. Her fingers crackled with lightning.
Cressida flung out her hands, hurling the bolt at Gideon.
The air sizzled and cracked. The immense power should have knocked him flat on his back—instead, it ricocheted off him, as if hitting some unseen armor, and struck Cressida instead.
Shelanded flat on her back.
What the hell?
Still cradling Rune, Gideon watched Cressida roll over, groaning with pain. She shook her head and pushed herself to standing. Beyond her, the witches who’d crossed the bridge hung back, glancing uneasily from their queen to Gideon.
Spinning to face him, Cressida’s eyes narrowed to slits. Pulling the gun holstered at her hip, she raised it and fired.
The bullet should have been a direct hit; she was only a few strides from him. But again, Gideon felt it rebound, flying straight for Cressida, missing her face by a hair.
He remembered the enchantment Rune had once cast on his jacket.
It’s for repelling harm,she’d told him.Like armor, the spellmarks will deflect a knife aimed at your chest, or make bullets bounce off you.
He glanced down at the girl in his arms, her eyes closed forever.
Had Rune done this? Cast one last spell of protection, somehow?
