Gods, I hated this. But I saw the truth in Selene’s words. One of us had to die to free the other. There was no softening that truth.
“Do you know where he is?” Lucien asked.
Selene shook her head. “No, not precisely. But I can cast a spell that’ll illuminate whatever remains of the connection between Trystan and Isadora. And you can follow that trail right to him.”
“Good,” Lucien said.
“That means I’m going,” I said.
Lucien’s head whipped toward me. “Absolutely not.”
“You don’t get to make that decision.”
“You’re not thinking clearly?—”
“I’m thinking perfectly clear,” I snapped. “This is my mess, Lucien. He was my mate for a hundred years. Don’t you think I owe it to him to be there? To be the one who puts him out of his misery? Would you not want the same consideration if your roles were reversed?”
Lucien grumbled under his breath, then raked a hand down his face. After a moment, he growled, “Fine.”
Selene rose from her seat again, already moving toward a tall armoire in the corner of the room. “Then let’s not waste any more time,” she said. “The sooner we end this, the safer it’ll be for everyone in Eternity Falls. I’ll need three drops of your blood, Isadora.”
Selene opened the armoire with the creak of old hinges, revealing shelves lined with neatly labeled glass vials, bundles of dried herbs, and a black velvet roll filled with gods only knew what. Her fingers skimmed a shelf until she found what she was looking for: a gleaming, slender blade no bigger than a knitting needle.
She returned to my side and extended her hand, waiting for me to give her mine.
I did.
“This shouldn’t hurt.”
She cradled my hand in hers, then guided the tip of the blade to my index finger. One quick prick, and a bead of crimson welled. She didn’t waste a drop—her other hand already holding the vial, into which she let the blood drip in. One. Two. Three.
Releasing my hand, she turned back toward the armoire and retrieved whatever ingredients she needed. She added each into a bowl and carefully stirred. Then, with a flicker of fingers, a violet flame erupted from within.
Lucien leaned forward, his gaze studying the contents. “This will show us where he is?”
“No. This will illuminate their bond. And their bond will show you where he is. Now, shush.”
Selene waved her hand, and the flame flared blue, then white-hot, then collapsed inward, vanishing entirely, until all that remained was what looked like a ball of char. A second later it cracked open, and a single strand of light appeared, spider-thin and glowing faintly red, stretching out from the bowl. It hovered mid-air, then circled around me before snaking toward the door like it had a mind of its own.
“That is all that remains of your bond,” she said. “Follow it, and you’ll find him.”
The thread pulsed once, as though impatient.
Lucien and I shared a glance until finally I nodded.
This was our only option. Trystan would continue to hurt people, lost to his madness. Selene was right. It would be a kindness to put him out of his misery. I just wish it hadn’t come to this.
But now that it had, I wouldn’t fail him. Not like how he’d failed me.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
ISADORA
The three of us left the Ravenspell estate, Lucien in the lead, my hand in his, and Ricky bringing up the rear. Lucien’s car sat in the driveway, still waiting for us, but the second we stepped toward it, the glowing thread suddenly changed course and shot toward the nearby woods.
Lucien and I shared a glance, but naturally we followed it.
