He opens his fist.
Something flickers on his palm.
A faint red pulse.
The ruby amulet.
It’s glowing.
Still alive.
With power over human hearts.
And I am Seraphina’s descendant.
With the ability to wield the supernatural.
My breath catches.
I pick up the ruby and place it on Jude’s chest. With tears tumbling down my cheeks, I take his hand between mine and cradle it against my heart.
“Please, Jude.”
I grapple for the right words.
Magic words.
True words.
“I love you,” I whisper.
And I will never believe that love is a bad thing. No matter how Seraphina tried to twist it, love is not a curse.
It’s a gift.
A good, life-giving gift.
My heart swells with it as tears tumble down my cheeks and I press my lips to his.
The amulet flares to life.
A red ember lifts from the stone, glowing like a tiny star. It floats in the air. Then slowly, delicately, it lands on Jude’s wound. It sinks into his skin. The ruby pulses once, and the spidery black veins fade away.
Time stops.
So does my breath.
But my mind churns.
Begs.
Please, please, please …
His finger twitches in my hand.
And his eyes flutter open. The color of changing leaves in the fall. A sob escapes—a joy-filled, euphoric sob. Half laughter, half disbelief as his cloudy gaze finds mine.
Twig slumps against a headstone.
