“Now, we wait,” Haley said. “He should remain in stasis for about six hours, and when he comes to, he will likely be confused. The memories could rush back in a flood, competing with new memories or ideas about his identity he’s formed since the attack in the Shadowrealm. Or it could happen more gradually, with bits and pieces coming back to him out of order, or melding together. Or it might not…” She trailed off, not bothering to voice her doubts, which I appreciated. Tonight, I had no room for those kinds of thoughts. His memories would return, even if it took months. There was no doubt in my mind.
“I’m just a few doors down the hall if you need anything.” Haley leaned in to kiss my cheek, then saw herself out, shutting the door softly behind her. Liam stood at the end of the bed, hands in his pockets, rocking forward on his toes.
“You once told me that memories don’t exist,” I said to Liam, a smile touching my lips as I remembered the conversation. We were still at the safe house where Ash used to live, and my incubus and I had just survived an attack by zombie animals I’d inadvertently brought back from the dead. “That they’re only stories we tell ourselves, and the way we let them change and shape us is our fatal flaw.”
Liam let out a quiet laugh. “Yes, well. I believe we both had a lot to learn back then, didn’t we? You about magic. And I about humanity. Heart. What it means to be a true friend.” He came to stand beside the bed, placing a hand on Darius’s arm. “What you’re doing for him, Gray… He’s quite blessed to have someone like you in his life.”
“You say that as if youdon’t. Liam, you’ve got me, too. I know we’re not perfect, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”
After a beat, Liam finally nodded, still struggling to accept that I cared for him. Still struggling, I sensed, under the very heavy, very human weight of his guilt.
“There’s… something else I wanted to discuss with you,” he said softly. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed, and I felt the energy in the room shift. “I have been called to hear the final sentencing. Tonight, at exactly midnight, I’m to travel out over the ocean in my raven form. One of the servants of the Old One will collect me, and I’ll be brought before the tribunal one last time to hear their decision.”
“Tonight? Already?” My eyes widened, my heart thumping with a mix of anticipation and fear. “Maybe that’s a good thing, though. Right? If they’ve made a decision that quickly, maybe there’s a chance they’ll overturn everything and restore your powers! What if I went with you? I could testify for you, tell them about Emilio and what’s coming and the prophecy and—”
“It doesn’t work that way, Gray.” Liam smiled, but it didn’t match the new sadness in his eyes. “Though I do appreciate the show of support.”
I rose from the chair and met his gaze. “Don’t give up, Liam. You never know what might happen.”
“In the long and spiraled history of time, a cosmic tribunal has never overturned its decision, nor have they issued a lesser sentence for such a crime. But if there’s one lesson I’ve learned from you,” he said with a wink, “it’s that impossible odds are no reason not to try.”
“Liam.” I lowered my eyes, my lashes wet with tears. There was so much to say, and once again, no time to say it. I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his chest, breathing him in. His heart beat strong and steady, human, the press of his chin on the top of my head simultaneously comforting and heartbreaking. “Why does it feel like we’re always saying goodbye?”
“No, not goodbye. I promised myself I would stop saying goodbye to you, Gray Desario. So let me say this instead.” He took a step back, then tilted my chin up toward his, forcing me to meet his infinite blue gaze once again. Stars collapsed and were born again in those eyes as I awaited his words. Galaxies. Universes. “Be well, little witch. I shall keep you in my heart, and ask—though I don’t deserve the kindness—for you to do the same.” He bent down and kissed me, soft and gentle, pressing something cool and smooth into my palm.
There was a final spark across my lips, and then our kiss was broken.
Once again, Liam Colebrook was gone from my life.
I opened my fingers to find a heart-shaped piece of granite, worn smooth by the constant tumble of the ocean. Carved onto its face was a tiny raven’s feather.
Thirty-Five
GRAY
I was starting to become an expert at bedside vigils—a skill I hoped I wouldn’t have to call on too often. Finally alone with him, I sat by my vampire’s side, holding his hand, reliving every one of our shared memories. I didn’t want to risk interfering with Haley’s spellwork, so I didn’t add any additional magic to the mix, but it felt like the right thing to do, letting those moments replay in my mind. Letting them fill me with happiness and hope, with the love I’d felt for him, the connection we’d shared from the first moment he’d tasted my blood that night in Black Ruby.
Exquisite,he’d said then, and I smiled now, seeing the moment with new eyes. We’d already had a connection by then; our blood promise had only solidified it. But neither of us could’ve predicted where that promise would lead, or how much deeper that bond would become.
“You’ll remember,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his palm. A tear slipped down my cheek, but it wasn’t from sadness or worry. It was hope. Faith. It might not happen overnight, but Darius would regain his memories. I knew it in the way that I’d known Emilio was still alive. In the way I knew Asher would survive the prison. In the way I knew Ronan and I would find a way to break Sebastian’s curse.
“You just take your time, D. All the time you need. And when you’re ready, you find your way back to me, and I’ll be here waiting for you. I promise.”
Darius didn’t stir. He didn’t toss and turn, seeking the coolest part of the pillow. Didn’t twitch or fidget. He didn’t even breathe. Just lay perfectly still, one hand over his heart, the other in mine. He was utterly at peace.
I shifted in my chair, trying to get comfortable. I’d just started to get feeling back in my butt when I heard a soft knock at the door.
Emilio. I sensed him before he announced himself, and wasn’t the least bit surprised when I opened the door to see him standing there with a triumphant look on his face, his now-shaggy hair sticking up all over the place, hands hiding behind his back, a chocolate smudge on the side of his mouth.
“I’ve got something for you,” he said with a grin.
“Hmm. I bet.” I leaned up against the doorframe, my arms crossed over my chest. “Does this something start with a ‘b’ and rhyme with ‘rownies?’”
“Is it that obvious?”
“You’re wearing the evidence, Detective.” I stretched up on my toes and kissed the edge of his mouth, licking the smudge of chocolate.
“Damn,” he whispered when I pulled back, his eyes darkening with desire. “I should’ve been more strategic in my chocolate smudging. Wait—be right back.”
