Page 144 of Cursebreaker

“You’ll carry him with you forever,” I hear her say, her voice trembling. “My son.”

And then she’s gone, turning her back to him as she makes her way down the shoreline, as if she can’t bear to watch him leave—this Changeling that bears the appearance and memories of her child.

Killian takes her place, his jaw clenched. “I would finish the job myself,” he says through gritted teeth, a tear rolling down his cheek, “but my nephew is still a part of you. And for the sake of his memory, I—” He shakes his head, pressing his lips tight as if to hold back a sob. “I truly hope you find a way to atone for all the pain you’ve caused.”

Annie peeks out from behind Killian, her chin wobbling.

Will kneels, his arms outstretched, but Annie just shakes her head.

“You’re leaving?” she whimpers.

Will wipes a tear from his face, and when he speaks, the rasp of his voice is smooth again, like it was before he revealed himself to be the Underling who betrayed us. “I can’t stay.”

She collapses into his arms. “But who will check for monsters under my bed?”

Will presses his forefinger and thumb to his eyes, his nostrils flaring. “I’m sure Henry will gladly take up that mantle. And if there’s ever a time he’s not around…”

He draws back, scooping up a handful of sand. He presses it together, as if molding it, and when he opens his palms, a tiny wolf cub made entirely of sand leaps into Annie’s arms.

Annie hugs the cub close to her chest even as she continues to cry.

And then Henry is there, standing in front of Will. He shakes his head, his expression twisted with rage.

“You can’t—” His voice cracks. “You can’t just leave.”

I’m not sure who throws their arms out first, but when the two embrace, Will looks so much like his old self again that I have to look away.

Henry sobs onto Will’s shoulder. “I knew it—I knew you were still in there,” he chokes out. “I can’t—can’t lose you. You’re my brother—”

“I always will be.” Will draws back, taking Henry’s face in his hands. “Always.”

Gabriel, who refuses to look at Will, takes Henry by the arm and gently pulls him away as he continues to weep.

The doorway is growing smaller now, and Will’s hair has begun to change, shifting from black to white.

“It’s time,” Rainai says solemnly. “We must go now.”

Will turns to follow, but I reach out. Take his hand.

His shoulders tense, and his throat bobs as he meets my gaze.

“Aster Oberon,” he murmurs, his eyes flitting over my face one final time, as if to memorize it. “A name fit for a queen.” And then, softer, “My undoing.”

My breath catches, tears blurring my vision.

He turns again, his fingers slipping from my grasp. Rainai places a hand on Will’s shoulder as Titus steps forward, twining his fingers with mine.

“Why Astrophel?” I ask.

He doesn’t face me again, but I hear the smile in his voice—can picture the amusement glittering in his eyes when he says, “Aster isn’t just the name of a flower. It means star, doesn’t it?”

He doesn’t wait for me to answer.

Astrophel. He who loves the star.

Gold dust shimmers in the air all around him as Will steps forward, into the light, and as he and Rainai vanish, the wave crashes against the shore.

Water laps at my ankles, a path of silver moonlight cutting across the surface of the midnight sea.