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The barrier was thin enough he could see me.

Death stood nearby, just beyond the cottage, and fury rolled off him in cold blasts.

Oh god.

He held his staff aloft, then slammed it down on the ground. Boom. That sound, it was like the end of the world was coming. Everything around me trembled, and the barrier collapsed for a split second. I jumped, throwing myself at Draven, at my body held in his arms.

He was knocked back a step, and I was smothered in darkness.

My eyes snapped open.

Draven was looking down at me. I was back.

He dropped to the ground, big body trembling, and pressed his lips to mine. “Thank fuck.” He looked into my eyes. “I thought I’d lost you, petal. I thought I’d never get you back. Fuck, I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said, my heart soaring. “But it’s not over, quick, the others are trapped.”

He stood, lifting me to my feet, grabbed my hand, and we ran to the only part of the cottage still standing in the mortal realm, the basement. I grabbed the hatch door and flung it open, then spun back to Ash and Dirk. “Keep them in bits,” I said, motioning to Charity and the crones. Their bones were scattered but still writhed, trying to reanimate even now.

Dawn light spilled down through the open hatch door. Amy, Marina, and Kristi were where I’d seen them, their white eyes blinking up at the ceiling, their bodies unmoving, their souls still in limbo.

Penny’s body lay beside them. Her lifeless eyes staring into nothing, her skin pale, blood covering her chest from the wounds. I checked her pulse, though I knew there was no point. She was gone.

There was nothing I could do for her now.

I rushed back to Amy, pulled my blade from my pocket, and pricked her finger. I swiped up some of the blood as it bubbled to the surface, then smeared it over her lower lip. “Blood and bone, return home.”

Her body jolted then her eyes rolled down. She blinked up at me rapidly. “Iris, oh, thank the goddess. I thought you’d left us there.”

I squeezed her hand and rushed to Marina, then Kristi, repeating the spell to bring them back. I helped them to their feet, led them to the ladder, and they scrambled up to the surface on shaky legs.

Draven stood behind me, waiting for me to head up, but I stopped when my thigh tingled and turned to Draven. I opened my mouth—but pain sliced down my spine, and I dropped to the floor.

My mouth opened, a silent scream exploding from me. Power washed through my body, then again, the next surging even higher. The gifts the mother had given us when Willow passed her task were solidifying and strengthening.

Because I’d passed my task as well.

For now, our gifts would remain ours as long as I passed my combat trial.

Draven bent down beside me, eyes wild. “Iris? Talk to me.”

I couldn’t. My back arched when another great surge throbbed through my body. I stared up at Draven as the pain grew higher. No more. I couldn’t take another second—

It smashed into a thousand pieces, like shattering glass, taking the pain away with it.

It took a minute before I was finally able to speak. I blinked up at Draven. “I passed my task.”

An hour later, Amy, Marina, and Kristi’s families arrived to take them home. They thanked me repeatedly, but I didn’t know how worthy I was of their praise. I’d stumbled my way through this mess, and alternate outcomes of this night would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.

My family was here as well. I had passed my task. And I was thankful for that, for a lot of reasons, but right then, I was most thankful that they could help me with this next bit. I wasn’t strong enough to do it on my own.

“What will happen with Penny?” Else asked.

“The cottage needs a guardian, that’s how the enchantment works. She’s tied to it now and will forever remain in limbo.”

We were about to send Charity and the crones to their rightful place. We didn’t know where that was. A power higher than us decided that, but I had a feeling I knew where Charity and her crones would be going.

I turned to Mom. “Ready.”