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18
After breakfast, Braxton went on to his new training session with Imogen, Kingston, and half the Elevated Warriors, while the rest of the guard came to run errands with me. Willow was missing from all of it, which truly made my soul hurt because she had never not been there with me. Yet, most of all, because I could actually imagine what she was going through, having experienced something similar myself.
If she could only realize the choices had been made for us back then, and Braxton’s father had truly had no option but to leave. No one expected Raithian would be able to capture such a beast as Azazel with his power and turn it against us. No one ever expected the horror that would come next.
My steps slowed when I arrived at my best friend’s room, and I looked over my shoulder at Harrison, Islay, and the others, gesturing for them to wait there while I visited Willow. With their nod, I walked the maze-like hallway into her quarters, finding her sitting next to the window.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, knowing it was silly, but I really wanted to know. My hand rested on her shoulder a moment before she turned to look up at me.
“I don’t know…” she admitted, her eyes swollen from crying, the redness marring her porcelain white skin.
Not wanting to push the subject, I reached for the brush on her vanity next to us and began to softly brush her onyx strands, like she had so lovingly done to me countless times. The repeated motion seemed to sooth her, her back resting on the wooden chair while I gently untangled and braided her hair.
Words burned my throat. I wanted to hug her, to tell her I loved her, and I was here for her. I wanted to help her see that even when Braxton’s safety had taken priority in some way that day, it didn’t mean my parents had been willing for anyone else to die. If there was one thing I’d learned in this life, was that some things happened regardless of how many paths we took to stop them. I wanted her to talk to Braxton and forgive him because I loved him too…
Nevertheless, this wasn’t about what I wanted, it was about her finding her way through the pain and coming back to us. So, I remained silent, caressing her hair even after I was done styling it… until her hand landed on mine, calling my attention to her face.
“How is Braxton?”
Bending down to her side, I kissed her cheek, the love I felt for her swelling in my heart. She was truly a special kind of gem. “Hurting,” I answered honestly. “Everything that happened weighs on him heavily, but most of all, he is hurting because you are.”
Tears rushed to her eyes with my words, but she blinked them away, not letting herself feel bad for him.
Slipping a hand into the pocket of my skirt, I pulled out his note and offered it to her. “He wanted me to give you this.”
She stared at it for a few seconds, chin lifted in contempt as she debated whether to accept it or rip it into pieces—I loved the woman like a sister, but I also knew her like no one else did, and she was stubborn…
Thankfully, she took it from me and broke the wax seal, slowly unfolding the parchment.
I attempted to stand and step away, to give her privacy to read it, but her hand shot up to mine, holding me in place. Pulling the chair behind me closer, I took my place next to her, holding her hand as she began to read it.
Immediately, she shook her head, pushing the note into my hand. “I cannot do it…”
“Willow—”
“No. You read it.”
The emotion shining in her teary eyes cut through me, so I nodded, opening the note.
“Sweet Willow,
There are no words I can offer to appease the pain you have carried with you for so long. A pain that I have, unfortunately, reawakened in you. I was never part of the decision made for all of us that day. And yet, I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened, and for making you relive that. That was never my intention.
I know nothing can ever take what you feel away, because like you and so many here, I carry that pain too. There are no words anyone can say that will fill the hole left in us after losing someone we love. So, I won’t even try.
However, I will say this. You are right. My life was more important that day. They saw me not just as a baby, but as a weapon, because of the secrets my blood concealed. Powers they knew one day would make me strong enough to deal Raithian his end.
I am something never seen.
Part Dragon, because their essence in me makes me one of them. I am a Devenish Wizard. The last descendant of the most powerful family to ever exist, with the same type of magic the Warlock King has used to destroy this world and subjugate our people. But I am stronger than him, because the two sides of me fuel each other, creating something he can’t possibly defeat. And that was something Evie’s parents, and mine, knew they needed to protect at all costs.
If everything else failed, if they failed, I would still be there—the only one powerful enough to end him.
You are an incredible woman, Willow. You mean the world to Evie, and in the short months we have known each other, you have become special to me too. You are a true friend; one I never want to lose. So, although I hope you can forgive the pain I have caused you, indirectly or otherwise, I will respect your wishes, should you choose to cut me out of your life.
Instead, I promise you this. I am here now. Iamthe weapon our families gave their lives to protect. And I will do everything in my power to finish this.
I will not only defeat the Warlock King; I’ll be petty as all hell, because Death is not enough for him. I swear to you, WillowWhitesky, I’m going to make him pay. I will make him suffer, taking his powers from him just like he did to my ancestors.
