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This was it. It was really over.
I could only cheat death so many times before it caught up with me.
31
The world around me went black, and I let go. I couldn’t fight back, and I was tired. Maybe this was it, this was how far I got. I’d been through hell and back, and I’d made it, but what had it all been for?
Only the last couple of months had been worth more than just getting by. And even then, I was just a human in a world where I didn’t belong.
Ren was safe. I had exposed Lucia for what she was, and he wouldn’t marry her. He might still be in danger, Zander might try to kill him, but at least he knew now who the enemy was. I wished I could have had more time with Ren, but we were never meant to be together. We were too different, and what could I offer as the mate of the all-powerful Fae king?
Not much.
Not much at all.
He would find himself a queen, someone just, true, and kind like he was, someone who could rule with him.
And Nylah…
My heart ached when I thought about the High Priestess. Fierce and powerful and ready to take on the world for her king. And she’d been just as warm and sweet as she’d been strong. She’d become a friend when I hadn’t thought I could ever get that close to anyone.
She’d shown me that there were those who cared about each other, just because of who they were, and for no other reason. She’d wanted nothing from me. She’d liked me for who I was.
My mind flashed on the rest of the warriors. Dex, who had trained me to become better and stronger, pushing me past what I’d thought was my own limit. Not being attacked, not being shunned, not being treated as an outcast had been a new sensation. And it had allowed me to believe that I had worth.
They’d all allowed me to believe that.
I filled with warmth when I thought about the Fae I’d come to care for—the Fae I loved.
My mind flashed to Ren once more, and my heart constricted as everything in me went numb.
My fight was over. I was ready to go. I’d finally learned what it was like to love and to be loved in return.
A powerful surge of magic blasted into the room, throwing the door open with a crash. The windowpanes burst into shards that flew outward, and wind whipped through the room.
Before I knew what was happening, a figure shot past me and attacked Zander. Black hair, icy eyes, and a power that was unparalleled rose around me like a giant wave, and through the bond that had solidified between us, I felt Ren’s rage.
He’d come for me. He was here.
I pushed up, coughing. I clutched my hand to my throat and tried to relearn how to breathe. My body was on fire as the cells had the oxygen they needed to keep me alive, and I lay limp on the floor, unable to help.
But Ren didn’t need my help.
The attack on Zander was ferocious. Ren’s lips were curled back in an animalistic snarl. He moved with a motion that seemed almost liquid, every movement precise and deadly. There was no doubt what he was after and what the outcome of the fight would be if Ren succeeded. Zander met the attack with the same fury, and his magic rose to meet Ren’s. The clash was like a storm, the dark rumble of Conjurite magic deafening and the slashes of Ren’s magic like lightning, zapping Zander whenever he tried to make a move. Zander blocked the blows as best he could, but with every blow from Ren, Zander took damage and struggled to counter with the same force.
Lucia screamed, trying to get involved, but Ren’s power pushed her against the wall. It held her there, pinned, and she wailed and squealed, fighting her power-fueled bonds. She sounded unhinged, wailing and screeching like a witch about to be burned at the stake.
Ren was far more powerful than Zander, his magic fueled by his anger. Zander’s movements were jerky, unrefined compared to Ren’s, like a student against a master.
Whatever had happened in the forest when Zander had nearly killed Ren, that wasn’t about to happen again. Ren’s power was spectacular, and Zander didn’t stand a chance.
He was going to try, though. He wouldn’t give up. Zander was a warrior at heart, and I didn’t get the idea that ‘surrender’ was a word he understood.
“I’ve had enough of you trying to kill her!” Ren shouted, and his voice boomed in the room. “She’smine!”
I shivered.Mine.
He slashed at Zander with his bare hand, and a large cut opened across Zander’s chest, as if Ren had used a long blade. It was his magic, doing the job better than a sharpened weapon could.
