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“Farren?” Kane’s voice was filled with panic, and I stopped breathing when he tapped his hand against her cheek, trying to rouse her, but her chest had stilled. Niko was staring down at her in horror. None of us had been brave enough to speak our fears out loud, but I had worried what would happen without their magic to keep her going.
I froze, unable to accept the death of my mate. She couldn’t leave us like this. We needed her as much as those babies would. What would we be without her?
“You wake up right now. These babies are going to need you!” Niko yelled as he shook her shoulders. When that didn’t work, he sent a jolt of electricity into her chest. “Wake up. Now!” The command in his voice had her eyes fluttering, but her life force seemed depleted now that the eggs were out. There was no energy or magic to sustain her body any longer. He jolted her once more, and she took a shaky breath, but she wasn’t strong enough to maintain the rise and fall that would give us back our future.
‘Give her some of your strength,’Cadmus ordered.‘Push your magic into her.’
I’d never shared my magic or my life force, but I’d give it all for her.For them.Without a second thought, I put my hands on her and closed my eyes, focusing on the feel of the magic source inside of me. Pulling from it, I slowly pushed that strength into her. The connection snapped into place, and I forced myself to be gentle, not wanting to harm her further.
“What? Her color is changing!” Niko gasped. “Levi?”
I simply nodded, too focused on saving our mate. There was no certainty as to when I could stop orshouldstop, but I went on until I felt myself weakening, then I pushed further.
‘Enough!’Cadmus’ voice cut through my focus sharply enough that I knew it wasn’t his first attempt. I followed his order, knowing he would suffer if I didn’t.‘You can give her more later.’
‘Why didn’t I try this earlier? Could I have given her magic back before now?’I challenged him angrily. It felt so fucking stupid to sit on something so significant.
‘No. It’s not her magic, and the influx of foreign energy would have overloaded the eggs. This was a last-ditch effort to save her life and give her temporary magic. The fight to find the Arch Mage is even more important now.’
It calmed me to know that this wasn’t something I could have done sooner; nothing could have made me feel worse than knowing my mate had suffered when I had the ability to solve the problem. In any case, I needed to keep my mind focused on our current situation. Farrendidlook better. Her skin was no longer clammy and white, having returned to her normal rosy tan.
“Get the eggs close to her. They need her body heat,” I finally rasped out before I collapsed back on my ass. Niko rushed over while Avi nestled the eggs into her side, covering them all up with every blanket within reach.
“Levi, what did you do?” Niko demanded. If he had been panicked before, it was no match for how freaked out he was now. Both of his mates were near unconsciousness, and one thing my alpha hated was losing control.
“Cadmus told me to give her some of my life force and magic. I just need a little time to recover.”
“Scoot in next to her, sandwiching the eggs between you,” Avi ordered. Niko helped me get in position, and I had barely rested my hand on one scaly egg before I drifted off.
* * *
Farren
If this is a dream,it’s the strangest one I’ve ever had.The thought echoed oddly in my mind as I walked around in the darkness. There was a red tint to the atmosphere that provided just enough light to see the ground and smoke swirling around me.
“Hello?” I called out, but it echoed just like my thoughts had. Then my memories hit me. The eggs! I’d had them. Oh gods… was I trapped inside myself now?
“Ah, I thought I heard someone in here,” the taunting voice of the Arch Mage called out.
“Hello, Clarence,” I answered back in a calm tone. Avi had managed to uncover the records, giving me a little edge over the snide, egotistical prick. And it had the exact effect I had expected. He came into view quickly enough for me to see him flinch as though he’d been slapped.
Clarence’s lips curled in a sneer. “Don’t speak that name here. That sorry excuse for a man islongdead.”
“Wow,” I mused, affecting that same bored tone. No matter how much I hated being near him, I remained the picture of nonchalance. The petty side of me kept my fear at bay, loving that I could twist his emotions so easily. He hated my lack of reaction, and even more, he hated my lack of fear. I watched the way he studied me as he stepped closer, savoring that touch of disappointment that he was unable to hide. “I’ve never met someone that hated themselves so much that they tried to erase who they used to be. But that’s the funny thing about the past,Clarence… It can never be undone.”
“It’s amusing that you think this makes a difference,” he scoffed. “I’m not a fucking fae. That name holds no power over me.”
“Yet…” I chuckled condescendingly. “It gets to you, doesn’t it, Clarence?”
He let out a low growl in warning, but not one of us reacted.
Clarence looked just as frail as he had the last time, but there was a sharpness behind his eyes that contradicted the weakness of his physical form. His body was breaking down, trapping his mind in a useless vessel. He stumbled then, gasped, and I felt it—a stirring in my chest, a pull toward something strong.
My magic.
Focusing my entire being on that feeling, I grabbed it and yanked hard, pulling it into myself while praying I had enough strength to take back what was stolen. The warmth spread through me, tingling my skin and swirling through my core. The empty well that once held my magic filled slowly.Too slowly.
“What? How?!” he screeched as he rushed toward me. Knowing my success was coming to an end, I gave another hard yank, taking back every bit I could manage even though it was nowhere near the amount he had stolen.
