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He reaches for my hand and takes it in his before I can pull away. He’s solid and warm. He feels…real. “You shouldn’t be here, Clara.”
Alaric seems worried, but I am in awe of this moment. Tears prickle the backs of my eyes. “Is it really you?”
He smiles sadly. Even though there doesn’t seem to be a source of light, I can see him perfectly. Alaric brings our hands up to my eye level, palms pressed together as if we’ll dance, then entwines his fingers with mine. I can’t stop staring at him.
“I don’t know if this is real… but if it is, I want you to know that I will save you, Alaric. I promise I will,” I swear in a tumble of rushed words.
His midnight eyes darken. “Save me? My dear Clara, I am afraid that is impossible. Stab me through the heart if you want, but do not allow me to hope because that is a torture I cannot endure.”
I run my fingers across his brow and trace along the features of his face. There are so many things I want to ask and say, but in the end, I say, “Don’t give in just yet. Wait for me.”
“I am a prisoner. My body and actions are no longer mine,” he nearly growls the words. His fury and frustration shine through, lighting his eyes with a glowing red ring. “I will never be free unless Elizabeth releases me from her power, and she will never do that.”
Wrapping my arms around Alaric’s neck, I pull him into a tight embrace.
“Give up on me, Clara.”
“Wouldyougive up onmeif I were in your place?” I demand, leaning back to glare at him for saying something so absurd.
“You are in my blood and in my bones… in my very essence. I could never give you up, my dear Clara,” he says sorrowfully.
“Then don’t be so foolish as to ask that of me.”
He cups my face and pulls me in, placing a kiss on my forehead. “I know you will do everything you can—demons help anyone who gets in your way—but I would not blame you if you went no further. You owe me nothing.”
Pressure from the tears building makes my head ache. Does he think I’m doing this because of my debt to him?
“It’s not about owing…” I thump my fist weakly against his chest. “You’re an idiot, Alaric Devereaux.”
He chuckles at that, tugging on my hand so I step into him, and his arms encircle me.
I bury my face against his chest. Demons and saints, he feels exactly as I remember. I don’t know if this is a side effect from the cacodemon berries or if there is some other magic coming in to play. Either way, I am thankful for this moment.
“Keep fighting… keep fighting her hold,” I whisper.
“I don’t know if I can.”
I sniffle as the first tear falls then another until my vision clears. “You can. You have to.”
He says nothing.
A feeling of fullness swells in my chest, so close to overflowing. There is a desperate need to say something, but I’m unable to find the words. I rise up on my toes and grab Alaric’s collar to pull him down into a kiss. Hallucination or not, this is real.
Alaric pulls away before I’m ready and rests his forehead against mine. His eyes remain closed as he whispers, “My dear Clara, you will shatter me before this is through.”
“I—”
The sweet smile slips from his mouth. His glittering eyes dull, becoming unfocused. I almost don’t recognize him as the queen’s control over him tightens. Alaric’s face contorts as he resists.
“Go,” he growls.
His hand reaches forward. Fingers slide through my flesh then wrap around my heart and squeeze. My mouth opens to ask what he’s doing, but all I can manage is a gasp.
I expect rivers of blood to pour down my front with his hand buried deep in my chest. But there isn’t a single drop.
Red light flares, blinding me, then the demonic power fades to black.
* * *
