Panic won, rising in my throat. What Kade asked of me, what the fucking Fates asked of us, was unthinkable. It may be one thing to banish your mate to the void, never to be seen again, but to kill—no, murder—your mate… Never.
I fell to my knees, and Kade joined me on the ground. “I give my life, so you can live, Illiana.” Kade kissed me again. “Deep down, I’ve always known I would have to sacrifice something, and as the prophecies continued, it became clearer it would be me. Every part of this story, of Thames’s reign has been built on giving up the impossible. This is what great magic is built on. This is the only kind of magic powerful enough to defeat the darkness for good. Evelyn and Jasper knew it. Cassandra knew it.” He stroked his thumb again over my tear-streaked face as he sucked in a sharp breath. “I know it.”
Kade reached for Apollo, placing the dagger in my hand, and wrapped his fingers around mine.
“I love you too much to let you fail now,” he said softly.
This was exactly how my father had died, yet now I was the one ending the life of someone who didn’t deserve it.
“You’ve endured suffering your entire life. You’ve given enough,” I argued, Kade blurring in front of my eyes. I quicklywiped them on my shoulders. I didn’t want to miss a moment of my time with him. He had spent his life beaten and infused with darkness. Spent his life with a power-hungry father who’d killed his mother. I touched his mother’s necklace hidden beneath my armor. It would be the only piece I’d have to remember him by, and it shattered me in ways I couldn’t even begin to fathom.
We were never even given a chance by the Fates. They let us lead our tortured lives, finally granted us utter happiness, only to rip it out from underneath us.
“I did suffer, but then I met you.” He smiled at me, despite his own tears gathered in his eyes. “You walked through the forest and met Storm and me”—he stumbled over his words, emotions raging in torment across his face—“and I swear my shadows wanted you then. They've always known. I wasn’t much further behind them.”
This couldn’t be happening. I whimpered, leaning into his hand on my face.
“I loved you before I understood what was happening. And loving you…” He paused, kissing my forehead. “Loving you saved me. It made every horrible moment in my life worth it because it led me to having you. My mate. My life. My love.”
“It's not fair.” I trembled, only remaining upright by Kade’s strength now.
“I know,” he said. "Words cannot express how grateful I am to say that I was given this time with you. To be able to love you, to hold you, even if it was just for this tiny blip of time.”
I threw my arms around him, my body shaking as my tears soaked his shirt.
“Even the Fates can’t keep me from you,” he said, stroking my hair. “Death can’t keep me from finding you, on this side of the world or in the afterlife. My heart is connected to yours, and it will beat for you until we are whole once more.”
Bellowing screams sounded close by and thunder boomed, shaking the ground.
“Now, Lana,” Kade said, holding me back to look at me. “We can’t wait any longer.”
Gripping the dagger, I cursed, roaring as I let it rest in my palm. “I love you, Kade Blackthorn. This is not the end of us. Mark my words. I’ll rip the Fates apart to get to you again.”
He laughed, a tear streaking down his face as he took me in. His gaze warming me, showing exactly how much he loved me. I would never live a moment wondering how my mate felt. Not a single moment.
“I have no doubts, Little Rebel.”
We kneeled before each other, staring into each other’s eyes. Kade stayed stronger than I did, but the slight waver in his hand told another story as I placed the tip of the dagger at his heart. He wrapped both of his hands around mine and leaned forward. He placed one last kiss upon my lips and his shadows cocooned around our hands, solidifying our grip on the dagger’s hilt.
Apollo hummed, glowing as we said our final goodbye. My light spilled into it, raging as angry and broken as I was while it met Kade’s shadows one last time.
All it took was one forceful motion, one thrust to slice through Kade’s shirt and pierce his heart.
His face contorted with pain that he immediately tried to mask. His eyes fluttered, face strained in agony, but he didn’t look away. I refused to as well, watching the brilliance of his grey eyes fade.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” I repeated over and over.
Blood leaked from his wound, and he hunched over, into my arms. Delicately, I laid him on the ground, the dagger still stuck in his chest. His shadows, waning, retreated inside of him.
We’ll miss you.
I forced my light to fuel the dagger, feeling the pain of our bond shattering.
With his dying breath, Kade whispered, “From now until forever, Illiana Dresden, I love you.”
The earth shook. Thunder roared. And Kade took his last breath.
I screamed before throwing my body on top of his.
