Gasps echoed around me as Kade’s shadows swirled at my feet, waiting to pounce. My head tilted back, and I let the sun’s rays warm my face.
I fell to my knees as tendrils smoked from my side, slowing.
Freedom.
I immediately felt lighter, happier. The evil plaguing my body was gone. I knew all the darkness was out of me just from the way I felt in complete control of myself again. The lingering anger and rage diffused, gone with the evil it entered with.
I leaned forward on my hands, breathing through the relief, as I realized how much the darkness had consumed me. How exhausting fighting this internal battle had been.
Even Kade’s shadows seemed to be happy with the outcome as they swirled between my legs before returning to Kade.
“Ian?” Lana whispered, kneeling down beside me.
I grinned at her before jumping to pick her up and twirling her around. “You’ve done it. I’m free. Lan, it’s gone.”
Her face beamed, radiating pure joy. “I can’t believe it worked. Oh, Ian. I am so happy for you.” She returned the dagger to its sheath and proceeded to dance around the clearing, reveling in the achievement. “We can save everyone. No one forced to turn has to endure it anymore.”
The joy in this moment was endless. “Well, you live to see another day,” Jax chuckled. “Guess we’ll have to see who the better shifter is after all.”
Even through his teasing, I knew it came from a good place. Jax wasn’t mean-spirited, he just didn’t like to take life too seriously unless he had to. He’d make a wonderful addition to the palace if he stuck around when all this came to an end.
Lana returned from her celebratory dance, and the excitement in her eyes made me feel like we were unstoppable. We could do anything together, just as we’d always done.
The cut on my side had already healed as I put my shirt back on, covering the rest of my scars.
“Kade, come on, let me save you too,” Lana ordered, beckoning him over. “If it worked for Ian, it will work for you.” She grabbed the side of his tunic and tried to untuck it from his pants.
“Whoa, Lana.” Kade took a step back. “Save that for when we’re in private.” He bopped his finger on the tip of her nose.
“I’m going to vomit,” Jax muttered under his breath.
“Besides, you’ll never be able to reach this over my head anyway.” Kade winked at Lana before discarding his shirt off to the side.
I moved to stand behind Kade, just like he had done for me. Although, I at least was much more confident that nothing would go wrong now, since it had been successful already.
Lana wasted no time and removed Apollo from its sheath once more, gripping it tightly. Her hand trembled as she looked from it back to Kade. His gaze never strayed from her, his face softening the longer he stared. He brought a hand up to her arm.
“Are you ready?” she asked him. The slight tremor in her voice was impossible to miss.
Kade smiled at her. “If anything could rid this darkness from me, it was always going to be you.”
Lana blew out a steadier breath this time, nodding at his words. She looked down at the dagger and the same soft glow oflight filled her palm. She sliced into Kade’s side, and he didn’t even flinch.
We watched, but this time, no inky black mist left his body.
“Do it again. Deeper this time, love,” Kade said, his voice low but reassuring as he spoke to Lana. “I’ve been infected for years compared to the few times Ian has. I may need more than one cut.”
Frowning, Lana’s hand trembled slightly as she sliced into Kade again.
“Again,” Kade directed.
Still nothing.
I swallowed down the pain of watching Lana cut time and again, the desperation growing in her movements. My heart ached as her body tensed, and her face fell.
After the fifth cut to his body, Lana’s head dropped as she let Apollo fall from her hand. She took a step back, staring in horror at the blood pouring down Kade’s side.
Barely a whisper of darkness floated away on a breeze after leaving his body, nowhere close to the density of the mist that left mine.
