The light above shimmered, and Jewel could see Raja’s massive, smoky form twisting and writhing as he strained toward the fissure. And yet, he couldn’t escape. His lower form remained tethered, his legs swirling in darkness, unable to solidify.
And then she understood.
Her mother’s ghostly form appeared before her, tears streaming down her translucent face. “Jewel,” she whispered, her voice soft but filled with urgency. “You are the light. You are the key.”
“What does that mean?” Jewel’s voice shook. “Why can’t I go with them? Why?—”
“If you go…” Her mother’s voice trembled. “Raja will be free. Your light—your soul—is bound to his darkness. But if you stay…” Her ghostly hand reached out, brushing against Jewel’s cheek. “If you stay, he will remain trapped. You are the balance, Jewel. His prison.”
Jewel’s heart twisted painfully. She could see the fissure growing larger, feel the pull intensify. She could hear the echoes of the others’ voices, faint and fading. The choice was clear, but it wasn’t fair.
It was never fair.
She could hear Dalton’s voice, and then suddenly he was there, in her mind.
“Jewel.”The deep timber sound was desperate. His phantom hand caressed her cheek, and tears rolled down them. She’d missed him. For the first time in what felt like forever, she took a deep breath. Her mate—her incredible, stubborn, loving, mate—hadn’t given up on her. He didn’t hate her. She could feel his love, worry, and need pouring through the bond.
“I love you,”she told him, because she wanted him to know it. If it was the last thing she ever said, she wanted to make sure he truly understood that despite all her failures and mistakes, that had never changed.“I love you. I love you. I love you.”She couldn’t stop saying it as the tears fell harder and sobs grew in her chest. How could she exist without him? How would her soul survive the separation of her other half.
“I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, Little Dove,”he said, gently.“Nothing could ever change that. Now step back. I don’t want to land on you.”
“NO!”Jewel yelled both in his mind and out loud. She would not allow him to be trapped with her because of her selfishness. All of this was her fault. And no one else should have to pay for her mistake.“You will do no such thing. I will figure a way out of this. I am a genius, remember?”She tried to lighten the mood, even though she was fighting back more tears.
“Little Dove, we’ve been in this position before, and you should know by now that I will never leave you.”Even as he said the words, she felt his guilt. Because he had left her. But she’d deserved it.“No, you didn’t. I’m your mate. I should have stayed at your side even if you’d told me you hated me and didn’t want me. I am yours and you are mine, and what I did was cowardly and selfish. And I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry I left you alone.”
Jewel ached and thought she might vomit. She wasn’t mad at him. She never had been. She’d treated him horribly.“I left you first. Maybe not physically, but in every other way, I left you to yourself and locked you out. I was within your grasp, and yet I didn’t let you near me. All because I was scared to share my hope and pain with you. You. My best friend, my lover, my mate, the father of our child.”The words slipped out before she could stop them. She heard his howl of pain, hope, and relief. She could hear a struggle as if someone was fighting with him, no doubt holding him back. Jewel opened the bond completely and let her mate see what she’d finally seen with her own magic—the light growing inside of her. Their baby. Their Little Dove.
“JEWEL!”
“Get the hell out of the way, you idiotic wolf.” She heard Myanin just before Jewel saw the light blocked out by a form coming down at her. Dalton had done it. He’d come after her. Like he always did.
Chapter 12
“Once upon a time I lived within the breadth between minutes. Just five minutes longer. That had been my mantra. And somehow, by the grace of the Great Luna, I had survived. Now, the idea of five minutes longer is too much. I am tired. I miss my mate. At this point, what does five minutes longer even mean if only that I will be tortured longer in this desolate place wondering if all the people I love were suffering because of my selfish choices. For the first time in my life, I am tired of fighting. I don’t want five minutes longer.” ~ Jewel
The clearing was chaos, a cacophony of raised voices, trembling earth, and the oppressive hum of ancient, malevolent power. Myanin stood rigid, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she stared down Shade, her golden eyes blazing with fury. She’d seen Fane, Heather, and Andora come flying out of the book, right past Raja and into the clearing with everyone else. But other than a glance as they flew by, she’d kept her gaze on Shade. TheNushtoniapulsed violently on the ground between them, the runes along its surface glowing brighter with each passing second. Black smoke—thick, oily, alive—continued to pour from its cursed pages, twisting upward into the monstrous, half-formed figure of Raja.
Shade stood before her, his expression hard and unyielding, but Myanin could see the cracks in his resolve. His dark eyes flickered with something that wasn’t quite fear, but it wasn’t confidence either. He looked like a man standing at the edge of a precipice, unsure whether to leap or retreat.
“What have you done?” Myanin’s words were laced with venom. She took a step forward, her movements slow and deliberate, like a predator stalking its prey. “Do you even realize the mess you’ve made? Or are you too blinded by your own self-righteousness to see it?”
Shade’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.
“You’re a fool, Shade,” she spat out, her anger bubbling over. “A reckless, selfish fool. Look!” She gestured wildly to Raja’s form as the ruler stretched as if waking from a long slumber. “All you’ve done is bring chaos. You’ve put all of us, every single one of us, in danger. For what? Because you think I belong toyou?”
His lips parted, but before he could answer, Myanin cut him off with a sharp laugh, bitter and cold.
“You don’t get to speak, Shade.”
“You literally just asked me a question,” he growled back at her.
Myanin laughed. “Just because I ask you a question doesn’t mean I actually want to hear the damn answer from your mouth. It’s called a rhetorical question, fool.” Her hands were fisted so tightly that she could feel her nails leaving impressions in her palms. “What the hell were you thinking?” She roared at him, her breathing coming in rapid succession.
“You already asked me that,” he snapped back.
She threw her hands in the air and bellowed. “Why are you talking?”
“I’m beginning to feel like this conversation is no longer making progress.” Myanin heard Jen’s voice somewhere behind her, and she nearly let out a relieved sigh. She never thought she’d be happy to hear the mouthy blonde’s voice again. But it was almost as good as eating cotton candy. Almost. Too bad the dumbass in front of her was jacking up her reunion with everyone.
