The bond in my chest ached as I stared at Jessiah, waiting for him to get up.
Waiting and waiting and waiting.Get up. Fight back. Use your freaky angel power to heal yourself.
“Enough of this!” Cornelius yelled. He struggled and pushed himself to his feet, then held a hand out to Jessiah.
Time froze. No—Jessiah froze.Cornelius used his stolen magic to freeze him in space. Every muscle of his flexed until hewas a stone crumpled on the ground. The only movement was the blood that continued to pour from his wound.
But the worst part was not the stillness in Jessiah’s body. The worst part was that aching bond growing weaker and weaker with every passing second.
Jessiah was dying.Why the fuck did you do that, Jessiah?
“If you’re going to kill us, just get it over with already!” I yelled, voice breaking. I couldn’t stop the panic rising inside me. Couldn’t fathom why Jessiah would turn the blade on himself.
The bond grew even weaker. Fainter.
No, this couldn’t be happening.
Cornelius lifted his dark, deceiving eyes. “As you wish, Rummy.” He raised his hand toward Jessiah once more.
I didn’t recognize my own scream.
Our bond snapped—death, I knew it well.
Then chaos took over entirely.
Chapter 42
Jessiah
Inever feared death until I met her. Until there was a chance of living a single day without her. Until the darkness stared me straight in the face, and Rummy was not by my side.
I was free.
I was no longer in pain.
But something was missing from this void that I identified immediately as my ending. Perhaps she had done it. Perhaps she used her magic and destroyed every last being in that goddess-forsaken kingdom.
I hoped so.
Death by Rummy’s hands would be a mercy.
But in that nullified darkness, I heard a scream.
And any chance I had at finding peace in death was lost forever.
Chapter 43
Rummy
Iknew for certain that two things were true.
One. Jessiah—the angel who spent the last two years occupying my every thought—was dead.
And two. Everyone in this damn kingdom would pay.
I knew Cornelius was trying to take my magic. I knew this was his last straw, this was the final moment. This was what I’d prepared for.
What I didn’t prepare for, however, was losinghim. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t stop the tingling sensation that spread through my limbs. I knew it was coming—the darkness. The wicked magic that pulsed within my veins.
