“Fine,” I said, lightly patting Gray’s hip so I could rise to my feet. My gaze settled on Slate. “Thank you.” I was unsteady. My balance was thrown off, and my muscles were stiffer than I’d ever felt before. Had rigor mortis begun to set in before I came back?
For the first time in my life, I was free. I was my own person. No longer a slave to devolution, blackmail, manipulation, or dark magical bonds. I breathed in a deep, refreshing breath, taking note of what it was like to be alive and untethered. I hoped that my internal suffering was finally over. Now I could be better for those around me, especially Gray, despite the challenges we faced ahead. I was grateful for this second chance at life.
Slate dipped his chin, relief and guilt hidden in his eyes, before he walked over to me, pulling me into a hug. “What the hell just happened?” he asked in my ear. “What haven’t you been telling me?”
I’d clearly forgotten to mention to him what Valik had done all those years ago. “It wasn’t exactly intentional, but if you need answers, look no further than Valik.”
“What did he do?” Slate asked.
I inhaled. “From what I remember, he made me immortal. But I think I just broke the magic binding my soul to my body.”
Slate patted my back before pulling away, glancing in Valik’s direction. “How are you feeling?” my cousin asked, his brows furrowed.
I shrugged, smiling at him. “Never better.”
“You just died, severed your Twin Soul and Syphon Bond, then came back to life. It was about ten minutes. And you mean to tell me that you feel nothing from that?” Slate looked at me, disbelieving.
“I’m stiff, but I’m sure that’s to be expected.” It had been so long since Valik’s magic had woven itself into my soul and stopped me from dying. The thought never occurred to me that it would preventme from death from the Eternal Sword. I didn’t think anything could stop that, according to the book I’d found in Celanea’s library.
I glanced behind him. Gray stood a few feet away, her eyes never leaving me. Her hands clutched into fists at her side, and I knew her fingernails dug into her skin. I recognized the signs all too well. She was already beginning to feel the physical symptoms. “I think we need to be more concerned about Gray,” I whispered, meeting Slate’s gaze. “She depleted Forest.”
Slate squeezed his eyes shut, his jaw clenching. “Even in death, that motherfucker is still tormenting her.”
“I’ll help her.” My guilt was already washing ashore. The riptide that would snatch me under wasn’t too far away. It was my fault. She’d depleted another person because of me. I was probably the only one alive capable of helping her with devolution. And the forced hysterectomy…gods. I’d tried to stop it, but Celanea had overpowered me. Nausea roiled in my stomach at the memory.
Slate nodded. “It’s good to have you back.” He lowered his gaze to the ground in shame. My heart pinched, knowing what ate at him. I wasn’t ready to face that yet. I would never hate Slate, but his betrayal sat heavily. I shoved it down.
I ran my fingers through my hair, clearing my throat. “I’m gonna check on Gray,” I said, swiftly dismissing myself and striding over to her. Everyone remaining from the Hollow stood around talking with one another, glancing at me with unsure stares. There were those in white amongst the crowd, and I suspected they were Mystics. Onyx and Cotton stood close together, and I smiled to myself. At least something good had come from this entire shitshow. Maybe Onyx could finally have his happiness.
Already, Gray’s gilded skin shone a shade dimmer than usual. “How are you?”
Gray’s sharp gaze shot toward me, jumpy. Her rainbow eyes speared through my heart as she hugged herself, having been lost in her own mind. She forced a fake smile. “Just overwhelmed.”
“Let’s get out of here, then.” I leaned forward, pressing a kiss toher forehead, wishing I could take away the pain I’d caused her so fiercely that it ripped another hole in my heart. The fact that I couldn’t feel her emotions or sense her presence like it was a shadow of my own prevented me from feeling whole. Reaching for her hand, I laced her fingers with mine, squeezing them just the slightest. “There’s a lot we need to process.”
Gray nodded, her head moving against my lips as I held them there, wishing I could send her my love through the nonexistent bond.
To my right, Royal’s sapphire hair caught my eye as she lay unconscious on the cobblestones. Seeing that she was breathing, I knew she wasn’t dead, but the temptation to remove her fucking head was too strong for me to resist.
I remembered I still had the sword in my weapons belt, one crafted by the Tempests to infuse their dark blood magic within the blade. Without saying a word, I kissed Gray once more on the temple before I moved to hover above Royal.
A flash of bright white light blinded the courtyard. Valik stood there with an open portal. I wondered if I could still fade now that our bond was broken.
Valik’s voice rang out. “Hurry, she’s coming.” His skin was already beginning to pale, and sweat streamed down his temples, dampening the dark waves at the top of his head.
Royal’s eyelids fluttered, and fury submerged me, different from the cold, apathetic wrath of when I’d been Infernal. She was going to be a problem if she didn’t die now. I raised the tainted sword high above my head, ready for the weight of gravity to bring it piercing through her cold little heart.
“Welcome back, brother.” Shadow’s timing was remarkable as always, and his delivery was tense and full of sarcasm. “How’d you manage to pull that one off?”
I clenched my jaw. “As happy as I am for our reunion, now’s really not the time.” I held my glare on Royal’s unconscious body at my feet.
“I’ve been looking for you since you killed our mom.” Shadow crossed his arms, his tone casual.
“Yeah, well, she was a shit mom. You didn’t really miss out on anything,” I retorted. Without looking at him, I said, “Trust me, I did you a favor.”
“Actually, no, you didn’t. Because everything she did, she did to keep your ungrateful ass alive. And mine. She’d been planning for years to kill Forest,” Shadow said through his teeth.
I shook my head in denial, but my mother’s final words haunted me. “No. There’s no way.” I squeezed the sword’s hilt tighter, taking a deep breath.
