There wasn’t enough for two.
“You won’t survive,” Elise informed her, drawing a step closer. “They’ll detect you the instant you arrive.”
Kira raised the syringe to her neck. “I don’t care.”
Elise struck the oshota beside her with two sharp blows, tossing a tiny ball bearing into the air as she took a knee and pressed her face to it.
The flash disoriented those left standing—including Kira and Raider.
A hand closed around Kira’s, yanking the syringe from it.
Kira blinked her eyes into focus as Elise inserted the needle into her neck and pressed down on the plunger. Wren grabbed her hand an instant too late, pulling the syringe out.
“You can’t save her—but I can,” Elise informed Kira with a resolute stare as she raised her hand to show Kira the stone she held.
Kira whirled back to Elena, grabbing her niece’s face and tugging it toward hers. She only had seconds.
“You survive. You hear me? I don’t care what you have to do or who you have to kill, but you don’t die. I’m coming for you.”
Elena’s eyes contained a fear that gutted Kira. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss against Elena’s forehead as tears started to fall. God, this was hard.
”I will come for you,“ Kira promised again.
The lu-ong Joule had returned to her the day after the battle with the face changer shifted, sliding off her wrist and onto Elena’s chest. It disappeared into her clothes as Kira felt Jin do something to their bond.
It dimmed for a moment before flaring to life again. The balance was wrong, only a thread of his presence existing where it was supposed to be as his sphere thumped to the ground and rolled.
Awareness shone in Elena’s gaze along with shock.
Kira smoothed a finger down her cheek one last time. “Protect each other. I’m right behind you.”
“Find Odin. The Allfather is your best bet of locating us,” Jin informed her through their comms.
Kira steeled herself and looked at Elise. “Do it.”
Elise’s nod was the same one she’d always used as acknowledgement when Kira gave her a difficult order. A combination of determination mixed with a resilient fire.
Kira grabbed Raider, yanking him away from Elena as Elise squeezed the stone.
A cry of grief tore out of Raider as both vanished, leaving behind the burned scent of ozone as he collapsed to his knees.
Kira’s grip on him loosened as her gaze met Harlow’s.
She’d lost Elena. Graydon might not wake up. Jin was gone.
Distantly, she was aware of Harlow moving toward her, his hands grabbing her arms as the black hole where Jin should have existed threatened to swallow her.
No. No. She had to find Elena. She couldn’t collapse. Her niece was counting on her.
Jin was gone though.
“It’s okay, Kira,” Harlow’s voice was low and soothing. “Let yourself break for a moment. We’ve got you.”
A ringing sounded in her ears as that black hole got bigger.
Jin was gone. JIN WAS GONE.
Kira’s knees stopped supporting her. A wail left her. The cracks she’d managed to patch over all these years, the ones stemming from her first loss of the Curs, opened wide.
