With slow, calculated movements, he turned to fully face me once more.
“It’s me you’re after,” I repeated. “And I’m here now.” My voice grew softer toward the end, the words struggling to rise over the lump in my throat.
He took a step closer.
“I’m right here,” I whispered.
Can’t you see me?
He tilted his head, as if considering the question I hadn’t asked out loud.
The world narrowed to just the two of us. Everything else seemed to fade away into the background. Grimnor pulsed in my hand, but I didn’t swing it.
Why would I swing it?
Every other time, Aleks had fought to get back to me. Against Lorien’s possession, against all the tortures he’d endured, all the terrible things that had tried to rip us apart. Against all odds,he loved me. He would have done anything to keep me safe. To keep us from becoming a tragedy.
But there were limits, I supposed.
Endings that became inevitable, cliffs that eventually gave way when you danced too often, too recklessly, upon their edges.
I realized, too late, that this was the way it ended for us.
Aleks lifted his hand, cold magic gathering around it. My shadows reacted immediately, squirming under my skin, trying to resist being drawn to him. It felt like I was being pulled apart from the inside out. The pain was immeasurable.
The look of satisfaction on his face was worse.
As I stared at him, I started to drift into a cold, empty space that I could only guess was somewhere between life and death.
Death seemed so much easier than life in that moment.
I wanted it to claim me.
And the only reason it didn’t was because Lorien moved faster than Aleks did. He materialized from thin air, scooping me into his arms and racing toward a rippling patch of air a short distance away—a portal.
We were leaping through it and tumbling into darkness before I even had a chance to scream.
THIRTY-FIVE
Nova
Ilanded in the rubble in front of Midna Palace with Lorien’s arms wrapped tightly around me.
He’d…saved me.
But he’d also taken me away from all the people I loved. Forced me to abandon them in the middle of battle, and the gods only knew how the Order would retaliate to losingbothme and Lorien. I was safe, but numb. Beyond confused. I didn’t even have my sword; I’d dropped it when Lorien had essentially tackled me.
This was wrong.
All wrong.
Lorien shifted, his body pressing closer to mine. My reflexes took over—I kicked wildly, shoving him away and landing a boot just below his ribcage. He rolled out of my reach, cursing as he grabbed his stomach.
He watched me for a moment, eyes narrowed, before shaking his head and getting gingerly to his feet. “You’re welcome for saving you, by the way.”
“Why did you do it?” I demanded. “Why did you take me away from him?”
“Should I have let him kill you instead?”
