“Clarissa, hurry!” Galen shouted below.
There wasn’t enough time. We weren’t going to be able to escape it.
“Marigold, as soon as I get this loose, I need you to grab my hand,” I instructed her. Her wide eyes stared up at me in horror, but she nodded, already reaching out her arm to grasp mine.
The jungle floor below her turned black.
“Are you ready?” I asked, making one final swipe at the net.
The skin on her right arm began to flake.
She nodded.
A crack appeared on her cheek, and her body swayed.
Snap. “Now, Marigold!”
The net fell open to release her to the ground. I lunged for her outstretched hand.
I let out a cry as her weight hung limp in my grasp, but still, I held on. The curse siphoned from her and barreled into me, igniting my magic. In the next second, she sucked in a strangled breath, kicking her legs as she realized where she was.
“Marigold, hold still!” I shouted. With a burst of my Shifter strength, I lugged her onto the branch with me and cradled her tomy chest. A sob tore from my throat as I weaved my fingers through her hair.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you, sweet girl. You’re safe,” I kept murmuring into the top of her head, soothing her tears and the cries that racked her body.
“Where’s my daddy?” she finally said with a hiccup as she pulled back to look at me.
“He’s waiting for you. He and your grandmother. Uncle Galen is there down the tree—do you think you can be brave and climb down with me?”
She swallowed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. I made sure to keep a steady grip on her other arm. With a sniff, she nodded.
“Marigold, I need you to listen to me.” I tapped her chin to look up at me. “No matter what happens, youhaveto keep touching me, okay? I know it sounds strange, but do you see this scary darkness that’s spreading?” I gestured over the branch to the curse that had now passed us. To my relief, Galen was right—it didn’t seem to affect him, for he stood below us, looking up with a deep crease on his features. “You know how I come from the Veridian Empire across the sea? Well, that gives me special powers. And the scary darkness doesn’t hurt me. As long as you’re touching me, it can’t hurt you either. Do you understand?”
She nodded again as she leaned forward and clung to my neck.
Thank goodness I had my Shifter strength and agility back, or I might not have been able to climb down the tree with her in my arms. We made it to the bottom, and I switched her to my back, making sure she held on to my neck tight before Galen and I sprinted back the way we came.
We quickly passed the edge of the dead, rotted land and kept going into uncursed territory, and I thanked the Fates we were still faster than it. For now.
Although, I supposed it was their fault we were in thismess in the first place.
When we reached the back entrance of the Base, I let out a growl as Thorne scrambled out of the circle of huts.
“I told you to go to the docks!” I shouted, glancing behind my shoulder to see if the curse was gaining on us yet. I couldn’t see it, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t appear soon. Marigold slid down my back and grabbed my hand when she saw Thorne nearing.
“Turns out I’m just as stubborn as you, Empress.” A tear tracked down his cheek as he collided with us.
His arms wrapped around me and Marigold at my side, pulling her in between us in a hug that threatened to squeeze the life out of me.
“Your family is safe at the docks, ready to go. And they have Mia,” he reassured me. “But I couldn’t wait with them. I had to know you were alright.” He bent to kiss the top of Marigold’s head, all while keeping a hand on me. Marigold jumped up to embrace his neck, and he scooped her into his arms. Still, she clutched my thumb in her small hand.
“Thank you,” Thorne mouthed to me over her head.
All I could do was nod. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I took in a shaky breath. We could have lost her. If we’d been only a couple minutes later, the curse would have gotten her. I couldn’t imagine life without this little girl. Withoutbothof them. They were so deeply embedded inside me, so twisted in the fabric of my being, I couldn’t untangle them even if I wanted to.
Was this what Leo and Rose had? The kind of love that made it hard to breathe, that made every heartbeat call out for them. That had you throwing caution to the wind and leaping heart first when your head had always been the one to take the lead.
