The air shimmered, and Kieran and Arowyn came hurtling back through space.
Except…it wasn’t Kieran.
It was Nox.
All of us jumped in surprise, and my mouth dropped so hard, I thought it would hit the ground.
“Take me back thereright now,” Nox snarled at Arowyn, his navy eyes turning to silver slits.
“What’s going on?” Everett asked.
The pieces clicked together, and I raised a shaking hand to my lips. Kieran had—he was?—
“I’m going to wait for him,” Arowyn rushed out, backing away before Nox could grab her. “There’s still a chance, Nox. I’ll stay as long as I can.”
He lunged for her, but she was quicker. His arms wrapped around thin air. He let out a roar and swiped his fingers through his hair, then staggered toward the manor.
Fear lurched up my throat. I thought he was going to make a run for it. “Nox, don’t?—”
But he didn’t run. He merely crashed to his knees with his hands splayed across his thighs. His neck dropped to his chest.
“He took my place,” Nox said, so quiet it was hard to hear. His sorrowful gaze met mine. “Kieran took my place.”
Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Fates, I wasso madat him, I wanted to strangle him with or without my shadows. But I also loved him so much, I could hardly think straight. And he was about to watch his best friend die.
I lowered myself in front of him, and he instantly crushed me against him. His silent tears dripped down my neck as his fingers tangled in my hair. I melted into him, letting my own tears overwhelm me. Tears of relief, of disbelief, of love, of mourning.
“I’m so sorry, Devora,” he whispered into my hair, his voice choked. “I’m sorry I left you.”
I swallowed hard and clung to him tighter. “Shh, it doesn’t matter right now. I’ve got you. I’m here.”
When the first resoundingboomshattered the quiet night, his body recoiled. I pulled back to grip his face and forced him to meet my eyes. “Just look at me. Right here. I’m with you, Nox.”
I could see the flames out of thecorner of my eye as another explosion rocked the air. Smoke rose in a mushroom cloud, hanging over the surrounding forest. Tears tracked down Nox’s dirt-stained cheeks, but he kept his sights set on me, his shoulders shaking and hands curling into fists where they held me.
I counted the seconds in my head. Each tick took me further and further from hope.
The blast was so strong, we could feel the heat even from this distance. Cracks echoed around us as the house succumbed to the fire and began breaking down on itself. The sky was blanketed in a smoky haze, blocking the stars and coating us in darkness.
A few more seconds passed. Nox closed his eyes, and the weight in my heart sank.
Until—
“Nox,” Vera said with a gasp. We both jerked toward her, then followed her finger pointing a little ways out.
Arowyn appeared on the ground, her hands blackened with ash as she crawled across the grass. Parts of her long hair were singed and smoking, soot covering her from head to toe. Fire had eaten through the sleeve of her right arm and burned the skin beneath.
Nox and I hurried to help her to her feet. When she doubled over with a cough, tufts of smoke spewed from her lips.
“I—I waited,” she said in between more coughing fits. “I waited as long as I could. I’m sorry, Nox.”
A lump formed in my throat. There was nothing more we could do.
Kieran was gone.
Nox threw his head back and roared into the sky, a deep, unending sound full of grief and heartache that made my own heart break even further.
I clutched a hand to my chest and looked out onto the collapsing mansion. The wind whipped my hair across my face and scattered the flames further into the forest. The snapping of limbs was a backdrop to Nox’s cry, and my own tears slipped freely down my face.
