My knees gave out, and I gasped as I slammed into the ground, the dull ache turning razor sharp. Pain speared through my body, vicious and unrelenting, but I held myself still. Groaning, I dragged myself to my feet and faced Ambrose.
“I refuse,” I whimpered when another shot of agony laced down my body. I cried out and collapsed against the wall beside me, my breath turning into wet, ragged gasps as the pain worsened. A vicious snarl tore from Ambrose’s lips, and a wall of ice surged up between my mates and me. He lunged forward, gripping my throat and slamming my back hard against thestone. I heard my mates—my family—call out my name, heard the pounding against the ice, but the sound was faint over the roaring in my ears.
“You. Will.Kill them!” Ambrose roared. His chest quickly rising and falling, his eyes glinting dangerously.
The pain pierced through my body, leaving me breathless. Blood trickled from my nose and over my lips. Ambrose pulled me toward him and walked us closer to the ice, letting it fall away.
“Kill them, Sybil.” He hissed as he slowly started backing away, leaving me to face my mates alone.
I looked toward Samian, wishing that there was a different path than this. A way to go back in time to stop all of this from happening. To tell my past self not to make that foolish bargain with Ambrose. Sorrow radiated from Samian's eyes, his face softening as he drew his sword. He nodded, preparing his attack, his eyes gleaming with pain.
“It’s okay,” he murmured through our bond. “We will get through this together.”
My heart thrashed in my chest, but I braced myself. Ambrose’s command was to kill everyone but Samian, so I couldn’t attack him head-on. My gaze moved to Queen Cassia as she stood behind Kieran, tall and proud. Melancholy lingered in her eyes, mixed with an emotion I couldn’t quite read.
I moved my focus to Kieran. Unshed tears burned my eyes, my breathing turning into short, pained pants. My body felt as if it was being torn apart from the bargain demanding I listen, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. Taking another breath, the air caught in my lungs, choking me. Coughing, blood spilled out of my mouth, dripping down my chest.
Noticing that I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer, Kieran slowly shifted, readying himself for my attack, agony etched along his face as he pulled out his sword. My ears rangas I let out a low groan, my mind losing the battle against the torture of the bargain. I took a step toward Kieran, swallowing the revulsion I felt at the temporary relief of pain. Closing my eyes, my soul cried out in anguish when I heard Kieran call my name.
“Look at me, Sybil,” he said softly. “It’s okay. I promise you, it will be okay. We can get through this. You can fight this.”
A wet, broken laugh clawed its way from my throat as blood spilled from my nose and past my lips. A shuddering breath left me as my magic gathered in my hands, forming a sword, feeling heavy in my hands. I studied Kieran then, making sure every part of him was committed to memory. Gripping my sword tight with both hands, I nodded to him, preparing him for my attack. Feeling the bargain's hold on me loosen, I yelled out as I lunged toward him.
Samian jumped in front of Kieran, blocking him from me, his sword meeting mine. Our swords clashed, and I tried to get past him. My command forbade me to hurt Samian, the ache painfully forming again in my chest as we fought. Feeling my misery, Salem jumped from the shadows, stopping Samian from getting too close. I looked toward Kieran, whose throat bobbed, his face blanching.
My magic hummed when I launched myself in Kieran’s direction. Though my soul was begging me to stop, the call of the bargain already had its hold. My grip tightened around the hilt of my sword, and Kieran raised his own blade to meet mine just in time. He grunted from the force of my attack as he called my name, begging for me to fight against Ambrose’s command.
Kieran arched his sword, letting mine slide off. Spinning, I swiped my blade before he could raise his again, the sharp edge meeting his chest. Kieran faltered, his hand gripped his chest, while blood dripped to the floor below us. Nausea rolled throughme at how closely the scene mirrored what had happened to Vivi just days ago.
Behind me, Ambrose’s laugh echoed through the room. My stomach clenched with a sickening feeling, watching Kieran bleed, his face pinched with pain. He raised his sword again, preparing for my next attack.
My eyes drifted to Samian, to Salem keeping him away from me. I looked back at Kieran, and when our eyes met, a tear slipped down my face. I could feel his heart shatter through our bond, but his whispered words, repeating that everything would be okay, kept me from breaking. I had spent my entire life longing to be free—free from the relentless pull of the mundane, free from the bargain I’d been tricked into. All I’d ever dreamed of was escape, of stretching my wings and finally flying. But now? Now there was only one thing on my mind.
It was time.
Chapter 43
Kieran
Iwatched in horror as Sybil closed her eyes and began to scream. Her magic poured out of her in waves, pushing us back into the wall behind us. An ache so deep pulled at my soul, urging me to go to her, to stop whatever was happening to her. But I stood frozen as the air began to stir, like a storm gathering strength. I heard Ivara call my name in warning, but it wasn’t my magic making the air heavy. It was all coming from Sybil. Her sword flickered, her power leaking from her body, swirling around her.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Salem’s ear twitch before his body dissolved into shadow, slipping away to join the warm glow circling Sybil. Another wave of power pulsed through the room, pushing everyone back. The servants Hale had brought with him whimpered behind me, but I couldn’t look away, not as Sybil’s veins turned into a mix of black and gold, crawling up her arms and neck. Sybil’s scream grew louder, more bloodcurdling. Her eyes wrenched open, but they were no longer the beautiful, deep green I loved. One eye glowed a bright white, while the other was endless black. Blood poured from her eyes and down her face.
I breathed her name, taking a step forward. My chest throbbed, the pain from days before returning tenfold. This is what must have happened when Ambrose took her to the dungeon and commanded her to reveal the rebellion's secrets, and she refused. I looked to Samian to check on him and found his eyes locked on Sybil, terror and agony burning in his gaze as he clutched his chest, teeth grinding hard.
I snapped my attention back to Sybil and cried out her name. If she continued whatever she was doing, she was going to die, and we with her. I didn’t give a fuck about what happened to me, but my heart and soul knew that she wouldn’t be able to survive trying to break the bargain. I called out to her again, but this time, Sybil gasped, my voice finally reaching her.
Sybil lifted her gaze as the otherworldly colors faded away until only green remained, and her eyes shone with tears. I took a step closer when she shook her head, giving me a sad smile. Her magic fell away from her, though the pressure grew around us.
“I love you,” she whispered through the bond, her voice quivering. “I love you and know that this is not the end.”
“No,” I breathed, my heart stopping as I took another step closer to her.
“Samian,” Sybil yelled, her eyes never leaving mine, “now!”
A wall slammed against me, pushing me to the ground. Samian held me down as vines wrapped around me, holding me to the floor. I fought, bellowing as I clawed and tore my way through to get to Sybil, to stop what was about to come. Samian called out to Daelan and Ivara for help, their hands pushing me down, keeping me away from my mate.
I fought against their grip, struggling to break free, when Sybil’s gaze shifted to Samian, then to Daelan and Ivara. Each of them cursed under their breath, frozen in place, too stunned to move. Tears poured down Sybil’s face when her eyes changedback to those eerie, otherworldly colors. The fight drained out of me while I watched in agony, helpless, as her magic coiled tighter around her. Spears of power erupted from every direction, piercing her body—driving straight through her heart.
