The largest of them—the one that taunted Willow—remains, suspended midair, defying the pull. Its molten eyes flare brighter, its claws reaching for her through the roaring wind.
“Willow!” I warn through the link, my voice raw.
But she doesn’t move. Her expression is calm, serene, glowing with the same otherworldly strength that can only be associated with the Moon Goddess Herself. There's a certainty in her stature, an inner knowing that the demons are done for. She lifts her hands, palms out, and the gold around her explodes outward in a blinding, raging surge.
The light slams into the demon, and it lets out a sound that isn’t a roar, but more like a death cry, vibrating through the marrow of every living thing in the valley. The creature convulses as it’s finally ripped into the air, sucked toward the rift. For a moment, its claws catch the edge of the portal, but Willow’s light surges again, this time from her heart.
The portal snaps shut around the last demon, sending a shockwave of glittering gold rippling across the meadow, flattening the trees in a circle and sending wolves and witches sprawling into the snow. The silence that follows is deafening—frightening, even—no growls, no screams, no sound at all except the ringing in my ears.
And then I see him, baby, Emile, falling from the sky like a fragile leaf when there isn't a demon imprisoning him in the air any longer.
“Elias! Emile!” Aurora cries out to her mate, and Elias shifts mid-run, catching their son in his arms and crumpling to his knees, sobbing with relief into his mate’s hair as she falls to her knees beside him, the picture of relief.
The others are stirring, groaning, alive in the aftermath of the battle.
Everyone except Willow.
Her body begins to fall when the light that held her up flickers out.
“No!” I howl, sprinting toward her with everything I have left in my tortured bones. The earth still smolders from her power, but I don’t care. I leap across the gaping fissure that once opened beneath her and catch her limp body just before she falls into it.
We hit the ground hard, rolling through the snow until I land on my back, clutching her against my chest. Her head lolls, her hair tangled with my fur, and I shift into human form while cradling her.
“Willow…?”
Panting, I sit upright, my hands trembling as I brush the hair away from her face, noticing how cold her skin is.
Too cold.
I press a finger to her nose, but there's nothing.
No breath warms her lips.
“Come on,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers. “Please, angel…please wake up….”
Nothing.
The world blurs, and for a moment, I forget the pain in my ribs, the blood dripping from my shoulder, the chaos around me as everyone stirs back to a semblance of life. All I can see is Willow, pale, perfect, and unmoving.
I get to my knees, carrying her with me, shaking her shoulders, my voice breaking.
“D-don’t you dare leave me, Willow! You hear me? You don’t get to save everyone and leave me behind!”
My hands fumble as I lay her on the ground, then press stacked palms against her chest, counting compressions the way I was trained long ago. I breathe into her mouth…once, twice, the taste of blood and ash stinging my tongue.
“Breathe,” I beg between sobs. “Breathe, dammit! I love you. I love you, you stubborn woman, I love you!”
The words come out like a prayer, a confession torn from the ruins of my soul.
“Thane…”
It's Dawson, placing a hand on my shoulder as if to console me, as if it's a condolence for the loss.
“No, get off me!” I bellow, slapping his hand away and delivering more compressions to Willow's chest.
“Please, Willow…wake up, baby…don't leave me like this!” I grab her chin with one trembling hand, then crush my lips to hers, breathing air into her mouth as my chest pulls taut, as if containing the broken pieces of my heart.
“P-please…” I choke, pressing my forehead to hers. “You can't leave me like this. You can't leave me alone. I love you….”
