To our right, Talon was moaning as Mal and Braxis pulled him out of the machine.
“It's red!” I pointed at the vial. “Your magic was blue—pale blue. We probably extracted some of Talon's magic with yours and there's no telling how you'll react to it.”
Leo looked from me to the gun in his hand. He pulled the trigger and the pfft of an air cartridge sounded. “I'd rather die than live without my magic.” He took the second vial from Lily and traded it out for the empty one.
“At least give the first dose a minute to settle,” I urged.
“I can't.” Leo injected the second dose. “I don't want to lose my nerve.”
Leo set the gun down, and I took his hand. Lily took the other hand, and the other members of F.E.A.R., Alex included, drew in close around Leo to offer their support. When Leo stumbled and started to scream, we caught him and laid him on the floor. His body trembled violently, his eyes rolling back in his head. I bit my lip, feeling helpless. He wasn't a Bleiten or Ungaru; he couldn't process the elixir in my blood. Nor could I heal him without removing the magic that he had just vowed he couldn't live without. But could I let him die? Surely, he would reconsider when faced with death?
“We've got you, Leo,” Lily said as she started to cry. “You're not alone. We've got you.”
“Fuck,” Jason whispered and then started sobbing. “Please don't die, man. Please.”
Leo screamed again and again. In between the terrifying sounds came the snickering of a gagged Fury. Rain, who was standing guard to Talon's left, casually turned and punched Talon in the face. The Fury instantly crumpled. But I was too distracted by Leo to thank Rain. I held Leo's hand and did the only thing I could do for him; I eased his pain.
I sent calming amethyst and teal into Leo's aura, the latter being a general pain reliever. Leo took a shuddering breath as the pain receded, but his body still shook like a leaf in a hurricane.
“I can try to remove the magic,” I offered.
“No,” Leo moaned. “No.”
Leo gripped my hand as his entire body went tense, the cords in his neck standing out. Then, suddenly, he sat up straight, yanking Lily and me backward as he leaned forward and shrieked. The sound speared from his mouth and hit the extractor. Cracks like thunder rocked through the room as the machine exploded. Everyone ducked for cover as shrapnel went flying.
The echoes of Leo's shriek died out, fading into a silence filled only with awe and heavy panting. I sat up and looked at Leo; he gaped at me. Around us, people climbed to their feet, shaking off debris. Parts of the extractor littered the floor and covered the furniture.
Cyprian pulled a piece of metal out of the wall and inspected it as he declared, “Well, that's one way of taking care of the machine.”
Leo burst out laughing.
Chapter Forty-Six
We took Talon outside for his execution. Not into the beautiful backyard but onto the stark cement drive in front of the house. It seems careless, but we had a long, private driveway guarded by a gate, with forested land between the gate and the house. Malik and Braxis dragged Talon into the center of the roundabout and tossed him on the ground. Talon whimpered and climbed to his knees as his wings flopped uselessly. They had moved his cuffed hands to the front but that was the only courtesy he'd get.
“Remove his gag,” I said. “I want to hear him scream.”
Malik untied Talon's gag, and then he and Braxis stepped away, utterly unconcerned. With his wings broken and his magic drained, their lack of concern was warranted. Talon could shriek at me and it may even sting, but it wouldn't kill me, and we'd simply replace the gag.
Talon panted as he yanked the wad of fabric from his mouth. He stretched his jaw and lifted his stare to mine. “If you kill me, you'll never know the identities of the other Triari who murdered your parents.”
I froze.
Jason stepped forward, grabbed Talon's shoulder, and demanded, “Give us the names of the other people who murdered Amara's parents, you fucking dick!”
Talon gasped and blurted, “I'm the last of them!” Then his eyes went wide.
Jason walked away with a grin, dusting his hands off with satisfaction.
“Thank you,” I whispered as he passed me.
“Anytime, Spectra.” Jason winked.
I set my stare back on Talon.
“I'm the cousin of the Furinian King!” Talon shouted. “If you kill me, you'll start a war.”
“Hardly,” Malik scoffed. “No king would start a war when his relative was the one to first offer injury to several monarchs from three powerful races.”
