Not while I loved her.
I turned away from the estate and climbed into the van with her in my arms, and for the first time that night—her breathing eased.
Chapter 33
Savla
By the time we reached the Everlock building, the entire main floor buzzed with frantic, taut magic. Lights flickered and protective runes flared along the walls. A half-dozen orcs ghosted through the atrium with weapons drawn, even though we were already inside.
They had felt the bond surge. They had feltmysurge.
Hanna clung to me the whole way in, her body limp with exhaustion, but her fists still curled weakly in my jacket as if she thought someone might rip her away again.
No one would. Noteveragain.
Tabitha rushed ahead to fling open the door to the healing suite.
“In here,” she commanded. “Now.”
I carried Hanna inside and lowered her onto the padded cot, slow and careful, like she was made of spun glass and everymuscle in her body was cracked. My hands shook so badly, I almost missed the edge of the mattress.
She whimpered when I took my arms away. Just once. It was barely a sound, but it tore into me like claws. Just like when she’d made that sound in the manor.
“I’m here,” I murmured immediately, brushing her hair back from her face. “I’m right here.”
Her breathing steadied as the coven surged into the room around us. Tabitha, Zara, Floria and Tasia.
Their expressions were grim and determined. As sharp as blades were before slicing.Floria stepped forward with a vial filled with a flickering green potion.
“This will purge the glamor from her bloodstream,” she said gently. “But it’ll hurt.”
Hanna was barely conscious, but when she tipped the potion to her lips, she swallowed instinctively. Almost instantly, her back arched, her hands seized around my wrist and a choked cry ripped from her throat. The sound hollowed me out.
“Easy,” Floria murmured. “It’s pulling the tethered magic apart.”
Hanna gasped like she’d been struck, then curled sideways, her beautiful face twisting in pain. Dark threads of glamor began to seep from her skin like smoke, unraveling from her veins.
I gripped her hand so tightly I worried I’d hurt her. But she squeezed back,hard.
The bond throbbed, hot and urgent, like it was trying to pull some of her pain into me. I welcomed it.Anythingto lessen her suffering.Tabitha’s hand landed on my shoulder.
“She’s strong,” she whispered. “She’ll get through the purge.”
I nodded once, unable to speak. Minutes dragged like hours while Hanna shook violently, breaths shallow and rapid. Her magic flickered in broken sparks across her arms. Zara whispered protective incantations under her breath, strokingHanna’s ankle in comfort.
Finally—finally—the last of the glamor smoke dissipated. Hanna sagged back onto the mattress, drained and trembling.Floria released a pent-up breath.
“It’s out,” she sighed.
Zara let out a shaky sob.
“Thank the Goddess Mother—” she gasped.
My throat burned asFloria set a glowing rune stone at Hanna’s sternum.
“She’ll sleep now. Her spirit needs time to re-anchor,” she explained.
Tabitha squeezed my arm, voice gentler than I’d ever heard from her. “Savla. She’ll want you close when she wakes up,”
