“No!” Xavier’s heart shattered.
Blood spurted from Kat’s chest—an expression of pure shock crossing his face.
Xavier activated the blood ward, fury burning through his veins.
His magic roared.
With a whoosh of smoke, vines dissolved into dust. Blight screamed as his body dissolved beneath the blood curse. A sound that would fuel Xavier’s nightmares for years to follow.
Xavier jumped over the quickly evaporating monster to reach his mate. “No. No. No,” he chanted.
“Xavier!” Zabria shouted as she ran up to where he kneeled.
He gathered Kat into his arms, afraid to look at the gaping hole in his chest.
“Xav! There’s no time! Take him to your rune circle.” Zabria shook his shoulder.
“What?” He sucked in a breath as he tried to focus on what she was saying.
“You can save him.”
Her firm conviction tore away the fog of grief threatening to drown him.
His circle. The healing circle he’d created in his workshop. “Will it work?” This wasn’t a time for vague hints or shadowy outcomes. He needed to know.
Zabria’s eyes silvered over. “Yes.”
Xavier scooped Kat into his arms and ran.
His leg throbbed, and he almost collapsed more than once from the pain tearing through his probably broken ankle, but he’d let his bones crumble to dust if it saved his mate—sweet, kind Kat, who always had a smile and a sunny outlook. If Kat didn’t make it, the world would burn.
He gave an absent thought to his brother, but there wasn’t enough time to worry over a brother he barely knew when his mate was bleeding out.
It took far longer than it should’ve to reach his workshop, but no one else could carry him. Xavier’s instincts were running high, and the first person who tried to block his path hit the wall with a loud crunch. Others were quick to clear their way through the quickly filling castle. Xavier had no idea where everyone had been during their battle, but they were too late to help now.
The workshop door opened without a touch, his bleeding hands still powering outside magic.
Gently, he set his mate in the middle of the circle, careful not to smudge any of the runes.
“How is he?” Melcori appeared in the doorway.
“Almost dead.” The words poured from his lips without hesitation.
“Do your thing, child,” Melcori encouraged.
Xavier placed his still-bleeding palm on the lead rune and uttered the string of words he’d developed to power the runes. His mate’s life depended on his theory being correct.
“Don’t hesitate. Don’t forget your intention. You intend for this to work. You won’t accept failure.” Melcori’s words echoed in his chest.
Don’t accept failure.
The chant came smoother, and the magic rose, distorting the air around the circle. Xavier fed his love, power, and insistence that this circle heal his mate.
“Heal!” he commanded, finishing the magical chain spell.
A burst of red light seared his eyes. He had to look away to save his vision. Heat poured out from the center, and only the sound of coughing forced Xavier to look at his mate.
“Kat,” he whispered, like a benediction to an unknown god of healing.
