The Ether lashes once—like something wounded—before sinking back into my skin.
Her sob echoes through the clearing.
Something between us finally shatters—not with light or sound, but with understanding.
The guys move closer—a protective ring around us both, magic and weapons ready, Ether bristling.
But Riley doesn’t attack. Doesn’t fight back.
She just slumps in my arms, every bit of fight draining out of her as consciousness starts to slip.
“Without the mirrors,” she murmurs, voice fading. “It’s still you and me. We could be whole.”
Then her eyes close, and she goes limp.
The daisies’ glow dims. The forest holds its breath.
I lower her carefully to the ground beside the well, my hands shaking.
The guys close in, forming a tighter circle.
“What do we do with her?” Jace asks quietly.
“We can’t kill what’s left of her,” Thane says, though he doesn’t sound happy about it. “But if Bree listens to her, Ethos wins.”
Rhett plants his palms on the ground, fire flickering under his skin, the heat steady—anchoring all of us. “Then we don’t leave her side.”
I stare down at Riley’s unconscious form—at the silver threads still woven through her Ether, at the exhaustion carved into her features.
“She’s not wrong,” I say quietly.
Everyone looks at me.
“If we could rejoin—maybe I could close him off. Cut the connection. Make her whole without…” I trail off, unable to finish the thought.
The clearing seems to darken, as if the Void itself is leaning closer to hear my choice.
“Bree.” Theo’s voice is gentle. “You don’t have to save everyone.”
“I know.” My throat tightens. “But what if I can?”
Thane crouches beside me, silver eyes meeting mine. “And what if trying costs you everything?”
I don’t answer.
Because I don’t know.
The daisies pulse with silver light, and somewhere in the distance, I swear I hear Ethos laughing.
“If wholeness means losing myself,” I whisper, “what does that make me now?”
Chapter 35
Bree
The silence stretches.
Riley lies unconscious between us, her breathing shallow. The daisies’ light pulses in time with her heartbeat—faint, struggling.
