All she needed now was the courage to see it through.
“I love you, Deciel Coeur de Noir.” Black heart, demon and unicorn.
“And I love you, Tanis Dragomir. Now and forever. No one will ever hurt you again.”
She knew that was true because for the first time in her life, she had a real, proven champion.
Tears of joy filled her as she realized something. Her first champion, Davin, had led her to Dash. Even in death, her brother had kept her safe.
It might sound silly, but she felt as if Davin was watching and approving.
For the first time, she had a future in the sunlight. Not one of solitude and hiding. And she was going to embrace it with both hands, no matter how scary it might seem.
Chapter 25
Dash, Tanis, Halla, and Ryper stood in the room where Ryper had preserved Renata’s body.
His heart broken, Dash knelt by her side. “I’d hoped to have enough of her essence left to talk to her one more time.”
Tanis placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she knew how much you loved her.”
“I still can’t get over our fight. The things I said that I didn’t mean.”
Ryper moved to the other side of Dash. “Have you tried to use your horn?”
“What?”
“It’s gold and black. No one knows the powers you hold now. Use your wand to see if you can summon her.”
Ryper was right. His wand should have powers from both colors. Not to mention the fact that Dash wasn’t completely a unicorn. He was part oni. He might have the ability to summon her essence.
Tanis carefully pulled Dash’s horn charm off her bracelet and handed it to him.
Using his powers, he enlarged the wand to its full size. “Here goes nothing.”
Tanis bit her lip as Dash’s eyes began to glow. More than that, sparks flew from the horn in much the way they’d done when he made her human.
At first, she thought nothing would happen. But as the sparks went to a shadow, she realized that it had taken the shape of a young woman.
Renata’s spirit slowly manifested there.
Her breath caught at how beautiful she was with long black hair like Dash’s.
Regal and poised, Renata looked around as if in a daze. “Dash? Ryper?”
“Hey, dart donkey,” Dash said affectionately in a trembling voice. “I’ve missed you.”
A sad smile tugged at the edges of her lips. “I’m so sorry, Dash. I was stupid not to listen to your warnings. I knew you weren’t cruel, and I am sorry for that, too.”
“No... you were being you, and I shouldn’t have yelled at you for it. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
Her gaze went to his wand and her brows drew together sharply. “What did you do to your horn?”
“I broke it.”
She shook her head. “That’s not broken. You’ve changed. And it looks like it confused your wand.”
Dash chuckled. “You said I was always confusing.”
