He was hunched over on the ground, his bow near his left hand. I hissed through my fangs and his head snapped up in agony as I scorched him from within. His brown eyes popped open and widened when they saw me.
“What are you?” he asked with a trembling whisper.
My power dragged through the rain as I formed a dark and icy claw in the air. A guttural cry tore from my mouth as I forced theclaw down Gigory’s screaming throat. I curled the talons around the golden blood bond, the precious gift forged from selfless love.
A gift he did not fucking deserve.
My claw gripped the bond. The fabric between worlds strained.
“Grigory Thornebow,” I hissed, my voice magnified on every drop of pouring rain. The voice of the first sorceress braided with my own, magnifying her ancient rage.
“You do not deserve the magic of my sacrifice.” I yanked on the bond and the golden light leached from his veins and twisted into a rope. The faint glowing line arced through the sky toward the southernmost tower of the fortress, connecting with Annalisa.
I pulled, but Grigory stubbornly held on, even through the torture.
I bared my fangs and threw my power behind me. My vision cleared through the magic in the raindrops—Annalisa and Derrick curled behind the battlements and sheltered Astrid with their bodies.
I focused on Annalisa, letting my words echo in the air around her.
“Let go, Anna.” My voice was warm as the golden fire of my power, but it was not a command. It was a choice.
Annalisa kept her eyes squeezed shut as she gripped the bond.
A gentle voice echoed through the rain. “Let go of him, Lis. I am here. I have not been…and I am sorry.”
Annalisa gripped her twin brother.
“I want you back,” Derrick said into her curls. “I miss you too.”
The two halves of the same soul wove together.
So Annalisa took a deep breath and let go.
The blood bond shredded as I yanked it out of Grigory’s body. It dissipated in the air, returning to the clouds like it was nothing more than a lightning strike. Both the bond and the curse in Annalisa’s blood gently evaporated out of her skin.
She was free.
My heartbeat slowed. My power drew inward. The light emanating from me dimmed and panicked voices grew louder and louder amongst the calming rainfall.
“Sera!” Endre shouted. “Sera! Look down!”
My body returned to flesh and bone as I descended in the air, light as a feather. I blinked and my vision cleared.
A tall, golden-haired warrior rose to his feet at the gate with Grigory Thornebow’s black-tipped arrow in his hand. He clenched his fist and the arrow snapped in half, each end falling on top of the discarded head of his father. His cheek was stained with trails of blood, but two twilight eyes looked back at me.
Warmth filled my body as my toes touched the earth.
Riyan was deathless, just like the Man of the Mountain had said. But I never went under the collar. I never sacrificed myself. Derrick…
My heart stopped. I looked up at the tower and caught a peek of Derrick’s dark curls as he comforted his twin.
Derrick had broken the collar and killed Alastar. He gave up everything, his throne, his crown, hislife.He gave up his life because he loved me.
A life for a life given in love—Derrick’s sacrifice balanced the scale and made Riyan deathless.
Riyan’s eyes twinkled as they glanced behind me. His voice rang out through the soft rain, strong and clear. “Only the one who can force me to kneel rules Lycaster.”
Then the kiss of a blade pressed against my neck. Cold steel pressed against my back. I forced down a smile.
