The shock of the discovery was beginning to wear off enough for Viri to understand that whatever had happened, it hadn’t been her fault. Something had gone wrong, some unexpected reaction from the obelisk that had triggered a magical surge and resulted in tragedy. It had been an accident, nothing more, and yet, the weight of her guilt was crushing.
“There’s more for you to remember,” Reeve said, still stroking her hair. “But only—only if you want to know everything.”
His hesitation made her look at his face, the moonlight revealing uncertainty in his expression. Fear, even. Seeing it, she almost decided not to finish the memory, but she knew that if she didn’t, she would forever wonder what else she’d chosen to forget.
She owed it to her brother to find out why she’d believed he’d murdered their parents, just as she owed it to herself to find out what had really happened next.
“How do I w-watch the rest?” Viri asked, only stuttering slightly now as her tears began to dry.
Reeve seemed just as resigned as he’d been in the tower, though his unease was stronger this time, as if he knew exactly what she was about to see, and he dreaded it even more than what she’d already witnessed. The thought made Viri’s stomach twist, but she gathered her courage and braced herself as best as she could.
“Just close your eyes,” he answered, seeing her resolve, “and think of the last thing you remembered. Now that the magewish has been revoked, your mind should unlock the rest instinctively.”
A shaky breath left Viri as she followed his instructions, notonce thinking about leaving the comfort of his arms. He was solid and strong and safe when everything around her felt like it was crumbling—and something told her it was about to get so much worse. She didn’t care that she needed him right now, didn’t care that he was a reaper, a monster, a killer. Because he was also Reeve, and he was the only thing that stood a chance at keeping her together as she delved back into her past.Theirpast.
One second, she was staring up at him, seeing his conflicted, stormy gaze on hers, and the next, she was closing her eyes and tumbling back into her memory.
Ice swept through Viri at the sight of her parents lying on the ground. Just seconds ago, they’d been running toward her, and now, they would never run again. They would never hug her, kiss her, hold her, love her. A thousand memories flashed across her mind, moments of laughter and tears and everything in between, none of which would ever be repeated.
Her parents were dead.
They weredead.
And it was all Viri’s fault.
But—no, it wasn’t. She hadn’t done this. Theobeliskhad.
Fire broke through her numbness, the renewed magical burn so fierce that she cried out, tears still streaming down her cheeks as pain enveloped every part of her. She wanted to give in to it, to let it consume her so she could join her parents in peaceful oblivion, but even as the thought hit her, another one, a stronger one, told her that her mom and dad wouldn’t want her to give up. She needed to fight. She needed tolive.
“VIRI!” Reeve screamed her name, the sound barely penetrating her agony. “Brae—we have to do something! We have to help her! Brae! BRAE!”
Viri’s pained gaze lifted to see Braedan standing over their parents, his face white with shock as he stared down at their lifeless forms.
But then Viri’s attention moved to Reeve as he sprinted toward her, just like her mom and dad had done. She wanted to shriek at him to stay away, but the stubborn look on his face told her he wouldn’t listen.
“You have to let go of the obelisk!” he yelled urgently, skidding to a halt right in front of her. He was so close—dangerously close. If there was another surge of power, if her magic exploded again—
“I c-c-can’t,” she gasped out around her pain, certain her skin had to be melting from her bones. “I’m s-scared, Reeve!”
“I’m right here, Viri,” he said, his face pale with fear, but then it shifted with resolve as he reached toward her.
“No!” she cried, flinching backward into the obsidian stone.
“Do you trust me, Little Shadow?” Reeve asked, his hands still raised between them. “I think—I think I know how to help you, but you have to trust me.”
“I—”
Another scream left Viri, keeping her from answering. She trusted him more than anyone, but the pain—the pain—
She couldn’t speak beyond the agony tearing through her, her torment growing until, suddenly, her vision flooded with light, ellixen radiating out of her, turning her into a living sun.
Reeve cursed against the brightness and didn’t wait for her response, taking her free hand in his and wrapping his other palm around her neck, skin to skin.
“What are you doing?” Braedan croaked out, finally shaking off his shock enough to lunge toward them.
Reeve closed his eyes in concentration. “There’s too much magic inside her—it’ll kill her if I don’t stop it.”
“You’re—You’re—” Braedan was at a loss for words.
