I close my eyes, focusing on the feeling of Shane’s hands on my shoulders. As I bid my soul to return, the dark forces of the curse set upon me, desperate to destroy my light before I can return to my body.
Chapter 25 - Shane
Even though I have my arms wrapped around Hyacinth’s shoulders, I feel like she’s slipping further and further away from me. The wind inside our bubble has increased, and it’s as if it’s trying to rip us apart. I tighten my grip on Hyacinth and close my eyes, burying my head in her shoulder.
I will never let go. If you cross to the other side, then I do, too.
The wind around us increases, completely annihilating my senses. The only thing I can feel is Hyacinth’s weight in my arms, but she’s gone cold and still, as if she’s already dead.
She can’t be! I won’t allow it.
I tighten my arms around her, realizing for the first time that I have absolutely no idea what happens if we die in here without breaking the curse.
Then… everyone dies? Every wolf, every witch?
“Please,” I whisper, shaking her a little. “Please, my love. Don’t die.”
Hyacinth murmurs softly, and I shake her again. She slowly raises her head, leaning back against me.
“Shane,” she whispers. “You’re here.”
I gaze at her. “I don’t think I could go anywhere, even if I wanted to.”
“Your soul held me. It brought me back.” Her head lolls on my shoulder, and she reaches weakly for my hands where they are clasped across her chest. “Never alone,” she whispers, her eyes closing.
“No, Hyacinth, no!” I yell, shaking her. “I have no fucking clue what’s going on here, but you’re not going out like this—and neither am I! Wake up and do your thing.”
She blinks, shaking her head a little. On a wild impulse, I grab her shoulders and turn her around, pulling her close and kissing her as hard as I can.
Hyacinth sighs, her head falling back as she practically melts in my arms. The brutal wind around us loses some of its strength, and a warm energy begins to bloom in its place.
“Shane,” she whispers, putting her arms around my neck and kissing me. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close to me, leaving no space between our bodies as both of us drown in the kiss.
Hyacinth drops her head to my shoulder, wrapping her entire body around mine. The warm energy between us continues to grow, and the screaming wind settles. As the whirlwind around us begins to die down, I can see the others outside the circle. Sadie is standing with her hands held high, and it looks like she’s shouting. Trina kneels nearby, and the pale figures around them must be Owen and Rhys. More dark figures approach, lining up around the outside of the barrier.
Have all the packs been called here? What the hell is going on?
Suddenly, Hyacinth screams, throwing her head back and grabbing my shoulders. I hold on to her waist as she shudders in my lap, pain rippling through her entire body. She stares up at the sky as the scream pours from her mouth, a torrent of pure agony.
“Hyacinth!” I yell, trying to shake her out of it.
The scream dies in her throat, and she grabs my shoulders, clinging to me as the earth beneath us starts to shake.
What the fuck is going on?
A massive crack above my head makes me jump, and I look up to see the force field ripping open. The edges flow back towards the ground, and as they touch the soil, the earth itself shivers, shock waves spreading towards us.
I cling even more tightly to Hyacinth, but the ripples moving through the earth don’t hurt us. They slap against us lightly as if the soil has become a shallow pond, and after gently washing against us, the waves ripple back in the other direction, spreading through the waiting circle of people and out into the garden.
Everywhere the wave touches, bright green grass springs up. Bushes burst out from the ground in splashes of color, and vibrant flowers bloom within them. The energy wave rushes against the manor, and there is a deep, shuddering rumble. Stones shiver, and black dust rises into the sky. In that moment, I realize the manor was originally built from pale sandstone bricks, which had turned dark under the effects of the curse.
The black dust disappears on the wind, and the manor glows like a golden palace. I hold Hyacinth in my arms, the very faint whisper of her breath giving me hope that she’s still alive and all of this is what’s supposed to happen.
“Shane!” Sadie cries, running into the circle. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” I respond, my voice low. “I have no fucking clue what’s happening.”
“Lay her down,” Sadie says, and I carefully put Hyacinth down so Sadie can examine her.
