Before he could finish, I reached out and gripped his shoulder. “It's done,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt. The rain streamed down his face as his hand reached up, fingers wrapping over mine, but it did nothing to wash away the sadness still lingering in his eyes.
For a moment, I hesitated, then let the words slip out. “I forgive you.”
Jaxon’s nod was barely noticeable, but his eyes remained heavy.
“I love you, brother,” I said, and his hand tightened over mine briefly, his grip warm despite the rain’s cold bite. I pulled away, returning my hand to my side, and took a deep breath.
“Are you ready?” Gunnar’s voice called out, and I nodded, staring again at the stormy night sky.
A moment later, a sudden and painful piercing ring drilled into my ears, and my gaze snapped to Gunnar. He was now muttering an incantation, his eyes shining as he looked upon us in the circle. His hand was raised toward us, fingers splayed and twitching as if pulling invisible strings.
Memories of that dreadful night surged forward, the night I woke to find Jaxon looming over me in the dark. He had woken me from my sleep, his golden eyes cold and ruthless. I shook the image away, and my heart pounded wildly. The pain increased, and I shut my eyes, bracing for the agony I knew was seconds away.
The sky shattered with a deafening roar of thunder, and a burning pain shot through my chest. It was so intense it stole my breath. I forced my eyes open, but only a suffocating darkness met my gaze. Icy, hot liquid crept through my veins like acid, and it spread throughout my body like wildfire, the pain becoming unbearable.
A raw, primal scream tore from my throat, and I could hear Jaxon let out one of his own. Our shouts echoed in the night, mingling with the thunder. The pain made me arch my back, my muscles straining. Blindly, I reached out, my fingers finding the cool, smooth surface of the pocket watch as if drawn to it. Its presence was both grounding and alien, as if it were a lifeline and a tether to the pain.
The world around me seemed to warp and twist, the lines between reality and darkness blurring. Magic swirled around us, pressing down, squeezing the air from my lungs. A flash of icy blue eyes burned into my vision, and I screamed again as invisible hands started to tear me apart. It felt like I was being pulled in every direction at once, and I fell into unconsciousness.
Chapter 35
Zara
I had just gotten out of the bath and had been putting on a change of clothes when an awareness rippled through me. It felt familiar, but I couldn’t place how. I quickly finished changing and peered out of my room into the hallway. No one was there, and the eerily lit halls made my skin pebble.
The memory of me standing in a camp, walking toward a large tent, flashed through my mind, and I realized it was that same sensation. I hadn’t been able to place it then either, but it seemed to call to me like a siren, pulling me closer.
I turned a corner, my fingers brushing the cool, damp stone, and the intensity grew. The compulsion to keep moving forward surged through me, and I quickened my pace as I rounded another corner. The castle's towering arches and intricately carved doorways blurred around me as I slipped through them.
My heart pounded in my chest, not from fear but from an anticipation I couldn’t understand.
I reached the base of a staircase and began to ascend without a second thought. The higher I climbed, the more intensethe pull became—like a buzzing energy that coursed through my veins. The air grew colder, and rain seeped through the narrow windows that dotted the stairwell. Thunder crashed, and lightning lit up the stairway as I walked.
I paused before a heavy wooden door at the top, my hand trembling as I lifted it toward the door. I pushed it open a fraction, the creak of the hinges hidden by the pounding of rain, and peered out through the crack.
The open air greeted me with a gust of wind that sent my hair flying. A swirling mass of shadows seemed to thrash in a large circle in the middle of the tower. Gunnar stood near the door, his back to me and his hand outstretched toward the swirling mass. The air seemed too thin, and the swirling shadows exploded outward in a sudden blast, making me cover my face in alarm.
Nothing seemed to happen, and I lowered my arms, peeking back through the crack.
Jaxon lay on the ground clutching his chest, and he seemed to be breathing heavily as he sat up off the ground. Gunnar ran to his side, helping him to his feet, pulling him away from a now smaller shadowy mass next to him. It floated to the ground, and the shadows seemed too thin, revealing Xavier, who now stood silhouetted against the stormy sky.
Xavier turned slowly, his golden-flecked emerald eyes snapping to mine in the crack of the door. I gasped, but he was gone.
Chapter 36
Xavier
Mine.
Chapter 37
Zara
I shouted as arms grabbed me from behind, pulling me against a broad, muscular chest. Cedar and citrus filled my nose, and a shadowy mist enveloped me. A room appeared, and a door locking echoed into the space.
My heart pounded in my chest as Xavier lowered his face to my ear, letting out a low, sensual growl that vibrated in his chest.
I spun around, and his eyes were wholly black as he looked down at me.
