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My voice falters as I scream into the air.

“This wasn’t anyone’s fault, this was his decision. The ghost couldn’t have stopped him. You can’t blame anyone,” Kai reassures me.

“But—”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

He was supposed to live, to be free. He loved you, he loved all of us.

I bury my face in Cade’s hoodie. My nails dig into my palms as I squeeze the fabric.

“You can’t die like this,” I whisper into him. My head bows low as tears continue streaming down my face.

“Looks like another one of my problems took care of itself,” Gregor says from the floor behind me.

“This was because of you,” I say, my voice low.

I stand, summoning every ounce of magic within me. Sparks begin to bloom on my fingertips as the room begins to shake.

“None of this would have happened if it weren’t for you!” I scream.

Gregor laughs as he winces under the debris weighing on him.

“Give me all you got, monster.”

I look down at my hands, still drenched in Cade’s blood.

I look back at him, his sharp features softened in death. He looks like he’s sleeping. Maybe he’s just sleeping.

The room stops shaking as I process Gregor’s words. If I kill him, if I put everything I have into this… Cade’s sacrifice will have been for nothing.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask.

“Monsters don’t deserve to live.”

My brows furrow.

I pull my magic back to the surface, focusing all of it into my hand, not too much, just enough.

“I’m not a monster. You’re the monster.”

I press my palm against Gregor’s jaw, channeling every ounce of rage and magic. The air crackles; it’s almost painful.

For a split second, his eyes widen before the energy surges through my fingertips. Gregor’s body convulses, and he crumples against the debris, the impact echoing through the room. I wipe my eyes, trying not to fall over from how weak I feel.

“Are you guys okay?”

“Just peachy,” Alok says, sitting on the ground, giving a thumbs-up.

I pull my magic back into myself, falling onto the hard marble. My knees sting from the pain, but I invite it. The pain is a small distraction from this moment.

I’ve always seen my brother as this unmovable thing. The thought of him not existing didn’t even seem like a possibility.

I wanted all of this to be over, I wanted to put this part of my life behind me. But this is too high a cost. I was the one that was raised to be a sacrifice. It was supposed to be me.

“You’re only delaying the inevitable, girl. If you think you’re going to make it out of this alive, then you’re more ignorant than I thought.” Gregor’s words are sharp, but I ignore him.

Closing my eyes, I wipe the tears from my face. My eyes are burning and swollen.