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Gavriel’s lower half vanished, the tree going with it. “I end here, Paris Raine. I end so you can begin.” A weak smile lifted his lips. “I am deeply sorry for the burden placed upon you.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“I believe in you. I wish I could show you what we were and what the domain looked like before. But it is gone and I am finally spent.”

Overcome with a rush of emotion, I wanted to scream and sob and smash what was left of this garden to pieces.

Find a key.

Sing a song.

Save the world.

“What if you’re lying?” I said, the words burning my tongue.

“Listen to your heart.” There was only his face left now. “Does this feel like home?”

Yes. “I worshipped Aidan and look how that turned out. He was home, he was supposed to be everything.”

“Have faith in yourself, Paris.”

He vanished into whiteness as the sky bleached itself out of existence.

The pond let my hand go. I fell onto my backside, the water disappearing. The instruments faded away, and the bells chimed six times in farewell.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Paris

Icame to, floating on the surface of water with a woman crawling out of my body.

“What the fuck?” I screamed, flailing, trying to get upright.

The woman with lavender eyes dove to the left with a grunt, vanishing into the water with a splash.

Caer?

She is cast out.

I remained in place, the current whooshing past me. Was I stretched out on something? A platform just above the water? Storm clouds rolled across the sky, and I heard Aidan yelling and a gun firing.

“What the fuck?” I screamed again.

Silv burst out of the water, his hands landing on me.

“Shit!” I wailed, jumping nearly out of my skin.

As if my headache wasn’t kicking my arse enough. Now I had jump scares to contend with?

Fuck life right now.

“I’m here,” he panted.

Water sluiced down his face, his hair clinging to his forehead. Those eyes, those…all of the things. He took my breath away, he set my pulse racing, and he made the crystal dagger appear in my hand.

Hate. Hate. Hate. Vicious, ravenous hate. If I rolled over now, I’d get in a blow to that damn ruby. Take him out, take them all out.

He smiled. “Let me help you get back to shore.”