CHAPTER 36
Zara
H e’s going to kill me.
I didn’t know how I knew it, but the hand that he held out toward me kept me pinned in place as he raised his other arm, aiming a blast of magick toward me. One so strong that I knew I wouldn’t be able to take it.
He’ll kill me rather than let me win.
I kept my gaze on his, my chin lifted as the blast left his hand. I wouldn’t be cowed by him.
And that was when the worst thing possible happened. I watched with horror as Rudgar jumped in front of me, his huge body taking the full brunt of the dark spell. A scream left me, but I didn’t lower my arms.
No.
The sickening crunch of his rib breaking was loud in the air around us before he slumped to the ground.
Vengeance, fury and grief filled me in a way it never had before. The spell that was already working its way around him became stronger, surging with the anger that was alive inside me. The purple waves became ropes, holding his arms and legs tight, binding him, surrounding him.
They tightened hard, and he dropped his staff. One swirling purple rope came around his neck, tightening even more, and I watched as his eyes—as black as night with the dark magick he had been wielding—went wide and panicked.
The spell that he’d cast had been too strong—aimed to kill—and he’d need time to recuperate before he could protect himself. I wouldn’t give him that chance. Even as I fought the pain, fear and tears over my fallen mate, I felt the surge of fury rend through me and strengthen my spell.
His eyes met mine, transmitting the fear that I savored with every inch of my body.
Good. I hope you suffer.
But I didn’t have time to enjoy this. With one wave of my hand, I severed his head from his body, garroting him with my magick. In that moment, the battlefield was silent as everyone watched in shock.
I swore I could hear the slide of his head as it fell from his body. In the next moment, the sound was back, crashing into my brain with an overwhelming force. I didn’t have time to focus on anything.
My knees were weak, my magick almost drained, but I didn’t hesitate to move, kneeling next to Rudgar.
“Rud, sweetheart,” I gasped, cradling his face as I turned him to face me, my hands shaking against his green skin. “Please, tell me you’re okay.”
I looked down at where there was a scorch mark on his chest, burning into his shirt and skin. My gorgeous male had been tainted by Veron’s foul magick.
“Please,” I gasped, leaning my face against his chest, where his heart was, listening.
There was still so much noise that I wanted to scream at everyone to be quiet, but I was too busy. Too sick with the helpless, straining emotion in my chest.
He can’t be gone, he just can’t.
But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
No, no, no.
The thick, choking sob that left my chest made me want to slap myself. I needed silence. Silence so I could hear—nothing.
A wail sounded around me, and I didn’t know where it was coming from until I realized it was me. I pressed my hand to his unmoving chest—no breath, no nothing.
Goddess Mother, Mom, anyone listening. Please. Please don’t let this be the end.
As a sob wracked my body, I squeezed my eyes shut, begging whoever was listening to give me this one thing. I couldn’t make it without him.
The jolt of magick that left my hand wasn’t my own. My eyes flew open as I saw a pale blue glow, pulsing into Rudgar.
Mom?
I held my breath as the magick continued, encompassing the area where my mate had been scorched with the spell.
Please help him .
I watched, still begging, as the last of my strength left my body, taken with the spell, but I didn’t care. It could kill me as long as it brought him back.
And that was when I felt it. I froze, the sweetest feeling in the world moving under my hand. A thump. Followed by another. Irregular, but there.
Yes.
I gasped, reaching back to grab my wand that had fallen from my hand as soon as I’d lunged for Rudgar. I rested it over his chest—right over the wound that Veron had put there—and tried to regulate my breathing and emotions.
Healing magick wasn’t like battle magick. It required focus and calm, and right now, I was not in that place. Still, I took a few deep breaths, pushing out everything that was happening around me until I could send a healing pulse of magick into his chest.
I waited, hoping and praying, but my mate didn’t move. I shoved down the panic, knowing that it wouldn’t help me in this situation.
I exhaled a shaky breath and then did it again. That was when the voices came closer. I felt my coven surround me, their hands reaching out to touch my arms, the chanting continuing in a sweet whisper that soothed me like nothing else could.
I’m not alone.
They would help me, and I would be able to do this. Exhaling again and no longer trembling, I sent a second pulse of healing magick into him. This time, I felt him twitch under my fingers.
The hope that bubbled up inside of me was so strong that I had to try to keep it down as well.
Healing thoughts only.
The hands on my arm tightened, and I felt their energies twine with mine.
The coven bond.
I’d only ever read about it before. This was something that my mother had explained, but I’d never been able to experience. Power being mixed was one thing, but energies being mixed took a coven to the next level.
Tabitha’s serenity filled me along with Tasia’s resilience, Floria’s determination and Hanna’s hope. They settled my power, and the healing pulses became more frequent and powerful.
Long moments passed before Rudgar twitched under me, a soft golden glow appearing under his skin before he released a groan and his gorgeous blue eyes blinked open. He stared up at me, and a quiet sob of relief left me, but I used my coven’s emotions to center me again, continuing the healing on him.
“You’re mates,” Tabitha said in a low, awed voice, as I realized that my skin was glowing too.
My mate. Is that what this means?
I recalled the glow from before, but I hadn’t known what it was. With each pulse of magick, he was regaining consciousness, looking around, glancing down at where I was touching him, and it was only when he lifted his hand to cup my cheek in his huge palm that I stopped. I threw myself at him, finally letting the tears fall and he grunted, most likely not fully healed. He didn’t let me pull away, squeezing me against him and pressing his face into my hair to take a deep breath.
“You’re okay,” he murmured, and I choked out a disbelieving laugh.
“You’re the one who almost died,” I whispered, my fingers touching every inch of him that I could reach to make sure that this was real. That he was with me.
A loud thump next to me had me looking up and I saw Dristan, his brow furrowed as he took in his brother.
“Thank fuck,” he gasped, grabbing Rudgar into a hug, and my mate released a grunt of pain.
“Gentle,” Tabitha scolded, slapping Dristan’s arm.
“We made our way through the rest of them,” he told me, pointing toward a field of dead males, “I don’t think they’ll be bothering you again.”
I swallowed, still not able to speak, my eyes locked with Rudgar’s, who was smiling back at me.
“It looks like you’re safe now,” he told me in a low whisper, sweeping my hair behind my ear.
I nodded, joining Dristan’s hug, and it wasn’t long before Tabitha sighed, doing the same, and then the entire coven was hugging these two males who had protected us.
“We don’t have to join in, do we?” Rok asked from where he stood nearby, and I lifted my hand, waving them forward.
There was a lot of grumbling and complaining, but eventually the males joined us in the group hug. I rested my ear against my male’s heart again, listening to the strong sound of the beat, and closed my eyes in sweet relief.
It’s finally over.