Chapter 50
Chapter
Fifty
Caden
Z ain caves, agreeing to heal Aquarius. My gut churns with a mix of hope and dread. This life-or-death magic is far beyond the parlor tricks I grew up with. I’d rather avoid whatever this is, but I won’t have Sydney face this alone.
As we herd Zain upstairs, I can’t take my eyes off my firecracker. She’s pale as a sheet, but those dark eyes burn with determination. Christ, I know that look. It’s the same desperate hope I felt for Westin, the same I still cling to for Lucan. I pray she gets her happy ending. Someone bloody should.
The space between us feels like a chasm, but I reach for her hand anyway. Our differences don’t matter, not in this moment.
She whips her gaze to mine, and the raw pain behind her calm facade nearly brings me to my knees. I want to pull her close, promise her the world. But I can’t lie.
“Squeeze my hand if you need me,” I murmur, my voice rougher than I’d like.
She nods, a slight tremor betraying her composure as she follows the grim procession upstairs.
Inside the cool, shadowed bedroom, Aquarius lies, dressed in a feather-light cotton gown. She’s almost unrecognizable. Swollen and red, more corpse than woman.
Sydney’s hand tightens in mine, and my heart leaps. She’s trusting me, leaning on me. I caress her fiery hair, squeezing back.
“How does this work?” she whispers, fear lacing her words.
“Never heard of it,” I admit. “But if Bram’s not worried…”
She exhales shakily. I bite back the urge to promise that if Zain does hurt Aquarius again, Bram will let Tynan at him. But I don’t. I refuse to give the Denzell bastard any ideas.
Bram draws his wand and prods Zain. “Go on.”
Grumbling, Zain steps forward and leans over Aquarius, wrapping his arms around her.
My entire body tenses. Bram’s threats of violence hang in the air.
“I have to hold her against me,” Zain explains.
“One wrong move, and I’ll have no compunction about making certain your family needs tweezers to pick up your remains,” Bram vows.
Sneering, Zain turns back to Aquarius and pulls her awkwardly into his lap, bringing her small breasts against his chest. Her hair drifts down to his thighs. Her arms hang limply as Zain takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes.
He begins the spell. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. He shakes, sweat pouring off him. His eyes pop wide open as if stunned. I can see whites all around the dark irises.
Despite his effort, Aquarius remains limp and lifeless. The air thickens with fear. Tears stream down Sydney’s face. Her grip becomes painful, but I welcome it. At least I can give her this small comfort.
Seconds drag by, one after the other, and still Aquarius sags against Zain, unmoving, seemingly not breathing.
Suddenly, his whole body shudders, then stills. He releases Aquarius, collapsing back to the bed, cadaver white. She falls face first in a heap across him.
Bram rushes forward. Sabelle elbows her way between Tynan and Sydney, who lets go of my hand and tries to dart into the fray. I hold her back.
“Let them,” I whisper, praying it’s not a trick. “Just in case.”
“She’s my friend,” Sydney sobs. “If anything happens…”
Her tears undo me. This incredible, fierce woman who’s dazzled me from day one, is breaking in my arms. Her loyalty, her fire—it’s no wonder I’m falling for her.
The realization hits like a punch to the gut. What a fucking joke. I finally find the woman of my dreams, only to have her tangled in the very world I despise.
I hold her tighter as Bram and the others fuss over Aquarius and Zain. Neither moves. Sydney’s whispered pleas twist the knife in my heart.
Gently, Bram eases Sydney’s friend from Zain. “Aquarius? Can you hear me?”
Still nothing.
A terrible pall descends over the room, along with the acrid scent of defeat.
Sydney scans the group with a desperate glance. “Can’t anyone else help her? A bit of magic and…”
“Sorry.” Bram’s face is soft with regret. “Only the one who inflicted the hurt can heal her. Check him,” Bram barks at Duke.
Hurstgrove waves a hand over Zain’s face. “He’s out.”
“Dead?” I ask hopefully.
“No such luck.”
Sabelle brushes Aquarius’s hair from her face to reveal healed skin. But the little flower child is terrifyingly still.
All of Zain’s energy wasn’t enough to revive Aquarius.
“Oh, god.” Sydney trembles as she sobs, burying her face in my chest.
I hold her tight, hating her pain but praying it finally makes her see the danger she’s courting. But if this tragedy gets her to drop this transcast madness, maybe some good will come of this nightmare.
Then a groan cuts the silence. My head snaps up to see Aquarius stirring, her eyes fluttering open. She’s disoriented but blessedly awake.
“What is it?” Sydney demands. “Tell me! I can’t look.”
Relief floods me as I see Aquarius’s face, healthy if still somewhat flushed. “See for yourself.”
As soon as I turn Sydney in my arms, she bolts with a squeal. I have to fight the urge to pull her back to safety. But this is her moment, her miracle.
Bram stops Sydney with an outstretched arm. “Gently.”
Nodding vigorously, she leans toward her friend, brushing her cheek. “How do you feel?”
The tears in her voice wreck me.
“If I said terrible, you’d only cry more. I don’t need the bad karma.”
Sydney gives a watery laugh. “You scared ten years off me!”
“Can’t have that. Who else will put up with me at the office?”
The tension bleeds from my shoulders. Aquarius’s story has a happy ending. Now, if I can just keep Sydney from diving headfirst into more danger, maybe we’ll all make it out of this war alive.
“Where am I?” Aquarius looks puzzled.
“My home. Where do you hurt?” Sabelle asks.
Aquarius sends Sydney a quizzical glance.
“That’s Sabelle. You remember Bram from my flat? This is his sister.”
“The cocky one with the angry aura?”
Bram chuckles. “I bet if you look now, you’ll find my aura much changed.”
With a slow turn of her head, Aquarius studies the wizard. “You’ve traded anger for stress. You should learn to meditate.”
“She’s better already,” Sydney jokes, wiping tears from her cheeks.
“Get some rest,” Sabelle suggests.
Sydney pats Aquarius’s shoulder, then urges her back against the pillows.
She touches her cracked lips. “I’m dry everywhere. Water?”
Sabelle waves a hand, and instantly a cool glass of water appears in a delicate crystal cup. “Drink.”
“Nice trick.” Aquarius downs the water in one go, not looking at all surprised by magic. “So what happened to me? To say I feel run over by a train is an understatement.”
“What’s the last thing you recall?” Sydney asks.
“Coming by your flat to talk to you about…” She gasps. “Has anyone found Anka?”
Sydney looks over her shoulder and sends me a silent apology. “No. We’re still looking.”
“She was weak the morning she left. Talked about needing energy. I offered her green tea, but she wouldn’t have it.”
That sends a chill down my spine. Weeks without contact from Lucan… Christ, how desperate must Anka be for power? Without it, she can’t fight back.
The possibilities race through my mind, each worse than the last. Who did she turn to for energy? Or did Mathias get his filthy hands on her again?
Either could destroy what’s left of my brother.
As I watch Sydney comfort her friend, I’m torn between joy for her and dread for what’s to come. This magical world will chew her up and spit her out. The fierce protectiveness I feel for her wars with my desire to keep her safe by pushing her away from all this. She belongs in the human world, far from the dangers that lurk in every shadow of mine.
But I know it’s a lost cause. Sydney’s in this now, whether I like it or not. And here I am, falling for a woman who seems determined to dive headfirst into its dangers.
As the others file out, leaving Aquarius to rest, I catch Sydney’s eye. There’s so much I want to say, so much I need to tell her. About the dangers, about my fears…about us. But the words stick in my throat.
Instead, I simply nod, hoping she can read in my eyes what I can’t bring myself to say. That I’m here for her, come hell or high water. That despite my own misgivings and the looming threat of war, she’s become precious to me.
And as she smiles back, tired but radiant, I realize I’m in far deeper than I ever intended. Magic, Mathias, the whole bloody war be damned. I’ll find a way to keep her safe, even if it kills me.