Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
ELARIYA
The world became dark again, but I kept my gaze on those eyes.
Wolfe kept his gaze on me, too.
I felt his thoughts. He was just as afraid as me to look away.
We plunged into deeper darkness, and for a moment, we were plummeting. He held me close. I gripped on to him, too.
Just as the magic became loud, there was light.
Light that brightened into the familiar scenery of the sunroom at Vyrenth Hollow.
A moment later, the darkness snuffed away, swallowed by the vibrant sunlight.
But more than half of Wolfe’s body had transformed.
He set me down. “You have to do it now.”
I nodded, then the thought of losing him again struck me and I placed a kiss on his lips.
They were cold, then they took on a skeletal form.
“I love you,” he muttered, his voice already rusty.
“I love you, too.”
A mass of shadow covered his face, suffocating his last words. A wail tore from his lips.
I stepped back and summoned my magic. It came to me straightaway, glowing in my hands. I willed it to freeze him.
The command worked faster than ever, obeying my will from the moment the thought formed in my mind.
Wolfe froze instantly, looking like he was trapped in still water.
The sight broke me.
Everything had almost felt normal when we were back at the cave. For a moment, as we sat there eating, we could have been a normal newlywed couple.
This was the reminder that we weren’t.
I tried so hard to be strong, to be courageous and brave, but seeing him like this…
It was hard to feel anything other than distraught.
A wave of tears rushed to my eyes, and I allowed myself the moment of reprieve to take the edge off my soul.
I hung my head and let them fall.
Then a warm hand rested on my shoulder. I didn’t have the strength to look around to see who it was.
“Trouble yourself not, Daughter of the Hourglass.” The voice pulled me right out of my grief.
My head snapped up, and I gasped when I found myself face to face with the Seer.
Bathed in the warm sunlight, her long silver hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves, like strands of starlight. White robes draped down her slender frame, the fabric shimmering with iridescent threads.
I’d only ever seen her once before, but I remembered thinking she looked less like a woman and more like a being spun from prophecy. Even the air seemed calmer in her presence, as though the world itself paused to acknowledge her.
“My Lady,” I said, dropping into a bow.
“Please, rise, my dear.”
I did, but I still showed reverence, hoping her presence meant she could help Wolfe.
She touched my forehead and smiled. “You have broken your curse.”
“Yes.”
Her smile widened but faltered when she looked at Wolfe. “Lord of Shadows,” she muttered. “This cannot be your fate.”
“Can you help him?”
She looked back at me with those ancient pale eyes. “I will try. We have come up with an idea. Come. Follow me. They’re waiting.”
She made it sound as if everyone knew we were coming back.
She flicked her palm over, and suddenly, the three of us stood in the center of the Hollow Room.
Everyone was there—Alaric, Arielle, Bastian, Garrick, and Kaem.
And they all looked relieved to see us. Arielle was the first to rush up to me and give me a hug.
“Blessed Mother,” she muttered, holding me close. “I was so worried.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be silly.” She shook her head.
Alaric stepped forward next and patted the top of my head when Arielle released me.
“My Lady.” He offered a gentle smile and dipped his head. “You made it back.”
“Yes.” I looked at each of them. “You knew we were coming.”
“The Seer answered my call,” Kaem explained. “Then she sensed you coming. It gave us a chance to prepare and come up with a viable idea.”
That sounded hopeful. “What is it?”
“Wolfe’s Fae essence has diminished,” the Seer said, lifting her chin toward Wolfe. “Though we still need the ring to steady the curse, I can restore what was lost.”
My spirit lifted. “How are you going to do that?”
“By doing what we were sworn to do,” Garrick filled in, speaking with pride.
“Each of us,” Bastian began, motioning to himself, Garrick, Alaric, and Kaem. “We’re going to give him a hundred years of our lives.”
I gasped, my hands flying up to my cheeks. “What? Can that really be done?” I looked from them to the Seer.
“I can do that, but please understand it is not a cure.” She held my gaze. “My efforts will simply restore his Fae essence to what it was before, but he will not be whole until he has the ring. The longer that takes, the more the Deathwalker magic will corrode him. And this will happen again.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” I looked at them all. “All of you.”
“Let us begin.”
Arielle and I stood to the side while the guys stepped forward, forming a circle around the Seer and Wolfe.
Everything inside me ground to a halt as I watched and prayed to all the gods, anticipation growing.
The Seer slowly raised her arms and wove them through the air as though caressing the unseen particles. Within a heartbeat, reams of white twinkling light trickled from her fingertips, bright as starlight and just as effulgent.
I gazed at her, wondering about the extent of her magic.
She existed outside of time and memory and had abilities beyond measure, but what fascinated me most was the hallowed feeling that sparked just from her presence.
It was a balm on my weary mind. A sojourn for my racing thoughts.
Silence settled over the Hollow Room. Then ancient words flowed from her lips, soft and melodic, carrying a power that made my skin tingle.
The ripples of light drifted outward like rings spreading across a still pond. The magic touched Alaric first, glowing brighter as it settled over him. Then it rippled to Bastian, Garrick, and finally Kaem.
The glow brightened, and the male Fae stood stalwart, like the warriors they were.
In one rush, the light pulsed once before returning to the Seer. There, it gathered in a sphere, suspended between her hands.
A hundred years of potential life from each of them.
When Erethis took the years from Wolfe, it had felt more ominous, like the consequence was just around the corner. In truth, it was.
It had been a beautiful sacrifice but deadly game with a twisted-as-fuck demon whose sole purpose was to entertain himself.
This was different. It was a sacrifice from brothers, of kin, and bonded fellowship. True love and loyalty from those who would follow their king no matter what.
“Alumtai, alumtie. Benodais,” the Seer chanted, her voice rising with every word she uttered.
Her robes billowed around her as she turned toward Wolfe, then her pale eyes glowed the same white color as the light of the sphere.
With both hands pressed around the sphere, she pushed the light toward Wolfe.
It surged across the room and struck him squarely in the chest, freeing him from the frozen prison I’d placed him in. A violent shudder tore through his body and he arched backward.
By the time the Deathwalker magic stirred, the Seer’s magic had taken hold, taming it into submission.
Shadow mixed with light, a clash of nightmares and dreams. The shadows twisted and writhed, warring with the light. But the light won, swallowed the darkness. It never even had a chance to retreat.
Power rolled through the room in a crushing wave as the light beamed over Wolfe’s entire body.
I held my breath, and the world seemed to hold its own with me. Soon, the light, too, fell away, revealing the handsome Fae prince beneath.
Wolfe dropped to one knee, clutching at the floor as the transformation consumed him.
His wings unfurled in a vicious rasp and color returned to his skin.
Strength returned to every line of his frame. And he was restored.
Merciless gods. It worked.
And Wolfe Nightblade looked stronger than before.
Not merely healed. Restored and revitalized. Returned.
He stood and looked around in awe. Then his eyes met the Seer’s.
“Lady of Light. How is this possible?” He bowed, then lifted his head and looked over his arms.
“A gift from those who are true to you, Your Grace,” she replied.
He looked at the guys, then Arielle and me. “Thank you. All of you. Thank you.”
Alaric moved to him first and embraced him with a hug. Then Wolfe looked at me again.
I knew they all wanted to share in the euphoria of having him back and whole, but I was more selfish. I rushed toward him and threw my arms around him.
He held me just as fiercely.
We didn’t need to say anything. He felt what I was feeling.
And I felt him, too.