Quinn
It is a special kind of hell watching someone you love slowly forget you.
Bash’s shadows hovered around Eva like a dark fog, swirling in agitation as I drew more of her blood to bring with me. Their master silently stared at her flushed but peaceful face, holding her hand like a lifeline.
As I switched out a vial for a fresh one, I prayed to whatever gods were listening that this was reversible. Whether it was with magic, or simply her own inner strength, I knew Eva would fight the sickness with everything she had—clinging to who she was with all she had to give.
After throwing a few outfits into a bag, I had changed into a simple green eyelet dress suited for warmer weather.
My pack waited with the carefully packaged research down in the laboratory.
I was thankful for my seemingly bottomless bag and the easy delivery system through the mirror, since I refused to let just anyone handle Eva’s blood.
Tobias was packing a few final necessities while I visited Eva. Better he wasn’t here for this. In the quiet of the lab, it had been easy to hear that intentional four count of Tobias’s breathing as I gathered the syringes. I wondered if he noticed the way I matched each exhale.
It was enlightening seeing what made that indifferent mask slip, even as the growing list of Tobias’s triggers made my blood boil at all he had endured.
Eva’s breath stuttered, and I reached for a fresh cloth, dipping it into the bowl of cold water on her bedside before carefully wringing it out.
I let my magic flow into her as I pressed it gently against her forehead.
This fever was designed to make her body’s defenses so focused on eradicating the virus’s effects that she didn’t have any energy left to fight the fog enshrouding her mind.
Putting her in a medically induced coma was a stroke of genius. Selfishly, I was glad it would give me the time I needed to work on a cure. Not that it wouldn’t be paired with the constant fear of failing her.
“Always forward,” I murmured as I pushed back the fog.
I gritted my teeth as the magical barrier only solidified against my magic, each attempt more difficult than the last. “Remember when it was just the two of us? We were lost and alone together, and we somehow made it through. You found your way here to your true home, you found your soulmate…and you better believe I won’t let you leave behind the life you’ve built or the home you’ve created. ”
I swore under my breath at the effort it took to push the mist back. Every time I felt it give, it pressed forward somewhere else. It was no wonder Marin looked so exhausted. This was a losing battle—and it was up to me to win the war.
Eva stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering. I kept talking in case she could hear me, refusing to be cowed into silence from the anxiety of sharing my memories aloud. Bash was clearly not paying attention, his focus narrowed on the syringe plunged beneath Eva’s skin.
“Remember in college when we would pick a destination for the weekend and just drive?” My voice shook. “You’d always make me camp under the stars somewhere woodsy and teach me about constellations. And I’d take you to find sand and sea and sunshine…”
When my voice finally gave out, Bash filled the silence. He sounded painfully hopeful as he spoke, as if the sound of his voice might bring her back when all else had failed.
If I had any doubt about Bash’s love for my best friend, the intimacy of his words would have convinced me.
He told her about the moment they met in the mortal realm and the way he had fallen more deeply for her day by day during their journey through the Faewilds.
He spoke about their shared joy at finally admitting what they were to each other, and the way that love had grown ever since.
He spent far too long describing that one perfect dimple that taunted him with her every smile, unabashedly sharing all the ways he loved her while promising her everything and anything if she would just open her eyes.
It wasn’t until he finished that I realized these were his vows—the words he might have said on their wedding day, now choked with tears.
“I’m coming for you, Eva,” Bash said hoarsely. “I always will.” His throat worked as he stroked her flushed cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I’ll find you in our dreams until you wake up safe in my arms.”
I quickly wiped my face on my sleeve when the door swung open.
Marin strode in, determination in every step despite the frown on her face.
She was flanked by Yael, Rivan, and the two healers that must be Ondine and Esme.
With a deep sigh, I released my magic, feeling the fog replace it as the blue glow faded into Eva’s skin.
Marin quickly took my place, the steady stream of her magic flowing into Eva’s temple.
“Please keep us updated,” I said to her. “And good luck.”
She surprised me by pulling me into a one-armed hug. “Right back at you.”
As a scientist, I was trained to rely on data, to find patterns, and to trust only evidence. But I also knew that even the smallest variables could tip the balance. We needed far more than luck, but I clung to the hope it offered.
Yael turned to Rivan. “I’ll make sure things are in place here, then join you four in Soleara as soon as I can.” She gave Marin one last lingering kiss. “Unless you need me here longer?”
Marin shook her head. “I have help. And Imyr is being taken care of in our absence. Just focus on hunting down Silvius so this nightmare can be over.”
It was an effort to suppress the shudder that worked its way down my spine at the mention of that bastard’s name.
I had passed far too much time buried in Silvius’s research, reading the details of the people he had tortured for his own experimentation.
Tobias had spent years as one of those unwilling participants—and the only one who had survived.
Nightmare was putting it mildly.
“We’re a mirror away if you change your mind,” Rivan said gently. “Good luck.”
“You too,” Marin replied. “Now get going. Ondine, Esme, and I will need all our focus for this to work.” The glow of their healing magics were already rising to their fingertips as Marin waved us away.
It would be a short trip through the mirror to reach the southern kingdom. I wondered if the city Silvius had found refuge in would genuinely be safe or merely waiting for our guard to slip. Not that I had any intention of letting my guard so much as waver.
I caught Bash’s eye. “Say hello for me when you see her, okay?”
He nodded, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscles work through his unkempt auburn beard.
The vials of Eva’s blood weighed heavily in my satchel as I walked away.
Turning, I took one last look as I reached the doorway.
The three healers worked in unison, whispering shared instructions.
Bash pressed a gentle kiss to Eva’s forehead, threading their hands together as he lay down beside her.
Her face remained serene, like a princess from a fairytale doomed to eternal slumber. If only it was as simple as true love’s kiss to wake her up from this nightmare.
If love were enough—if devotion could mend what was broken and loyalty could cure what ailed her—they would have long since earned their happily ever after.
“Fight for me, hellion,” Bash whispered as he closed his eyes. “Please…” He sucked in a shuddering breath I could feel in my soul. “Remember that I love you.”