I don’t waste time, brushing further remnants off on my jeans as I rush to Bastien. He’s on his side, and I pull hard to turn him onto his back.
His skin is pale and cold to the touch, but I hear the faint thump of his heart when I press my ear to his chest.
“Come on, Bastien,” I cry, tapping his face with my hand. “Don’t you dare die on me now.”
He doesn’t move and his breathing is shallow.
“Thalia,” Kieran says as he rushes through the doorway with his sword drawn. He takes in Ferelith’s body on the floor and then Bastien. “Fuck.”
Sheathing his weapon, he runs to his brother’s side and drops to his knees. “What happened?” he asks.
“Ferelith did it with her magic,” I say, tears rolling down my face. “I killed her, but whatever she did to him…”
“Undo it,” Kieran orders, the expression on his face so fierce, I rear back slightly.
“Undo it?”
“You killed the greatest and most vicious sorceress our realm has ever seen. Your power clearly surpasses hers. So undo whatever she did.”
I take in a shuddering breath.
Blood magic. Her powers are fueled by blood magic, and that’s what she used on Bastien.
My powers are born in the shadows and exceed hers. Whatever she cast, I can unwind it.
Feeling as sure as I felt when I laid my hands on the spell book, I splay my palms on Bastien’s chest. Closing my eyes, I envision all evils being withdrawn from his body. I call like to like, pulling darkness from him and accepting it into me where I know it won’t cause harm.
Immediately, I push light back into him. I push my love, devotion, and loyalty straight into his chest where it will hit his heart first to be carried throughout his network of veins and arteries until he is filled with it. I give back to him what he gave to me all those years ago.
Bastien takes in a deep breath, and his eyes flutter open. They catch on Kieran first, then he bolts upward. “Thalia.”
“Easy,” Kieran says, helping his brother sit up.
“I’m right here,” I add, and his head whips my way. “I’m okay.”
He sags with relief against Kieran’s arm but just as quickly, he lurches toward me. His hands grab my shoulders, and he pulls me hard into his body. “You’re safe,” he murmurs into my hair.
“Safe, and Ferelith’s dead,” I reply, touching my hand to his face. “How do you feel?”
“Fine. More than fine, actually.” Kieran tries to help him to his feet, but he pushes his brother off with a growl.
Kieran and I share a smile.
When Bastien’s standing, his hand slips into mine, and the three of us walk over to Ferelith’s body.
Kieran kicks it with his boot. “Yup. She’s dead.”
“I can’t believe I killed her,” I whisper, reaching inward for the inky darkness that swirled through me not long ago. It’s humming on a low frequency but seems mostly satisfied. “It was the weirdest thing. My blood was red when Ferelith…”
Bastien growls, a reminder that he doesn’t need to hear those details just yet.
“At any rate,” I continue, “I was so confused. My blood should’ve been black because of my fae blood and Amell unlocking the shadow magic. I thought it had abandoned me.”
“I think it was because you didn’t trust it,” Bastien ruminates. “Amell said you needed to trust it. So what happened?”
I shake my head, still confused as to how it all went down. It only lasted a matter of seconds before I ended it. “I saw Ferelith killing you, and it was the catalyst I needed. I went to the spell book from Amell, touched it, and… my blood turned black. It ran down my arms, into the book, and then it opened and flipped to a page. When I touched it, it gave me a spell to use against her.”
“Gods, that’s creepy,” Kieran says.
Bastien punches him in the arm, and not lightly. I ignore them both, staring down at Ferelith’s lifeless form. “It gave me another spell. One that gave me such strength… I ripped out her beating heart.”
“You what?” Kieran asks in astonishment.
I look at him and nod. “Punched in, pulled it out, and turned it to dust.”
Kieran nudges his brother with his elbow. “Thalia is the biggest badass I’ve ever seen in my entire life. If you don’t take her, I will, brother.”
“I’m taking her,” Bastien says gruffly, pulling me hard into his side. His hand comes to my face, and his gaze actually makes me breathless. It’s no longer cold but filled with the love and warmth I thought I’d never see again.
And then I see the regret. The remorse.
I shake my head. “Don’t. Don’t go there.”
“I never should’ve doubted we could get this back,” he says quietly. “I know you’ve forgiven me for sending you away, but forgive me for ever letting you believe that I couldn’t love you again. I hate that I hurt you.”