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Red, you can’t do this. If she gets your powers, we’re all dead anyway. We have to fight. Ry’s voice in my head is laced with terror.
Garnet, please. We can defeat her if we all fight together. James practically begs me not to give up. I don’t respond to either of them. I can’t.
Red, I love you. I trust you completely, and hope that you have a plan. But if you don’t, you know that they’re right. Giving up isn’t the answer here. Sweet Luca, if only you knew what I’m thinking right now.
I will do whatever you want, Garnet, even if I disagree. Besides, if you’re gone, I don’t want to live anyway. Orym’s silent plea nearly breaks me. Tears stream down my face as I follow Amber to the small clearing where her people have set up for the ritual.
The moon is nearly overhead now, and it’s almost time. If she’d fought any longer, Amber would have missed her window. Amber grabs my arm and pulls me close to her. “I don’t trust you. So, I’ll make this quick,” she snarls.
I wrap my arms around my waist, holding myself tightly. I need another minute or two, that’s all. She shoves me away and I drop to my knees, still holding my stomach. I let the tears fall without objection. This is the moment that I’ve been working for. The moment where two of us start the ritual, and only one can survive.
I already know exactly what’s going to happen, but I’m still terrified of the outcome. What if—? I tune out my mates as they continue to try talking me into fighting. I glance over to them, making sure to lock eyes with each of them for a moment. I want to beg them to trust me, but I can’t. I need everyone to think I’ve given up, otherwise there’s no chance for this to work.
“Aren’t you even going to beg for your life? For the lives of your mates? This is anti-climactic,” Amber huffs. I want to laugh at her annoyance, but I concentrate on keeping the tears falling.
The second she turns her back, I jump to my feet, pulling the syringe from my sleeve and plunging it into her neck. “I don’t have to beg for our lives, because we’re not the ones who are dying today,” I say, pushing the hybrid solution into her.
Amber’s eyes go wide, she opens and closes her mouth like a fish, then starts to convulse. I blast magic at the hybrids and witches who are guarding my guys, setting them free. They race over to me, watching as my aunt twitches. She falls to the ground and thrashes. Her body starts to change, and I hit her with all of my magic.
She freezes mid-transformation, her flesh melting from her bones, and her bones turning to ash. It’s finally over. We’ve won. The moon shines brightly above us, and I realize that I did it just in time.
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
ORYM
Waking up next to my mates and knowing that the danger has passed is a wonderful thing. Being awakened in the middle of the night by screaming because Garnet is having another nightmare? Not so much. With everything we’ve been through, I know it’s going to take some time for everyone to be okay. Hell, James still has nightmares, too, but he refuses to acknowledge them.
It feels like we were so focused on dealing with Amber that our lives got pushed to the wayside. Now that she’s gone, and our new cabin is finished, we get to go back to figuring out who we are. Or who we want to be.
Each of us has started to follow our interests. James starts medical school in two weeks. We’re all proud of him for that decision. Luca is working with Dec now, learning about woodworking. Ryland is of course, leading the territory. I’ve been spending time with Eli, indulging my interest in technology.
As for Garnet, she’s been spending time in our world and the Fae realm, helping their new leader get settled. She’s mastered her powers and is considering starting a school for witches. With Amber gone, there haven’t been any uprisings or problems.
I put the final touches on our new security system, then step back and admire my work. Eli slaps a hand on my shoulder. “Good job! Now let’s see if it works.” He types something on his phone, and I hear footsteps outside. The monitors light up with activity, as Eli’s men ‘attack’ the house.
“FULL LOCKDOWN MODE INITIATED,” the automated voice announces. Steel clanks as the security doors slide over the windows and doors, locking us inside and whoever is trying to harm us out.
“It works!” I get a little excited about my first major project. After all, I installed this one myself without Eli’s supervision. He insisted on being here when I finished, and I know he’ll double check everything. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help with all of this.”
“You did all the work. It’s not easy to learn about this stuff, especially when you live in the forest and have no real sources to work with.” Eli’s right, I worked really hard to get where I am. But I didn’t do it alone.
“Orym! Let me in before the ice cream melts!”
JAMES
I knew the security system test was today, but Garnet was out of her favorite ice cream. I should have waited until later to run to the city and pick it up. But I had pre-admissions testing to do and figured it would be easier doing it all at once.
Now I’m standing outside, trying to figure out how to get into the house while Orym and Eli have a laugh at me. Okay, they’re probably not laughing at me, but they’re taking forever to let me in.
“FULL LOCKDOWN MODE CANCELED,” an automated voice announces. I bet the neighbors will love that from three cabins down.
The steel doors retract slowly, and I dash inside, tucking the ice cream into the freezer before it melts all over. I grab a blood bag while I’m standing there. “That was close. Thanks.” I turn to see Orym and Eli walking out of the security room off the living room. “So, we’re all set? What if something happens to you? None of us knows how to use the system.”
“We’ll go over the basics after dinner tonight. Each of you will learn how to arm and disarm the system, as well as how to bring it out of lockdown,” Orym says.
“Sounds good. Where is everyone else?” When I left this morning, they were all in various stages of waking and getting ready for their days. Unfortunately, medical school will mean early mornings and late nights for a while. But it will be worth it to have a doctor in the territory.
