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I flex my fingers for him, and at least that is not painful. Or the potions are doing a great job for being an off-the-cuff mixture. He twists the ring slowly, easing it off my left middle finger. It’s much less damaged than my dominant hand. I hold my right hand up and try not to stare at the swollen rawness from the frostbite. Lucas slides my ring over the first knuckle where it stops halfway to the second.

Lucas’ voice is in my ear. “It’s not going to fit.”

“Make it.” He looks at me sharply, and I grit my teeth before snapping, “Do it.”

“Maybe we should⁠—”

“Stop being a fucking coward and do it—AH FUCKING HELL!”

My knees give out and my head snaps back as Lucas’ threads wrap around the ring and rip it onto my right finger. I scream, the sound echoing in this tall stone prison of a basement. Tears swell and threaten to spill, but I choke them back with a snarl. No. Absolutely fucking not. I am so completely over this entire day—no, this fucking year. I will get out of this hell, and then I’ll break. But not a single moment before.

My breath hisses through my gritted teeth, my lips curling back to bare them. I no longer care if Lucas is holding up my entire weight. Whatever gets me through this gods forsaken moment. He bears it easily enough, his forehead pressing against the side of my face. There’s a tremble in his frame.

I swallow rhythmically before gasping, “Is it too much for you?”

He lifts his head. “What?”

“Your grandmother and mother were killed. If seeing this murdered body is too much for you, then I can handle it on my own.” How I plan to do that is beyond me, but Lucas doesn’t deserve to suffer like this, not when he should never have been burdened with this task in the first place.

Lucas shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. I’m just…”

“I’ll be alright if you need a moment.” I flex my fingers experimentally. They bend this time with less pain. It’s not enough for a fist, but enough to complete my task. I scrape my boots against the stone flooring until my feet get under me. I grit my teeth, my vision flashing and sickness surging when I shift my weight to them.

“You shouldn’t be alone for this, you stubborn idiot,” Lucas snaps.

My face softens. “How did you ever survive this cruel world while caring for such vicious creatures?”

He huffs, expression still tight. “Stop pretending like you don’t have the same loving kindness as I do. If you were as unfeeling as you believe you are, you wouldn’t have risked everything to try to save Tori from the Archweaver. You wouldn’t have healed me when I arrived at your place. You’re worthy of affection, Valen. You’re worth it to me.”

The rawness in his tone and the brightness of his intense stare burn into me like a brand, but he doesn’t know what Alasdair has done to my mind. He doesn’t understand that my own mother abandoned me. He doesn’t know my sister did the same.

I don’t know how to respond or what words would piece together a description of this strange pain that fills my chest. All I can do is show him how much his words mean to me by honoring what he wants the most in the world.

Even if it kills me, he deserves to be happy with the one he loves. I wet my lips and look away. “Let’s finish this and go free Astoria before anything else happens.”

“What are you going to do?” Lucas asks.

“If it’s him and not an elaborate ruse set by Alasdair, then his signet ring will appear when I press mine.”

He scans the body’s hand. “Is it hidden?”

“Yes. It’s a failsafe to keep the ring safe in case the wearer is assassinated. Time weakens it, making it easier for others to break through the enchantment to steal it.”

Before I can change my mind or pass out again, I press the ring against the meaty middle finger.

A blue light glows, and my vision blurs. A ring shimmers into existence under mine. Too late, I realize I’m going to break apart. My knees buckle again, but Lucas catches me. I can’t look at him. I don’t think I could stand it. His silent strength and compassion are too much, and the vice-like tightness around my heart loosens.

A tear escapes to slip down my face. Emboldened, I whisper the words to ignite the transition of power. “I, Valentin Bauer the Sixth, accept the burden of my family line. I shall protect it from all those who try to corrupt or purge it.” I gasp, my hand shaking so hard that the rings almost disconnect. My throat is so swollen that I barely swallow and force out in a broken sob, “Rest, father. May we meet again in the Tapestry.”

His ring clicks, and a flame engulfs the body. It is a pure white light that consumes his mortal vessel until there is nothing but ashes. Not even the bones remain. With it, his soul is guided back to the Tapestry. My ring vibrates, a beacon to the magic to signify who is the Heir to the Bauer line.

I withdraw my hand, and my ring changes. The ring I’ve seen sitting on my father’s right hand my whole life now rests on mine. The successor’s signet ring slides underneath until I am ready to name the next in line. The power of the head of the Bauer family dances within my soul, my heart beating erratically. My eyes shine with a bright, shifting light as if the sun is streaming through the ocean.

I reach for my left shoulder, hooking my hand over it to touch the wrapping covering my raw wound and the fractured bone beneath. Magic flows through me effortlessly, generations of my bloodline strengthening me beyond measure. A protective shield wraps around the damaged bone, stabilizing the fracture and coating the open wound like a layer of skin.

My nail slides along the bandaging, my mind sinking into a deep awareness of how the pattern of material weaves together to create stability and reversing the process with a wave of entropy. The fabric dissolves into individual particles that fall away like sand, and my arm is freed.

An icy coldness whispers along my crown, and Lucas shifts, his face reflecting the blue glow of the magic that settles onto my hair in the form of a shimmering wreath. His lips part in awe, his breath catching, and I cannot take my eyes off of him. The magic dissipates, falling down my body like the first snow. My skin absorbs the magic of being the leader of the Preservation Domain, and I glow faintly for a single moment.