"Enough!" Queen Eliane snapped. "I will make you feel every ounce of pain that you have delivered." It would not be enough to account for the pain Victor caused, but it was the best she could do as she wanted to take no chances of this monster reviving.
Queen Eliane reached out, her fingers weaving through the air as if pulling invisible threads. Shadows unraveled from Victor's form, writhing like living things as she tore them free. This time he did not laugh but shrieked, his voice splitting the air as Queen Eliane dismantled him piece by piece. She started with his mind, pulling information out of him as if he were a flaky, layered biscuit, stripping him down until he was nothing but a black stain on the ground.
Ethan watched in awe and horror. Queen Eliane had been kind to Janet. But this? This was something else entirely.
"I… I can't stop the bleeding," Amdis said, his voice breaking through Ethan's focus.
Kasia's red fur had begun to fade, her body shrinking back into her humanoid form. Blood pooled beneath her. Amdis pressed his hands over the wound, but no matter what he did, the bleeding wouldn't stop.
"Please," he rasped. "Please, please, I just found you. Please, Goddess, no."
"Move!" Ethan growled, taking Kasia from Amdis. His gaze landed on the mate mark on her neck- Kenneth's mark. The bastard hadn't even come to help her. Rage burned through him as he bit over the mark, forcing his Alpha aura through it, willing her to heal. The curse burned on his back, sending searing pain through his body, and he screamed.
Queen Eliane quickly muttered a spell, dampening the curse's effects.
"Why is she still not healing? That should've worked," Ethan said, his voice rough with desperation.
"Her body has taken on too much stress. The wound is too deep. She is dying," Queen Eliane said flatly.
"No. She can't. I can't lose her," Ethan cried out, cradling Kasia in his arms.
Queen Eliane's expression became unreadable. "There is a way," she said. "But life must be given in exchange for hers."
"Take mine," Amdis said without hesitation.
"No," Ethan said at the same time. "Take mine."
Queen Eliane shook her head. "You are both willing, but another has already decided."
Deva understood now why Kasia had lost control. The fae magic running through her intensified everything. She followed the scent of humans and metal, tearing through the Hunters, sparing only those who weren't armed. Kasia's voice echoed in her mind, trying to calm her, but it was distant, muted.
Then, a familiar voice cut through the haze.
Amdis.
He was hurt. He was wounded.
Deva tapped into the last remnants of the magic flowing through her body and teleported to Amdis' location. Everything happened in slow motion as she took the blow meant for him. Pain lanced through her entire body, white-hot, as if she had been struck by lightning.
There was a bright light and then Deva found herself in a vast forest bathed in silver moonlight. Towering trees shimmered like glass, their leaves reflecting the glow from the moon. The lake before them was not a lake at all but a window, revealing the battle outside- Ethan cradling Kasia's body, Amdis pleading.
"Deva?" Kasia said as she approached the woman standing by the lake. She looked just like her but her eyes were different and her nose was slightly off.
"Yes, it is me," Deva responded.
"What is this? Where is this?" Kasia questioned.
"I don't know but this was where I ended up when you were poisoned by wolfsbane," Deva explained.
"This is the soul chamber," Queen Eliane responded as she approached Deva and Kasia. "Your familiar can only access it during times of stress or when they're near death."
"Deva! Shift back! Let me help!" Kasia screamed, gripping Deva by her arms.
"I'm too weak. I can't," Deva gasped. "I'm sorry… I thought we could handle this."
"You were foolish. Iron cannot kill a vampire. He would've survived that blow," Queen Eliane scolded.
"I couldn't take the risk of losing him," Deva admitted.
Queen Eliane scoffed. "I didn't expect you to be so selfish."
"Shut up. You don't know anything about me," Deva snapped, shoving Queen Eliane.
"Don't try to act innocent with me, Devanna. I know you have your memories back. And you know that I know who you truly are. You're not the saint you pretend to be for Kasia," Queen Eliane argued, shoving Devanna back.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Deva lied.
"You are selfish, naive, and foolish. I could excuse it because you lack the experience to understand the consequences of your actions, but I will not forgive you for causing harm to those you claim to care about. Lord Amdis suffers because of you. And that is unacceptable."
Deva couldn't argue against this. She had acted rash and now Amdis was sobbing over her. Deva had already died once before and now here she was ripping his heart out all over again. Kasia began to cough erratically, and Deva held her, patting her back. Kasia was becoming translucent, she was running out of time.
"I'm sorry, Kasia," she whispered.
"There is nothing to apologize for," Kasia replied. "We both knew how this could end. I've never been afraid of death. At least I can die knowing I avenged my parents."
They watched as Ethan wept over them, while Amdis paced, barely keeping his rage in check. The cursed tattoo burned bright on his back. It felt surreal, as if they were watching someone else's life unfold.
Queen Eliane's voice rang out in the real world. "There is a way to save Kasia. But a life must be exchanged for hers."
Amdis immediately volunteered, his voice firm. Deva's heart ached. She couldn't allow this.
"I'll do it," Deva said.
"Don't I have a say in this?" Kasia asked.
"Nope," Deva said with a smile. "You deserve to be happy with Ethan."
"And you deserve to be happy with Amdis," Kasia countered.
"I didn't say your death would be permanent," Queen Eliane said.
"Seriously? You should have led with that," Deva snapped.
"It may not work, but I can bind you to me. There is a success rate of 70% if we do this now," Queen Eliane explained.
"It is better than nothing," Deva said, "…it would make things easier for Amdis."
"Are you sure? There is no going back on this once I begin," Queen Eliane asked.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Deva questioned.
"You cease to exist with no chance of reincarnation," Queen Eliane said flatly.
"It is worth a shot. Kasia deserves to live," Deva said.
"Devanna has decided to save Kasia," Queen Eliane announced.
Amdis' breath caught. "No. You can't. Trying to separate her from Kasia-"
A ripple of magic pulsed through the air. A glowing, translucent form appeared beside Kasia- a wolf with shimmering red fur and silver eyes. The wolf shifted into a woman who could have been Kasia's twin.
"- will not kill her," Queen Eliane finished. "I will not sever their bond. I will reforge it. Devanna will live- but she will no longer be Kasia's wolf. She will be bound to me."
"No," Amdis said, his voice thick with disbelief. "She would never agree to be bound to you."
"You wound me with your accusations," Queen Eliane said with mock offense. "I have told you countless times, my love. I would never lie to you. I am doing this for you. I would never break your mate bond, nor make you choose me over her. I have no intention of harming you that way."
Devanna turned to Amdis. "Kasia will live. That is all that matters."
Amdis shook his head. "You don't know that for sure."
"Kasia was always meant to be lycan," Devanna said, stepping closer to Kasia's barely conscious form. "She will survive this."
"What about me?" Amdis pleaded. "I need you. I can't lose you again."
"You have to accept that Kasia is her own person," Devanna said gently. "Neither of us would have been happy if I had stayed inside her."
The magic began to swirl. Queen Eliane whispered an incantation, her words weaving through the air. The link between Devanna and Kasia became visible, unraveling as a new bond formed between Devanna and Queen Eliane. Kasia let out a shuddering breath as her wound slowly began to close, the magic knitting her flesh back together.
Ethan clutched Kasia's hand, his heart pounding as color returned to her face. Her chest rose and fell, steady and strong.
When the magic faded, Devanna was no longer beside her. Queen Eliane stumbled backward, gripping her head. Amdis moved to support her. She opened her eyes- one was hazel.
"It is done," Queen Eliane said.
"Eliane…" Amdis started.
"Not now," she cut him off, pushing away from him. "My power is almost depleted. Let's finish this and get rid of the stragglers."