Page 145 of Treasured

“Light and dark convergeeeee,” a third one chimed in.

“Death, death, death,” the chorus picked back up. “Kill the queen, and free our souls.”

“Kill herrrrrrr,” they cried out.

A cold wind brushed against me, and I could have sworn a hand touched my shoulder.

Were these the souls of the ones the queen had killed?

“Release ussss from this miseryyyy,” they moaned.

“Break the shacklesss binding usss,” others added.

Their chanting continued until it was the only thing I could hear. If it weren’t for the hands gripping mine tightly, I would have found the darkness all-consuming. But Sebastian was here, and I would survive this. The Void could not destroy me.

No, if our training had taught me one thing, it was that I was a powerful—if untrained—vampire. Tonight, we would be putting everything I had learned to the test. All Sebastian’s torturous training, all my practice, all the soul sharing we’d done would come to a head.

The voices were right.

Death was in the very air we breathed.

* * *

When we got out of the Void, things moved quickly. The shadows left us in the Dead Forest, and Castle Sanguis loomed overhead. My chest tightened, and my palms slickened.

We were back.

“Hurry,” I whispered. I didn’t want to stay here any longer than necessary.

It seemed the feeling was mutual. Phyrra stepped back as Marius, Sebastian, and I removed our gloves and joined hands. Rivers of power, like a strong current, coursed through me. My shadows thrummed. My heart sped up. Colors were brighter. The crunch of snow beneath Marius’s boots was like a shout in my ear.

Dark, powerful magic flowed until it was the only thing I could feel. I was Luna, but I was more. I was a shadow, curling around Sebastian. I was the blood running through my veins. I was a storm, waiting to be unleashed. What had been sparks were now entire bolts of lightning. I was practically vibrating as a copious amount of magic filled me.

Eventually, Sebastian cleared his throat. “That’s enough,” he said hoarsely.

Nodding, Marius stepped back and broke the connection. I dropped my hand, gasping for air. The lightning remained in me.

“Marius…” My throat thickened. How could I say goodbye?

“I’ll see you later, Lulu,” my brother said, hugging his arms around himself.

No amount of power could have stopped me from feeling the way my heart broke at his words.

“I love you, Mar-Mar,” I replied, holding back tears.

I wished I could promise I’d see him again, but I wouldn’t lie to him. None of us knew how tonight would end.

Instead, I forced myself not to cry. I would be strong for Marius. I wouldn’t let his last memory of me be one where I was a blubbering mess. Phyrra crouched low, and my brother jumped on her back without another word. Once he was secure, the spy took off in a blur, disappearing into the trees.

Now, we were alone. Suddenly, this all felt real in a way I’d never expected. I stared at the place where Marius had stood only moments before, the extra power still pulsing within me. Was it enough? Or had I just said goodbye to my brother for the last time?

Sebastian slipped his hand back into mine, and he squeezed. Are you ready?

This was the moment we’d been waiting for. I reached within myself, testing the Tether one last time. When I found the connection waiting for me, I nodded. Let’s go.

There were no more kisses. No more pleasantries. Once again, Sebastian pulled us into the Void. We were there for seconds, maybe less, before the darkness lifted.

We were back in Castle Sanguis.