Page 113 of Lethal Souls
“No, there has to be another way!” he yells, pleading.
“There isn’t,” Maeve says in a voice that isn’t her own. She jumps onto Caz like a spider, clawing at his face, punching, and snarling.
Caz shoves her off and when she lands on her back, he pins her down by the forearms. “Maeve, stop! This is not you.”
I can’t just hide here.
I run back to Korah’s side, watching as Maeve bucks and thrashes, but Caz keeps her pinned, holding her gaze.
“Maeve, please,” he pleads, voice wavering. “I know you’re still in there. Don’t let her win.”
To my surprise, her fiery eyes transition to their normal state. She stops fighting him and stares, tears accumulating.
“I—I can’t fight her, Caspian,” she whispers.
“Yes, you can.”
Maeve’s head shakes.
“Press hands to her, Caspian,” Hassha demands. “Do it now while she’s in her own state of mind if you want to save her!”
Caz presses his hands to her chest, and they instantly spark red. “What now?” he asks, voice cracking again. My heart aches hearing him like this.
Like a boy, sad and afraid.
This is his aunt. A woman who practically raised him. Treated him as her own.
“Feel the energy,” Korah says. “Listen to instincts. Trust that what you do next will save her, and it will be so.”
He blinks his tears away and clenches his jaw. The scared boy is gone, replaced by the man who fights for everything he loves, no matter the cost.
His hands ignite, burning brighter. I notice a spark of orange appear in Maeve’s eyes again. Selah is trying to tap into her mind, but Caz keeps his hands pressed firmly to his aunt’s chest, fighting Selah’s energy with his own.
The red in his palms spreads throughout Maeve’s body, highlighting her veins, her eyes, her nostrils, her lips. She throws her head back, and her mouth opens to cry in agony.
“Mum!” Juniper calls as she jogs toward us. With her are Killian and Rowan. Their guns are drawn, and their eyes are panicked.
“What’s happened?” Killian shouts as he studies his mother.
“Mum!” Rowan roars.
“Stay back,” Caz yells at them. “Come on, Maeve. Come on.”
He keeps his hands on Maeve, still staring at her. When her scream dies, her body shakes like she’s having a seizure. Still, Caz doesn’t let go. Not until the shaking stops and her eyes close.
When she goes completely still, he gasps and snatches his hands away.
“Maeve?” he calls, lifting her by the shoulders. “Maeve?”
Korah marches around him to bend down and touch Maeve’s forehead. Her eyes spark, and an immediate sigh of relief falls out of her.
“She’s okay,” Korah says. “Selah is gone.”
Caz expels a breath of relief, and his cousins run to his side, dropping to their knees to look at their mother. I drag in a breath of relief myself even though my heart is still pounding.
“She won’t die from this, will she?” Juniper looks up at Hassha and Korah with damp eyes.
“No. We can take her back to our camp and heal her.” Hassha’s blue glow illuminates the forest.