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Destin blinked, blood dribbled from the corner of his lip.

“Beth,” he whispered. “I don’t want to be without you.”

Adira let out a quivering breath and left my side, creeping behind Destin as he reached for the glow.

“Beth,” he said, a sort of plea, reverent and broken. “I need you to come back.”

Adira looked to the gilded mist. She blinked through tears, and without Destin taking note, held her palms out behind his head.

“Be at peace, Destin,” she choked out, and swiped her fingers over the air.

Destin gasped. He grappled at his throat. A deep, bloody slit fountained from his neck. I helped Adira ease him back on the stones. Blood stained his teeth, but his eyes were the familiar blue again.

The glow from the heartstone was gone, but a slight smile twitched in the corner of his mouth.

Immorti fell, nothing but heaps of bones and ash, and Destin parted his lips, words soft and fading.

“Beth . . . f-finally,” was the last sound over his tongue before he blew out a long breath, and never drew in another.

CHAPTER 49

Adira

My hands trembledover Destin’s lifeless eyes. A smile was written on his face, but I could not look away, I could not tear my gaze from his unmoving features. I’d killed him. Ripped his life from his body.

A sob shook from my chest.

To kill was not new. I was Soturi, a battle mage. I’d fought in Valandril’s war, fought against cruel ones before, but with the degeneration reversed, this was wholly different than faceless cruel ones of the past. This was Destin Thornvane, a man whose face was shielded from us all, but a man I once knew to be kind, witty, and good.

How many times had Gwyn and me giggled when the bright eyes of the princess’s husband came into view. He’d been addicted to his wife, gentle with his words, and always snuck us young mages sweets from the cooking rooms.

Another sob burst out so rough it ached in my throat.

Arms, fierce and warm, pulled me against his chest. Kage pulled me into him, and the chaos of the battle returned. The shouts, the cries of broken hearts, the roars of victory, the crackle of flames, all of it collided around us.

Kage leveraged my body over his thighs, holding me on his lap,and tucked my face against his neck. He let me scream and dig my fingernails into his shoulder as the pain racked my body. As the truth of how close the ugly head of failure had come.

Rough, bloody palms came up and took hold of my face. Kage pulled back, turning my head side to side, frantically inspecting me for wounds.

“I’m all right,” I whispered, touching the fading remnants of the assault of dark magic to his head.

He brushed stray hairs from my face. “You’re all right.” It seemed as though he repeated it for himself more than me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him tightly. “It’s over. It’s over.”

When Soturi enteredand saw the blood pooled around Destin’s body, they covered him with a black cloak of a fallen battle mage, offering the once-honored prince consort a bit of respect even if I was torn on whether he deserved it.

The shift had hoisted Kage and me back to our feet and in a frantic dash to find our friends. We found Cy tending to a wounded Soturi, Hakon screeching over the battlefield looking for more. Hugo had herb presses to his brow where an Immorti’s claws had sought his eye.

“It will be delicious to behold once it scars,” Cy murmured.

Hugo’s cheeks heated, but he eased the pressure of the compress a little more.

“Kage, Adira.” Gwyn, breathless and sweat soaked ran to us. “I lost sight of Asger when the Immorti surrounded him.”

Cy shot up, a furrow on his brow. He whistled a sharp tune. Hakon tilted his wings far down the field and altered course to the mouth of the portcullis and let out a sharp cry.

“There.” Cy took hold of Hugo’s arm and led the way. We sprinted close behind.