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Neverhad she hungered so for power.Thecurse that had threatened her sanity would now take her life—and his.

Whyhadn’t she loved him when she’d had the chance?Whyhadn’t they talked?Sheshould have chewed him out two years ago!Theycould have aired their differences.

Allthat wasted time.

Grurywas back.Butthe fury overwhelmed her grief.Shecouldn’t allow this scourge to win.Shecouldn’t allow them to hurt the demon she loved.

Theslasher grippedRök’shair, snatching his head up.Rök’sglowing gaze darted until he found hers.Hetried to speak and couldn’t.Hebarely managed to mouth,Run!Hewasn’t worried about himself, only her.

Didhe not understand that she’d never leave him behind?Shecouldn’t have even when she’d thought she hated him.Now. . .

Love.

Thevisitors near him parted, a broad aisle revealing the ultimate nightmare on the far side of the ballroom: theHeadlessHorseman.Hissteed reared on its hind legs, front hooves punching the air.WhentheHorsemanspurred his mount and charged,Rök’scaptors made horrible sounds of excitement, awaiting the killing blow. . . .

“No, no, no!”Herfury morphed to ungovernable rage.Astrange heat coursed through her veins.Magicpermeated the air.

Fromme?

Herbody began to vibrate.Sheglanced at her hands.Theyshook so fast she couldn’t make them out.Thehardwood floor buckled beneath the force of her quaking body.What’shappening to me?

TheHorsemannearedRök, galloping hooves sounding over the din of the monsters.

Allthe while, her vibrations intensified, marking some ability she’d never known.Thoughshe’d found no talisman here, magic tolled inside her, the force too great to be contained.Wasit enough?

WhentheHorsemanfreed his sword with a ringing pitch, the demon briefly closed his eyes.Heopened them to stare at her.Shesaw her feelings mirrored in them.

Love.Yes.

Astheir gazes met, she instinctively knew what to do in order to end decades of her suffering and to save her demon.

Picturingevery villain here dying bloody, she raised her hands, threw back her head, and screamed:“ENOUGH!”

Fromher quaking form, light and magic exploded like a mystical star . . . funneling out . . . out . . . before boomeranging back to her.

Silence.

Thencame the sound of a body dropping on the wood floor.Herhead dipped, her gaze seekingRök’s.

He’dcollapsed, still paralyzed—and all the nightmares . . . had vanished.Nota sound from them, not a hint of them.

Sheran toRök. “Demon!”Shedropped to her knees beside his motionless form, cradling his head in her lap.

Withdifficulty, he said, “Breakcurse?”

“I. . . maybe?”Shecouldn’t explain it.She’dstopped the visitors, yes.Andshe didn’t think she’d have to tangle with them again tonight.Butthey weren’tgone.Shedidn’t feel free.

Hadshe merely muted the curse?Maybeshe’d always possessed that muting ability but had just needed the proper motivation to access it:savingRökfrom a beheading. “Wedon’t have to worry about them.WhateverIcame here to do has been done.Thevisitors are on hiatus.”

“Withouta . . . cursebreaker?”

“Tobe fair,Mariketanever told me to expect one in this castle, just an answer.”Andyet it’d come with even more questions.Poppywould visit the young witch again and drill down on this new power.

Röktried to nod, might have bobbed his head.

“Let’sget you more comfortable.”Shespotted a covered divan along a wall and hauled him over.Draggingoff the dust cover, she managed to lift him and maneuvered him to a sitting position.

“You. . . didsomething.”Curiositylit his expression.