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Darkness seeps into my veins, twisting and coiling with precision as I clench every muscle in my body, fighting against the pain that threatens to crush me in its grasp. My eyes flutter beneath my eyelids as my magic focuses on my brother.

The longing for warmth, brightness, and joy pounds through me, unrelenting as I feel my magic wash over him. Panic starts to kick in when I continue searching for him, leaving me certain that I waited too long.

A frustrated groan escapes from my lips at the same time and I feel the softest caress of warmth run up my arms. My head lolls forward, my mouth falling open as I let the feeling rush through me. It feels like I’m held in a warm embrace, the sun shining down on me on a late afternoon as butterflies dance in the sky around me.

It’s overwhelming, a complete contrast to where I was moments ago, and it’s all quickly taken away from me again as I blink my eyes open to look down at Sebastian.

My chest rises and falls rapidly as I stare at him, fingers tingling from where they rest against his academy-issued uniform. With my pulse ringing in my ears, doubt starts to take over when nothing instantly changes.

Don’t do this. Don’t do this to me. Don’t make me break my promise. My word is everything, even to assholes I don’t trust.

“You can get off me now.” The rasp of Sebastian’s voice startles me and I’m quick to retract my hands as Brax grunts from my side. I don’t need to look at my grumpy gargoyle to know he’s already regretting bringing my brother back.

“Are you okay, Dove?” Zane asks, crouching beside me as he soothes a hand down my back, and I nod.

“I’m okay. It felt harder than before but I don’t know why,” I admit, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind my ear.

“That would explain it,” Eldon mutters, making me frown.

“Explain what?”

He clears his throat, glancing at the others as the growing uncertainty inside of me makes itself known. “Your hair is completely black.”

Completely black? Fuck.

Bye-bye pink and girly, hello dark and dangerous.

“Where are we?” Sebastian asks, and I compartmentalize my hair to address it at a different time. He sits upright and my heart calms, seeing him in front of me once more. It’s a pity he pisses me off the second he opens his mouth, but that’s never going to change.

“We’re still on campus, but it’s not shielded by the wards here,” I explain, glancing around the tall, thick tree line and lush green shrubs.

It doesn’t seem to hold the same magic and wonder as it did the first time I came here to speak with Gia. So much more has happened since then, and their absence is truly noticeable now. Gone is the whimsical sense of adventure, and in its place remain plants and trees that are no longer filled with life.

The ground is scattered with brown, crunchy leaves, twigs, and branches falling around us. Even the lush green shrubs that first caught my attention seem darker and dimmer the more I look.

“Lyra,” Sebastian croaks, pulling my attention back to him, and my eyes widen. Before I can try to understand what he’s asking for, he continues, “He’s going to know it was her that aided me in being able to see through his magic.”

Fuck.

I don’t know what I’m supposed to say or do, but Lyra has helped me too. She can’t die at the hands of the enemy. I refuse.

Settling my gaze on my brother, I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off before I get a chance. “I can’t leave without her. I promised. You have to help me.”

“She doesn’t have to do shit,” Brax grunts, folding his arms over his chest as he looms over my brother. I can sense the desire to step between us if needed, but I shake my head gently as I look up at him. “Your deal was to bring him back from the dead. Nothing more,” he states, giving me a pointed look.

“Raven, please,” Sebastian rasps, ignoring Brax’s truthful statement.

“You realize it makes no sense for her to continue to help you after everything you’ve done,” Creed adds, and my eyes fall closed.

My magic battles inside me, reconfirming the worry from earlier. I have to follow my own heart and mind, not those of others. Even if they are my men, the missing pieces of my heart and soul—pieces I never would have imagined having the luxury of—I have to make this decision for myself.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness, Raven. I’m not even asking you to do this for me,” Sebastian pleads, emotion clogging his voice as his words thicken. “I’m asking you to help an innocent person who has clearly helped when you needed them to,” he pushes, stating the thoughts that were running in my mind.

I open my eyes. There’s no point in shielding myself from the world I already know I can’t hide from. I know my answer, whether I like it or not. Hiding from the moment is only delaying the inevitable.

“Where can I find her?”

Sebastian’s shoulders sag with relief as my men remain quiet around us. Slowly, he shakes his head, swiping a hand down his face. “You won’t be able to reach her until morning.”