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I pour more magic into him, watching with growing excitement as he blinks again, his chest rising and falling in what might be a deeper breath.

“Yes, that’s it. Come back, Kian, please.”

Something flickers in those horrible glowing eyes – just for a moment, but I see it. A spark of something that might be awareness. The thick black veins on his face seem to recede slightly, becoming less raised, less angry-looking.

I think it’s working.

He blinks several times in rapid succession, making a soft sound in the back of his throat. Not words, but the first vocalization I’ve heard from him in days.

Moons, yes!

I redouble my efforts, pouring more and more healing magic into him. Sweat beads on my forehead from the effort, but I don’t care. It’s working. Praise Kakara, it’s actually working.

But even as I watch, the moment I pause to catch my breath, everything I’ve accomplished begins to undo itself. The black veins darken again, spreading back across his face like spilled ink. The brightness returns to his eyes, and that terrible vacant stare settles back over his features.

“No!” I gasp, immediately resuming my healing efforts. “No, no, no…”

I push hard, but I’m tiring. I push and push and push until I’m shaking, until my head is hurting, and my vision is blurring.

I’m pouring everything I have and more into him, but it isn’t enough.

After a time, I am forced to stop. Within moments, he’s exactly as he was before, as if I never touched him at all.

I rock back on my heels, tears of frustration streaming down my face.

It’s infuriating. He’s so close, right there within reach, but I can’t quite grasp him.

Can’t quite pull him back. I would call for help, but I know this has to do with our magical bond.

I can feel it, like a fine tether between us.

It’s why my mother had to split us up. We’re strong together.

Only I can save him. It has to be me. I know it like I know my own name.

My hand goes instinctively to the starlight crystal at my throat, Maya’s gift. I grip it tightly, feeling the chain pull as I close my eyes and whisper a prayer to the moon goddess.

When I open my eyes, I know what I have to do. There’s only one thing I can think of, and I’m sure it will work. It has to work. It worked before.

“Thank Kakara, I never promised you I wouldn’t do this again,” I tell Kian, speaking as if he can hear every word.

And perhaps, somewhere deep down inside, he can.

He’s still in there, after all. “I know you’ll be furious with me for it, but I’m doing it, anyway.

I would rather deal with your anger than see you like this even a moment longer.

I love you, Kian.” I swallow down a lump that has formed in my throat. “I refuse to lose you.”

I place my hands on his chest again, but this time, I don’t just send healing magic into him. This time, I reach deeper, into the very core of my being, and begin to give him some of my life essence.

Just like I did for Maya.

I can do it; I just have to be very careful.

The effect is immediate and dramatic. His eyes widen, the artificial brightness flickering. The black veins on his face begin to recede more quickly now, fading from angry black to gray to nothing at all.

“That’s it,” I whisper, pouring more of myself into him. “Fight it!”

His breathing deepens, becoming more natural. The rigid posture he’s maintained for days begins to relax. Color returns to his skin, replacing the sickly pallor that’s haunted his features.

“Fight!” I shout again, although I’m not sure if I’m talking to myself or to him. Maybe it’s for both of us.

Just a little more, and I’ll have him back completely.

It’s working.

The cold creeps in slowly at first, starting at my fingertips and working its way up my arms. I ignore it, focused entirely on the miracle happening before my eyes. Kian’s face is transforming. His color is coming back, and the veins are almost gone now.

The glowing green of his eyes flickers again, and for a moment, I see a flash of their natural color underneath. Just a hint, but it’s there.

“Almost,” I breathe, giving him more of my essence, more of my very life force. The cold is spreading now, moving through my chest, making my heart stutter. But I’m so close. So very close.

The black veins vanish entirely, disappearing as if they’d never been there at all. Kian’s royal marking emerges from beneath the corruption, the beautiful tree design restored to its full glory. His eyes blink rapidly, the artificial glow fading with each flutter of his lashes.

And then, suddenly, recognition floods his features. His beautiful, warm, living green eyes focus on my face with perfect clarity.

I stop giving him my essence, and he stays as is. It’s him. It’s Kian.

“McColl,” he says, his voice hoarse and rough from disuse but unmistakably him.

Joy fills my soul so completely that I think I might burst from it.

“It worked!” I throw my arms around his neck, feeling his strong hands come up to grip my waist, pulling me closer.

I want to tell him how good it is to see him, but I can’t. I’m so very weak.

The world begins to tilt and spin. The cold has spread through my entire body now, making my teeth chatter and my vision blur at the edges. I feel dizzy, so very cold, and suddenly, terrifyingly weak.

Perhaps I gave too much.

Even if I did, it was all worth it. Every drop of life essence, every moment of pain. He’s back. My Kian is back.

It’s my last coherent thought before darkness claims me, and I collapse into his arms.