Page 155 of Alastair

The wind stirred at my back before Konnar appeared. He frowned at Night Fall. “Their souls are screaming for release.”

“You can hear their thoughts?” I asked.

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Konnar answered. “I can read the minds of those around me. There are a few exceptions, but that’s beside the point.” He waved his hand around. “Although they aren’t in their bodies, their thoughts still reach me. Faintly, but they’re there. More so, I’m sensing the feelings associated with their thoughts. Mostly, a deep longing for their mates.”

My connection to Alastair’s mind had been broken, but if the vampire was still able to pick up something from him—from all of them—then maybe we had a chance to reach them. To help them fight and return to us.

Konnar’s stare lingered on the last stone in the hilt. Did he hear Alastair? Or perhaps, he simply missed him.

“The vampire is on to something.” Raphael stepped toward me, his white wings softly ruffling as they fanned behind him. His magenta eyes moved to Night Fall. “May I?”

I reluctantly handed it over. “What will you do?”

“Me? There’s little Icando.” Raphael examined the blade before touching each of the colored stones. “But if the vampire can hear their thoughts, that tells me they’re cognizant enough to probably hear us too. I have an idea that may help call their souls out.” He looked at the boys’ mates. “Please bring their bodies over and lay them in front of me.”

Warrin carried Daman over, followed by Phoenix with Bellamy. Mason placed Gray beside Bellamy before he and Titan helped Simon bring over Galen. Raiden, Kallias, and Castor were then placed beside them. Once all the brothers were lying side by side, I laid Alastair at the end of the row.

My chest tightened as I moved his bangs aside again. He was too still. Even in sleep, he had always registered my touch with a subtle smile or sleepy grumble. I’d give anything for one of those little grumbles now.

Raphael placed Night Fall on the ground above their heads. He then walked over to each of their bodies, placed his hand on their chest, and projected healing energy into them. The wound on Castor’s chest didn’t fully close—not even an archangel like Raphael, with his specialty in healing, could fully mend an injury caused by Light Bringer—but he replenished the lost blood and strengthened his body.

“Whether this will work? I don’t know. But it’s worth a try.” Raphael rose from the ground and stepped out of the way. “Each of you needs to approach the sword and speak to your mates.”

“Speak to them?” Mason asked.

“Yes,” Raphael answered. “Your souls are bound together, correct? There’s great power in the bond between fated mates. If you call out to them, it may be the push they need to override the spell.”

“That could work,” Konnar said. “Sometimes, a person’s will can be stronger than any spell.”

Warrin stepped toward the sword. “Like when Asa drank my blood and placed me under hypnosis. He ordered me to kill Daman, but I eventually broke through the fog and returned to my senses. Because nothing in this world could ever make me hurt him.” He knelt in the snow and touched the green stone. “Kotya?”

The color swirled, as if responding to his voice.

A sad smile crossed the ice dragon’s face. “The war’s finally over. We can return to our cottage. To our home.” The green churned faster before growing brighter. “I know you wish to start a family. I never got the chance to tell you I want that too. I want to see you become a father and teach our child about the forest and herbs. I can teach them swordplay, but only for fun, for they will never know a war like this one. We’ll be better fathers than our own ever were. But right now, what I want most is to hold you in my arms again.”

There was a bright green flash before a shimmering mist flowed into Daman’s body. And the stone where his soul had been? Clear once more.

“War?” Daman croaked as his eyelids fluttered open.

Releasing a soft cry, Warrin crushed him to his chest. “I’m right here, kotya.”

“Just like you said you’d be.” Daman nuzzled his neck. “My commander.”

Relief slammed into me so hard it took my breath. My entire body shook with it, and a ball of emotion lodged in my throat. I understood it then—why each of the boys had found their fated mate during the war.

It was for this moment. So those mates would be able to save them from an eternity of nothingness.

“Yay.” Raphael beamed with a smile and lightly clapped. “It worked.”

“The rest of you should try now.” Selaphiel peered up at the sky. “I sense the astrological energy beginning to shift. The moon’s power won’t last forever.”

Simon went next. He touched the red gem. “Hey, big guy.” It glowed a little. “You and Wrath need to get out of this sword. It’s cold out here.” The red swirled. Simon smiled as his glasses fogged up. “Return to me so you can warm me up. You wouldn’t want me catching a cold, would you?”

Red mist flowed from the stone and back into Galen’s body. When his eyes opened, one was light gray, and the other was black. Simon crawled over to him and was instantly tugged down and enclosed in Galen’s big arms.

I fought the urge to rush over to Night Fall and speak to Alastair. My mate would be pissed if I released his soul before his brothers. So, I ground the heels of my boots into the snow and waited… composed on the outside and incredibly impatient on the inside. However, seeing the boys awaken, one by one, brought me joy.

After all the battles, stress, and sacrifices made, they deserved this. They deserved to be happy.