Page 7 of The Unbound Witch

The wraith’s face was hard as stone as she burrowed deeper and deeper into her own feelings. “This isn’t about Onyx. It’s not about a king who carried his own fair share of guilt. It’s about her and me. So, stay out of it.”

“How many times do you want me to apologize? The deja said you couldn’t return. I didn’t know that wishing for you to answer a question would be a loophole.”

She sank to the floor, half fading away, the blurry edges of her form still visible. “Ask me,” she whispered.

I froze, the ringing in my ears, the fury in my veins melting as the entire atmosphere changed. “What?”

She pushed forward until I could have taken her hands, had they been corporeal. Kirsi and I had fought from time to time. We’d spent so much of our lives in each other's space, it was inevitable. We knew when to push and when to back off. We knew every button; every boundary; every sign of discontent. Resignation.

“What are you asking me to do?” I muttered, eyebrows drawn together, pushing past Grey to settle onto the ground beside her.

She kept her chin tucked to her chest, the haunted sound of her surrender vibrating her words. “If I answer the question, maybe I can go back.”

Grey rounded the edge of the bed and sat on the corner, facing us as the mattress squeaked. “What will you be going back to? What is there beyond death?”

She looked up at him, her large gray eyes so full of emotion she was on the verge of breaking down. “Peace.” A heavy pause hung in the stale farmhouse air as we waited. “There is no war between the shifters and witches, no coven leaders, no… anything beyond a pure sense of peace and acceptance. I just want that back. Please.”

Studying my nails, running my fingers along my hem, doing anything but looking into her face, I confessed. “I’d gotten away from Onyx and Willow, and my mind was addled. When the deja asked for my wish, I realized I hadn’t taken a second to consider what I should do. And before I knew it, my heart spoke words before my brain could process. I didn’t think at all. I casually wished to ask what you would have asked the deja for. Because losing you was so heavy on my heart, Kir. I promise, it was an accident.”

She sat with that for a long time. Grey and I exchanged several glances as we watched her, waiting to see if she would answer.

“I love you, Rave. I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you. Things are just different now.” She met my eyes then, the hurt behind her stare so raw I could nearly feel it. “If I’m not angry or sad, I’m nothing. I can’t feel.”

“I love you, too, Kir. When I made that wish, it was such a natural train of thought for me. When you died, you took a piece of me with you. But that piece was always yours to take. I’ll miss you.”

Nodding slowly, she forced a smile before turning her ashen face to Grey. “I’ll miss you too, asshole. Take care of my sister.”

Sister. After all we’d been through, the pain I’d caused her, she still thought of me so. My heart ached all over again, and I accepted that this was her choice. She deserved whatever eternity she wanted.

“You’re sure?” Grey lifted a single brow, eyes fixed on Kir as she nodded slowly. “Alright, Moondance. Rest easy. Save a spot for us when this all goes to hell.”

The old house had gone completely still, as if the owners, fussing around with dinner below, had known we’d needed this moment. I studied Kirsi’s face. The way her long hair caught the candlelight, the way her eyes held a mischievous gleam no matter what her feelings were. The way she worked her hands in her lap as she looked at me with that final goodbye on her lips.

She didn’t turn away as she whispered, “I would have wished for your happiness, Raven Moonstone.”

4

RAVEN

Squeezing my eyes shut, the world vanished as fresh tears fell down my flushed cheeks. I couldn’t breathe as I wished with all my heart she’d find her happiness, too. That she’d be welcomed back to the afterlife because that was her choice and what she wanted, no matter how much I would miss her.

I opened my eyes, and she was gone. That was it. Grey rose from his place on the bed, the stiff blankets hardly disturbed by his presence. Taking my hand, he pulled me into a solid hug, holding me as I sobbed. For Kir. For Bastian. For everything. I needed that emotional release. I stepped back as he reached for my face, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

“Losing her once sucked. I’ll never recover from losing her twice.”

Grey tucked a finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him. And for a moment, a sliver of a second, it was Bastian standing before me, forcing my eyes to his as he so loved to do. But the memory was gone as quickly as it had come, and Grey jerked away from me, no doubt remembering that I was the murderer.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed. “I thought … I just …”

“That’s the last apology you get, Moonstone. Put some fire back into those veins. Ignite the world if you must, but stop cowering. You are not weak. You are not broken. You are not a victim. You’re the most powerful witch of our generation, and it’s time to start acting like it.”

“Well, that was dramatic.” Kirsi popped back into the room, and, this time, there was no hiding my scream.

“What the hell, Kir?” I shouted, clutching my chest.

“Yeah, it didn’t work. But it’s nice to know you’ll never survive my second death. Really touching stuff.”

“I hate you.”