“No!” I shouted, but it came out no more than a hoarse whisper. I tried to pull my hand away, but Daemon refused to let go. And he didn’t know what I did…I was too hurt to be saved. He should have taken the last of his strength to save himself. Or save Dee…
I pleaded with him with my eyes, but he squeezed my hand tighter.
This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. They didn’t deserve this. I didn’t deserve this. Pain and hatred welled in me. I would die, my friends would die, my mother would be lost, and Daemon…. I couldn’t even understand the purpose behind all of this. The Arum’s greed for power? Was it worth all these lives? The injustice of it all tore at me and a surge of energy that came from deep within me, jolted through my body.
I wasn’t going to die like this. Neither were Daemon and Dee, not in some Podunk field in bumfuck West Virginia.
Using the strength Daemon had given me, I pushed myself to sit up and grabbed Dee’s heated arm, keeping ahold of Daemon, willing them to get up, willing them to fight.
Baruck moved toward Daemon’s light. Of course he’d take him out first—the most powerful. He’d be tweaking for hours. I wasn’t even a blip on his radar at this point.
Daemon’s hand spasmed and his light flared as the edge of Baruck’s shadow rippled over him.
And something, something unexpected happened.
A pulse of light went through him, shining so bright that I winced. It arced high in the air, crackling and spitting. It found its other half, recognizing the form beside me. The same was happening with Dee’s light even though she was unconscious. Her light blazed, connected with Daemon’s.
Baruck’s shadow halted.
The arc of light pulsed above and shot down, right into the center of my chest. The impact felt like it sent me deep into the ground, but…I was lifted off the ground, hair flying out around me. Power built between the three of us. It sparked, and out of the corner of my eye I saw both of them return to human form. Dee slumped on the ground, moaning softly, Daemon pushing to his knees, turning toward me.
But I…I was hovering. At least, that was how it felt. I didn’t concentrate on that or even what Daemon was doing. It was only Baruck and me.
I wanted him to go away, to disappear. I wanted his very presence wiped clean from this earth. I wished for it more than anything I have ever desired. Every fiber of my being was centered on him. I pulled everything within me: every fear, every tear I’d shed for Dad, and every moment in my life where I was a b ystander.
Power coiled inside me, wrapped through my very core. With a wild battle cry, I let it go. The cord snapped, and the recoil occurred outside of me.
The sky above us erupted in white lightning. I felt it leave, and I heard the old trees around us creak and groan as it rushed over them. The strong oaks, with no place to hide, bent to its power. The flash of light followed true to its target, washed through Daemon and Dee, and slammed Baruck in the chest.
His shadow form jerked. There was a loud snapping sound, and the light exploded once more, enveloping him completely.
Daemon stumbled backward and shielded himself from the explosion. The light flared, then quickly receded, and without a single word, Baruck was no more. Daemon slowly lowered his arm and stared blankly at the empty spot. He turned toward me. His voice was barely a whisper. “Kat?” I was on my back before I realized it. The dark sky above began to blur. I didn’t know what happened or what I did, but I could feel the power as it slipped out of me, and along with it, something more important.
I felt nothing, and let out a tired breath. It made this rattling sound that I knew should concern me, but I didn’t think to care. There was this darkness again, a different kind than the Arum’s. This was softer, numbing.
Daemon fell to his knees beside me, pulling me into his strong, solid arms. “Kat, say something insulting. Come on.”
Off in the distance I could hear Dee stirring and rising to her feet, panic filling her voice. Without a glance back, Daemon gently moved his fingers over my face and spoke. “Dee, go back to the house now. Get Adam—he’s out there somewhere.” Dee’s arms were wrapped around her waist, and she was bent at an angle that alluded to a cracked rib or two. “I don’t want to leave. She’s bleeding! We have to get her to a hospital.”
I was bleeding? Huh. I hadn’t known. I felt wetness on my face: under my lips, my nose, and there was a strange dampness around my eyes, but it didn’t hurt. Was I crying? Was it blood? I could feel Daemon around me, but it all seemed far away.
“Go back to the house now!” Daemon yelled and his grip around me tightened, but his voice softened. “Please. Leave us. Go. She’s okay. She…she just needs a minute.”
Such a damn liar. I wasn’t okay.
Daemon turned his back to her, pushing the tangled waves of hair out of my face. Only after she’d left, did he speak softly to me. “Kat, you’re not going to die. Don’t move or do anything. Just relax and trust me. Don’t fight what’s about to happen.” I watched as Daemon lowered his head. He rested his forehead against mine. His form faded out and he slipped into his true body. My eyes fluttered shut against the intensity of his light. The heat was almost too much. I was too close to it.
Hold on. Don’t let go. His voice came through. Just hold on.
I felt myself sink deeper, and his hand cradled my head. Daemon exhaled long and steady against my lips. Warmth spread from him to me, slowly moving down my throat and into my lungs, filling me with such glorious heat that I knew there was no better way to let go than this.