“Kade … babe, give me the staff.” I held out my hand. Please, please, please. I was not above begging, hoping and praying he would just hand me the weapon.
Kade’s nostrils flared but he didn’t say a word, staring at me as if he was trying to remember who I was. Movement to my left drew my attention, and even though I didn’t want to turn away from evil-Kade, I quickly flicked my gaze to Kian. I had temporarily forgotten him, but it was a relief to see his normal handsome face, seemingly devoid of all darkness.
Thank the gods. Only one crazy shifter to deal with.
Turning back to my mate, I reached inside my shirt, slowly, and pulled out the ring he’d given me, holding it up on the long chain for him to see. “You gave this to me. You promised me forever, and I know you’re a man of your word.”
I held his gaze, even though it was physically hurting me to stare into those obsidian eyes. My chest cramped tighter and tighter, making it almost impossible to breathe. But I did not break our eye contact, and I did not lower my hand holding the chain.
Kade shook his head then, startling me with the sudden movement.
“Ari … help.” His words were forced out through his clenched jaw, and it looked like he was gripping the staff tighter.
That was all I needed to hear; he was not completely gone.
I shot out with mecca — it was a controlled blast, and I was reasonably sure it wouldn’t hurt him too much. Maybe just enough to give me a chance. I knew he was fighting the darkness, but without help, it would win — there was too much inside of him now. My hit knocked him off his feet, shooting him backwards. As he slammed into the ground, the staff was flung from his grip — or maybe he found the strength to drop it. Kade was the strongest man I knew, so that was definitely a possibility.
Kade and I both scrambled for the staff, but before either of us could get our hands on it, Dante came out of nowhere, scooping it up. I changed course, diving across Kade, straddling him.
“No!” Kade bellowed, his desperate eyes locked on Dante. I expected my mate to use his strength and throw me across the field, but he didn’t. He just watched as the summer fae pitched the staff straight into the last fiery embers of the lake.
The moment it touched the surface the ground shook, hard enough to throw me off Kade. Every creature left alive in this godforsaken hellhole screeched. But my eyes were on my mate. His body was frozen, tense, his hands clenched tightly on either side of him. I could see there was a war going on inside of him. A war I was going to help him win.
I crawled back to his side, reaching out and placing my fingers on each side of his temples.
Zandu’s voice came from behind me. “Be careful, highborn. It could take you too.”
“If he’s gone, I’m gone anyway,” I said, my tone dead.
I closed myself off to the world, and using our bond, fully connected with Kade. I recoiled initially, fighting the urge to run as slimy, oily, insidious energy tried to cling to me and interweave with my power.
Kade, I whispered along our bond, searching for my mate in the darkness. He had come back to me before, he had given me the chance to destroy the staff. He had to still be in there.
I grabbed hold of the dark energy, and like a sticky spider web it clung to me. I began to pull it from Kade, allowing it to travel along the mate bond and into me. When it reach my chest I shivered, cocooning it with fae magic and transforming it like I did before. But this time there was too much, too fast. The more I siphoned from Kade, the more I felt like I was drowning in sadness and disease … in a heavy emptiness. The world was pressing in on me and I wanted to die. Anything to escape the absolute darkness of my world.
I was alone.
Useless.
Worthless.
I did not deserve to live.
Ari… Kade’s whisper caressed a part of my soul through the bond, bringing with it a sliver of light. It was enough, just that tiny speck of illumination, for me to have something to cling to. It gave me the power to blast the darkness within me, a sense of purpose. And the strength I needed to get to him, to open my eyes and breathe again.
But the darkness held me tightly, unwilling to give up its victim.
In my moment of despair, it wasn’t Kade that saved me — Finn’s voice slammed into me, loud and firm. Arianna, of the red house. You are capable of more than you know. You are the queen of mecca. You can control the stones, the energy, the very life force of all people. Do not forget who you are. The winter prince has come for New York and only you can save us.
Finn’s message was a slap of clarity. I sucked in as much air as I could, filling my lungs until they ached, drawing on my mecca in a way I never had before, all the way through the veil that divided the two worlds. I drew energy from the mecca stones of Earth, and for the first time ever, I also drew from the stones in the Otherworld. Together the two powers intertwined within me and eviscerated the darkness. I released it all with a scream of rage that was loud enough to shatter any remaining icicles of this world.
When I had no more breath or darkness to expel, I opened my eyes. Clumps of ash were falling from the sky.
Kade had me in his arms, holding me close to his chest.
My eyes fluttered as I pressed myself into his arms, allowing a few cleansing breaths to refill my starved lungs. I could have cried — in happiness — when my natural joy for life washed through me. The emptiness was gone.
I had never been a person who struggled with depression; it was something I was eternally grateful for. But after that moment of darkness, I understood it a little more. I understood why people couldn’t just “get over it” as they were often advised. It was like I had been wearing blinders and could see nothing but darkness ahead and behind. No matter how much light existed around me, I simply couldn’t see it. I couldn’t escape.
I never wanted to be in that place again.
It was so clear to me now. The dark stone never brought balance. The mecca was balanced; it could be used for good or evil, depending on the person. That darkness, it was only evil. I was glad to be rid of it, glad to see it destroyed.
“Ari, baby…” Kade cradled my face in his hands, my body still draped across him.
Familiar swirling, molten bronze eyes stared down at me. I reached out with our bond to find nothing but his normal mecca powers on the other end.
I pushed deeper, unwilling to let even an ounce of darkness taint my mate.
“It’s gone,” he said to me. “Every last sliver. For the first time in a long time, I am free. I couldn’t even see how much I was being affected.”
I swallowed hard, my voice a rasp when I said, “We underestimated it. The dark energy was clever.”
He nodded. “I tried to keep it from you. I knew it was bad, but I thought I could handle it. I thought I was strong enough to fight it.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around him. “You were strong enough. You did fight. But … it isn’t over yet. The winter prince is in New York. We need to get back now.”