“But what about the other thing?” Cara questioned, gripping his arms. “One who’s cursed, but bold and true. Who is—” her words trailed off as Prince Azaren’s gaze fixed on me.
I blinked in surprise. “That can’t be right. I mean, I’m bold maybe, but I’m not—”
His gaze was apologetic. “I’ve been in your mind, Raine. And I’ve seen what’s in your heart. You are both bold and true to everything your heart believes. But no one can make you do this if you don’t want to.”
I stared, unblinking, hardly registering that my mates had begun screaming at me in the background. The final line from the book echoed through my head:Surrender to the sacrifice.We’d never thought there would be a pureblood fae willing to sacrifice themselves to break the curse, so we hadn’t even contemplated which of the cursed might do the same.
But if what the prince was saying was true, then we had a chance to end this all now.I can save my mates, my monsters, and my sister.
“Raine, no,” Cara pleaded, letting go of Prince Azaren to grab me instead. “H-how do I become cursed? Let me do it instead.”
“It’s too late for that,” Prince Azaren replied softly. “If we’re going to do this, we need to do it now.”
“Raaaiiinnne!!” The garbled cry broke through the ringing in my head, coming from Locke as his body continued to twist, his limbs moving in odd directions as his skin bulged. “Don’t you dare do this! We’re not worth it! None of us are!”
I finally turned to look again at my mates.At the rebels who I’d fought beside. Lyr and her mates, Vasken, Garan, Jade, Kenric, and Kasey. At the fae who watched on fearfully, preparing themselves to fight monsters once again, and then at my sister. My throat grew so sore, even as certainty settled in my aching chest.
“We’re of Queen Izla’s bloodline,” Prince Azaren said. “It’s our responsibility to fix this.”
I nodded, not bothering to deny it again. Somehow knowing that he was right. I wouldn’t walk away from this.
Tears fell from Cara’s eyes, and I hugged her tightly. “All I wanted was to find you,” I said softly, my voice cracking as tears blurred my vision. “I always promised myself I would save you. And if this is what it takes, I will gladly be the sacrifice,” I whispered.
She sobbed harder at my words, her hands cupping my cheeks. “You were never meant to save me,” she said. “I was always the one who was meant to find my way back to you.”
“RAINEEE!!” Kade’s howl was an anguished cry, and I almost shifted on instinct, my dragon desperate to return his call. My mate marks burned against my skin, reminding me of the ones I loved.
“Forget us, lovely,” Darian said, his eyes no longer a crystal blue, but black like a night sky. “Live for us instead.”
Asher’s face was tight as his tail cracked, his violet horns aflame, but somehow, he still gave me that lopsided smile of his. Like he knew that no matter what happened this was the last time we would see each other, and he wanted me to remember him with a smile on his face. “It’s been fun, sweetheart. Just remember, we love ya.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered back, tears spilling down my face as I stared at my mates one last time. I would do this, for my sister and my mates. For the fae, and the Katakin monsters.
Turning back to Prince Azaren, I said, “I need you to remove the protection curse from me first.”
“No, Mahareeee,” Kade’s weakening voice turned to a howl as his body changed, a wrinkled black snout protruding from his face that was so different to that of his usual form.
Prince Azaren didn’t hesitate. He whispered words under his breath and lifted his hands, letting his magic flow into me, and I felt the bond dissolve, the protective spell that bound me to my mates, tying my life to theirs, disappearing as if it had never been there. But even as that link was broken, my mate marks tingled, reminding me that they were still linked to me, just in a different way. And nothing could take that from us.
Prince Azaren watched me, and when I nodded, he lowered his arms and sliced the blade deep across his wrists, blue blood spilling onto the ground at an alarming rate.
Giving Cara one last weak smile, I took the dagger from the prince and cut my own wrists, my numb body blocking out the pain. Prince Azaren caught me before I could fall, and we gripped each other tight as the prince began to chant words that I couldn’t understand.
A burst of magic came from me, my fire enveloping us, energy swirling around our forms like a windswept inferno. Prince Azaren’s magic mixed with mine and reached out, connecting with the minds of those around Katakin, and I screamed in agony as thousands of voices filled my head at once. I heard their cries and soft fearful whispers, their hopes and dreams, and their pain.So much pain.I heard the voices of Prince Azaren, of my sister, and of my mates, their weakening anguished cries reaching out for me.
And then all I felt was…peace. Like I was right where I needed to be. Even as the cold started up my fingers, as my warmth began to leech away, my fire extinguishing. Even as my inner dragon curled up ready for sleep, my exhaustion dragging me down into darkness. I felt Prince Azaren sag, his long fingers loosening his grip on me, and we slid to our knees. My eyes grew too heavy to open, and Prince Azaren whispered the words in my ear:
“One of fae, blood so blue,
One who’s cursed, but bold and true,
Forgive the past, pay the price,
Surrender to the sacrifice.”
Forgive.The word repeated in my mind. It was the final piece. I thought of how the monsters had taken women from my island. Of the trials they’d put the newbloods through. Of the death on the battlefield around us. All of it had stemmed from the hate King Adrien had ignited. But then I thought of the hardships my mates had endured because of the curse Queen Izla had created. Asher and his mother, and the countless other monsters who’d suffered. I thought of Warrick and his outliers. Both the king and queen had caused this, though I couldn’t believe Queen Izla had wanted it to end this way. She’d tried to twist the curse, but it had still gone horribly wrong. Either way, it didn’t matter. The only way it would all end was if the fae and the monsters learned to forgive one another. It wasn’t just about Azaren and me.
Holding onto that thought, I projected the word,Forgive,in my mind as images filled my head. Images of Queen Izla creating the curse, and of King Adrien’s hate-filled eyes. And then I thought of the beauty of Katakin and Zalei, and all the surprisingly wonderful things I’d encountered. Prince Azaren understood my meaning. Still linked to the fae and monsters around Katakin, he sent out my message to everyone. The curse had never been about death or becoming a monster. It had always been about acceptance and forgiveness.
