Page 61 of Winterfall Destiny

"We can't know that for sure," she whispers.

But Maeve hesitated before she responded. Maeve's aware I'm right. Nothing in our arsenal could beat the First apart from what we're ignoring—everything Maeve contains.

I stand. "I've thought about this a lot recently. We get the First out of that body and we force the shadows to take away the spirit energy or whatever it is."

Maeve blinks. "Take the First where?"

"With them! To wherever the shadows exist. Trapped."

Maeve's face stays pale. "You're forgetting about Andrei, Jamie. What happens to him if we follow your crazy ideas?"

The flaw in my ambitious plan. "Maybe the shadows could remove the First from Andrei, the way Lex manipulated them to remove the curse from Tobias?"

"Um. No. He summoned the shadows to kill Tobias, and the First is more than a curse, Jamie. Much more."

"But if the shadows kill Andrei and he doesn't permanently die because he's still part vampire, then?—"

"Jamie!" Maeve stands and cups my cheek with one hand. "What has got into you? How can you talk about risking everything? Killing one of us?"

"Temporarily!" I protest.

"Wow." Pink dots appear on her cheeks. "Dorian, much?"

"Maeve." I take a shuddery breath. "For the first time, I'm genuinely frightened that you'll die. Against Gabriella? I've no fear, because united we've more power than her. Against the First? That's a whole other level, and we're all in denial if we don't accept that. For fuck's sake, she's threatened you with a living death." Maeve whispers my name again and strokes my cheek, but I forge on. "Remember what I said to you the night at Lex's? You're at the heart of everything I am—mind, body, and soul. I'm not saying the other guys love you less, but a witch bond goes beyond love. Our bond will push me to do anything to keep you safe and if that's pissing people off by confronting them with the reality, I will."

"I'm frightened of magic I can't control, Jamie."

"And the First is relying on that too. The creature must've encountered the shadows before. It saw you using them the night you freaked out about Andrei at the Winterfall house—and how you had no control over them. The First knows we're doing all we can to stop you from using the shadows and won't expect this." Maeve chews her lip. "Please, please listen to me and consider everything you're capable of."

She sinks onto the bed again. "I agree with you."

My heart leaps. "Then you'll do this?"

"I agree that the shadows could be the missing link to defeating the First, yes, but that involves risks to everybody."

I throw my arms up. "The First is a risk to everybody!"

"Don't shout at me!" Maeve abruptly stands.

Magic crackles around, but the shadows spoken about don't join us. "I love you, Maeve. I can't live in a world where you don't exist, or one that killed the Maeve I know and replaced her with something she'd despise."

Our chests both move rapidly and Maeve's soft fingers rest on both my cheeks. "Nobody will die, Jamie."

I hold her face in return, the magic flooding between us in a way that hasn't happened for a long time. The merging never felt like this when we practiced at Lex's. Now, with our emotions running high, the conduit between us is wide open. Maeve's mouth parts, reflecting the same surprise in her eyes at how engulfed we are.

"Look at the future," I whisper. "Tell me what's waiting for us." Maeve gulps in breaths, her fingers digging into my cheeks as our gazes lock.

"I keep trying. The magic's gone."

"I've helped your future-sight many times. Go there. Tell me what you see and then tell me you can't use Blackwood magic."

"You speak as if you've seen the future," she replies hoarsely.

"I don't need to, Maeve. I can already predict what will happen if we don't fucking do something."

Because I can. Not literally, but I'm watching us flailing around and out of control, as an unwanted future speeds towards us. Maeve's divination attempts fail again and again over the last few weeks, and I know partly why. Everybody's channelling Maeve's energy into fighting against part of herself—the Blackwood.

"Look at me," I say, harshness dropping to desperation because the only way to persuade Maeve fully is for her to see that future. "Look for Gabriella. The First. Anything. Something's blocking the divination inside you—just try!"

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