Page 65 of Winterfall Destiny

"Y'know, Maeve seeing me die again." He scratches his nose.

"I didn't see you die, Jamie!" I protest.

"But Andrei told you I was dead," he says.

"No. That's your interpretation." I take a breath and explain act by act what I witnessed and was part of. The vagueness of Andrei's words doesn't help my argument that Jamie doesn't die. The first visions of Jamie didn't show a death; the detail came later. He knows that.

Jamie chokes and shakes his head when I'm done. "'Have you ever discussed what he'd want?' It's bloody obvious what that means. Turning me because I'm dying."

Tobias hasn't broken the silence that engulfed him the moment Jamie mentioned he'd die, returning to the quiet observer from the group's early days.

A vision of Jamie dying? It is the early days all over again.

A thought hollows out my heart—is someone's death a future I can't change and that's why Jamie's threatened again?

"You let me die, that's what I'd want," he says, looking between Andrei and Tobias. "You don't risk your vampire blood poisoning and killing me a second time and agonisingly."

"You do know that's an exaggerated story to prevent vampires from turning witches?" asks Tobias gently. "The witches rarely die."

"Rarely? That's still a percentage! And I am not living in the dark for the rest of my eternity. Fuck, no. Don't touch me," he says firmly.

"You might not stay in the dark," continues Tobias.

"What? If I take Andrei's First-polluted blood?"

"No, Jamie. If we solve the hemia curse."

Jamie frowns, mouth a thin line. "What's this, Tobias? A vampire recruitment drive?"

I can't speak, hardly able to breathe. Why are they talking about what to do when Jamie dies and not about stopping his death? I've prevented him from dying once and will again. "Jamie won't die. This is an unnecessary conversation."

Our gazes lock and behind Jamie's angry determination, the fear I recognise from the early days has returned to his eyes.

"I didn't see you die, and you won't die," I press.

"And if you do, I promise nobody will go against your clearly stated wishes," says Tobias.

"I just said Jamie won't die!" I shout, held back emotion bursting from me. "And stop discussing turning him. Do you want to make things worse?" Tobias's brows shoot up and I suck in a calming breath. "I'll work on the vision. Now that I've tapped into the magic, I'm confident Jamie can help guide me back there."

"But to where?" asks Andrei. "Where were we?"

"I didn't sense the First's presence, and I'm sure I would've. This place must link to Gabriella, so that's where we focus."

Jamie stands, not saying anything else as he leaves the room. Without a word to the others, I follow him into the hallway, the door clicking closed behind us.

"I've no choice but to embrace Blackwood magic now," I say quietly.

He pauses and turns. "You agree now you've seen something in a vision?"

"No, Jamie. Because last time you tried to protect yourself against death, you turned to Blackwood magic. The magic lives in me, but I don't know what might happen to you." I draw him into a tight hug. "Don't use any Blackwood spells without me."

"I won't need to," he says and holds my shoulders to look at me. "The shadows were with you in your vision. Blackwood magic will protect me. Protect us."

Protect. But Jamie still thinks he might die, otherwise why the outburst to Andrei and Tobias that nobody should turn him?

"I hope you're right," I whisper, stroking his face. "We practise my visions. Every day. Push until we find something concrete."

"If we can figure out where you were and what that rune is, that'd be a huge help." He kisses my forehead. "I notice you've spent a lot of time working with Tobias on mental magic. Any more success with that? We need everything we've got."

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