Page 24 of Magic Unbound

Beside her, Maeve and Geneva raised their hands, their combined magic swirling around them as they joined forces with Catalina. The air crackled with energy as their combined powersmerged, creating a barrier against Cipher’s reality-bending illusions.

Cipher roared in fury, lashing out with dark magic, but the Duvalls stood firm, their magic holding strong. Riker shifted and charged forward in his bear form, his massive claws slashing through the illusions, disrupting Cipher’s concentration.

The Duvalls pressed the attack, their magic weaving together in a dazzling display of power. The storm outside raged, its winds tearing through the city, but Catalina could feel the shift—the weakening of Cipher’s control. He was faltering.

"Now!" Catalina shouted, pouring everything she had into one final surge of magic.

The room exploded with light as their magic collided with Cipher’s, destabilizing his form. The twisted blend of machine and magic that made up his body flickered and warped, his form unraveling before their eyes. Riker charged forward, his massive, sharp claws slicing through what was left of Cipher’s corporeal form.

Cipher screamed; his voice a blend of rage and pain. "You think you’ve won? This is only the beginning!"

With one last, desperate roar, Cipher’s form collapsed, disintegrating into a swirling vortex of dark magic. The storm outside raged on, but Cipher was gone, his presence fading from the world.

Catalina staggered, her knees buckling as the last of her magic drained from her. Riker was at her side in an instant, shifting as he ran towards her, catching her before she could fall. His arms were warm and steady around her, anchoring her in the chaos that still swirled around them.

"It’s over," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "He’s gone." She looked at his naked form. “You’ve got to quit showing off your junk.”

Riker stared at her incredulously and began to laugh.

Even as the words left her lips, Catalina knew Cipher might be defeated, but the damage he had done—the rifts between realms—was still there. The storm hadn’t abated, and the barriers between the fae realm and the human world were still dangerously weak.

"We have to seal the rifts," Maeve said, her voice urgent. "If we don’t, everything will fall apart."

Catalina nodded, summoning the last of her strength. "We need the others."

Maeve took up the position with Gautier and his people while the Duvall sisters worked in unison, their magic weaving together as they sealed the rifts one by one. The air was thick with tension as they fought against the instability that Cipher had created, their magic straining against the forces that threatened to tear the realms apart.

The prophecy spoke of each of the sisters coming into her full power when they found their fated mate, but it didn’t mean they were unstoppable. They were a force to be reckoned with, but then they always had been. It was that each of them was stronger with her mate, and together they were far more powerful than they had ever been.

As the final rift sealed shut, the storm began to calm, the winds dying down and the dark clouds dissipating. The city was battered and bruised, but it was still standing. New Orleans had survived the storm—but just barely.

Catalina stood in the wreckage of the Crescent Nexus Tower, her chest heaving with exhaustion, but there was a sense of quiet triumph in her heart. Cipher was gone, the rifts were sealed, and the city was safe. Savannah and Finn O’Riley were takingcare of distributing the chemicals he used to ensure the humans of the city never knew how close they had come to complete annihilation. They had won.

For now.

That evening, as the sun set over the Mississippi River, Catalina found herself sitting on the balcony of Riker’s flat, the warm breeze carrying with it the scent of the city—jasmine, river water, and the faint trace of magic still lingering in the air.

Riker sat beside her, his arm draped casually over the back of her chair, his presence steady and comforting. The chaos of the day almost felt like a distant memory now, though the weight of everything they had been through still hung between them.

"You did good today," Riker said, his voice low and rough. "We couldn’t have done it without you and your sisters. This city owes you a debt it can never repay and will never even know about."

Catalina smiled softly; her eyes fixed on the river below. "We couldn’t have done it without each other—all of us. I never would have made it through without you."

He glanced at her, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "And what about after all this? What happens then?"

Catalina was quiet for a moment, her mind racing with everything that had happened. She had fought so hard to keep her distance, to keep her heart guarded, but after everything they had been through together, she couldn’t deny what she felt any longer.

She turned to him, her eyes locking with his. "I don’t know what happens next, Riker. But I’m willing to find out. The one thing I do know is that I love you."

A slow smile spread across his face, and he leaned back in his chair, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I’ll take that. I love you, too."

Catalina lolled her head back on his leg, smiling before leaning over to grab the bottle of wine that Riker had opened. She lifted the bottle, giving him a mischievous grin.

"You know, I never really liked wine," she said with a shrug, setting the bottle down. Instead, she reached for the beer Riker had been drinking and took a long, satisfying sip.

Riker’s eyes darkened with playful indignation. "That was for me."

Catalina raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe. But now I’ve got it."

He growled, a low rumble in his chest that made her pulse quicken. "You think you can just take whatever you want, huh?"

"Hey," Catalina said, her grin widening. "I’m willing to share."

Riker’s laughter filled the evening air, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Catalina let herself relax. The future was uncertain, and there were still battles to be fought, but for now, they had each other. And that, Catalina decided, was more than enough.

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