Page 93 of A Petal in the Crown

Emma pulled the stopper from the vial, her hand trembling as she brought it to her lips. The smell of the potion was familiar, and it made her subconscious revolt as it remembered the last time she had taken it. She leaned into Thomas’s arms, seeking comfort in his familiar warmth. He held her close, his hand resting gently against her back and his heart pounding furiously, his breathing rapid.

"Finally. You’ve found us at last, Azalea." a voice echoed through the trees, cold and mocking, bouncing around the branches so that it was impossible to know where it came from.

Eudora.

Lea’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Within seconds, shadows spilled from her body like ink, twisting through the trees and wrapping the four of them in a thick, protective shroud of darkness. Thomas pulled Emma down into the mud, pinning her against therough bark of a tree, his body shielding hers from whatever danger lurked beyond the shadows.

"Show yourself," Lea growled, spinning in a circle, rain drops flying from her hair as she whipped her head around, searching for the witch.

"Where’s the fun in that?" Eudora answered—a cruel, mocking cackle that sent shivers down Emma’s spine. A puff of smoke appeared in front of them, swirling in the air before a heron emerged from the haze, its wings cutting through the shadows like a blade. It soared over their heads, disappearing behind another tree.

"I could be anywhere," Eudora said, her voice disembodied, slipping through the shadows like a snake. The heron reappeared, circling above them before swooping down, its wings nearly brushing Emma’s head. She ducked instinctively, her heart pounding as she pressed herself tighter against the tree, praying the shadows would be enough to hide them.

Lea flung a ball of fire at the heron, but once again it vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a whisper of smoke.

"You want to end this?" Eudora’s voice called out from all around them, somehow everywhere and nowhere all at once, her laughter echoing through the trees. "Then end it. You know where he waits."

Lea didn’t hesitate. She stalked forward, her eyes blazing with determination, her every step filled with purpose. Evangeline followed close behind, a trail of fire flickering in their wake, the flames licking the tree’s dark roots before sputtering out in the mud and rain.

The fenrir remained behind, blocking Emma and Thomas from following her, but it didn’t matter. They had no plans to try to get to Alaric. That wasn’t their part in this battle. Her part was cold in her hand, almost vibrating as if begging her to drink it before it was too late. Emma looked up at Thomas, her hands trembling as she raised the vial once again. "Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Be safe. Be smart."

Thomas cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing gently across her skin. His touch calmed her racing heart, and he leaned down, his lips brushing against hers, filled with unspoken promises. It was over too soon, but his love lingered on her lips, flooding her body and wrapping around her like a protective shield.

"I’ll see you on the other side," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Emma had no words. There was no need for them. Thomas knew how she felt—she could see it in his eyes, feel it in the way his hand scraped against her skin, in the way his heart seemed to beat in time with hers. Together, they were a force, stronger than any magic or darkness that might try to tear them apart.

She stared into his eyes for a moment longer, her heart thundering in her chest, before tipping the vial back. The potion was bitter, coating her tongue and throat with a metallic taste that made her stomach twist. Almost instantly, her vision blurred, her limbs growing heavy as the world around her tilted. She tried to speak, but consciousness slipped away too quickly. The last thing she felt was a strange, unfamiliar aftertaste—a warning, and the only sign that this was not the same potion as the one Eudora had given her before.

Chapter 59

Gray

Gray shot his shadows from his extended arm, roaring at Henry to stop, his voice raw with desperation and fury. He tried to pin Henry’s arms to his sides, to prevent him from twisting his fingers and freezing time, but it was already too late. In the blink of an eye, Henry was gone. Before Gray could even finish his command, he’d disappeared, taking Lea with him.

The sight of her vanishing, his mate, hislife, shattered something deep inside him, and his shadows exploded in a rush that made the ground beneath his feet tremble. Who knew how long she’d been gone? How long had time been stopped? Who knew how far she’d been able to travel while he stood there, unable to move or breathe or even fucking think.

Fury unlike anything Gray had ever felt before surged through his veins like molten fire, searing every nerve, every muscle, until he could hardly breathe through the anger, so intense it threatened to consume him entirely. His shadows continued outward in a violent wave, black tendrils reaching in every direction, desperate and frantic, searching with a mind of their own. They hunted for Lea, their other half, as if they shared the same agonizing loss that was tearing him apart from the inside.

“Lea!” he roared, the name tearing from his throat with such intensity it echoed across the woods, mingling with the wind and the rain pouring from the sky.

Above him, storm clouds gathered, the physical manifestation of his wrath and terror. They darkened with his every breath, growing and building until they were almost black. His gray lightning crashed through the sky, splitting the night apart with each crack of rage.

It wasn’t enough. None of it was enough to dull the agonizing terror of knowing Lea was gone. “Find her!” he commanded his shadows, his voice thick with the promise of violence. He didn’t wait for their answer, couldn’t afford to as he launched himself onto Obsidian’s back. The stallion reared, sensing his urgency, his fury, and surged forward as fast as the lightning overhead.

“Lea!” Gray roared again, the sound vibrating through the air, a haunting mix of absolute rage and the deepest, rawest fear he’d ever known. How could she do this? She had betrayed him. Not just him—she had betrayed their love, their bond. She had gone to find Alaric on her own. Gray wasn’t a fool. There was only one reason she would do something so reckless: she was going to sacrifice herself to end this war. It was the only reason she would ever leave his side, would ever put herself in such danger knowing that it would completely destroy him. Gray’s heart twisted painfully in his chest at the thought. She was planning to trade her life for his.

Again.

“No!” He nearly choked on the word, his chest tight with the weight of his terror. Gray knew there was a chance either of them could die in this battle—he had accepted that long ago. But he refused, with every fiber of his being, to let herchoosedeath. Not this time. He wouldn’t let her slip away like a ghost to sacrifice herself to save the rest of them. Nomatter what Lea wanted, theywouldface this together. They would fight together, live together.

Or, they would die together.

His shadows stretched out farther and farther, a tsunami of black, inky darkness that crashed through the trees, uprooting them from the ground, but there wasnothing.No sign of her. No proof she’d ever been there at all. She was gone, disappeared into the pitch-black void.

“Please.Please,” he whispered, his voice cracking, his plea directed to anyone, anything that might listen. “Protect her.” He prayed to the goddess, to the universe, to the stars above. He would have prayed to his own enemies if it meant keeping her safe.

Obsidian’s hooves thundered against the earth, each beat in time with the frantic pounding of Gray’s heart. Rain battered against his face, mingling with the tears he refused to shed, and his lightning—his fury—crashed around them, illuminating the forest in bursts of blinding white light.

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