Page 130 of The Mirror in the Mountain

“Tell me what you’re thinking, hellion.”

I shrugged. “I still can’t believe he’s gone. That it’s over.”

“Neither can I,” Bash admitted. “When you sent that goodbye…”

I unconsciously touched my throat, though the mark my blade had left there had disappeared without a trace. Bash’s eyes tracked the movement, their dual-toned blue and green fading to the gray of his shadows as they reached toward me, tugging my hand away and tucking it into his own.

Pale scars still circled my throat, my wrists, my ankles, that rose still marked on my palm. Aviel’s bite mark, however, had faded significantly, as if my enhanced magic had rejected his false claiming. But I was thankful they hadn’t disappeared along with my other injuries, the scars a testament to what I had survived.

“I was so close to killing myself,” I whispered, looking away. “And it would’ve been for nothing.”

A tendril of shadow lifted my chin, bringing my eyes up with it. “I’m grateful she gave you another choice.”

“I wish I could’ve done the same for her.”

It was all too easy to imagine a world in which our places were reversed. Yet Alette hadn’t hesitated to change my fate, whether it had been driven by a sense of altruism or her own desire for revenge.

Aviel had underestimated her, just as I had, to his own detriment. The placeholder who had the misfortune to look enough like me to attract his attention. He hadn’t even spent his time or energy searching for her after she had nearly brought down his castle.

No one had ever helped her. And she hadn’t hesitated to save us all.

I hoped that wherever she was now, she had finally found peace.

“He would have won, if not for her,” I murmured, remembering the feeling of him siphoning away even theseemingly endless power I had been granted. Bash must have felt that bleakness because his grip tightened. “He was so close to winning.”

“Whether it was fate or just blind luck, he’s gone now, Eva. Because of Alette’s bravery, and her sacrifice. And yours.”

He looked pointedly down at my side, though no trace of the wound in my gut remained.

“I’m okay now,” I said haltingly. “I’m more than okay now that he’s gone…now that this is over. And I know now that there isn’t anything we can’t take on together.”

Bash let out a long breath, his thumb and forefinger catching my chin as he leaned in. “As long as you never forget that again, hellion.”

The door creaked open. “Are we interrupting something?”

Yael and Marin stood there, each holding a tray of food. I breathed in the scent of something freshly baked, my gaze immediately zeroing in on the glazed brioche rolls dusted with powdered sugar next to a mouthwatering assortment of charcuterie and fruits.

It was almost ridiculous how ravenous I had been lately. Quinn had told me it was my body regaining its strength, and I was happy to listen to it. Grinning at them, I quickly exclaimed, “Come in.”

I started to pull away—or tried to, as Bash’s arms tightened around me. He let out an exaggeratedly contented sigh. I gave him a look that brought a smirk to his face.

“I have no intention of letting you go, ever again,” he murmured into my ear.

I turned my head to graze a kiss against his jaw. His arms loosened, just slightly.

Yael sat at the foot of the bed, plucking a berry from the tray she placed in front of her. Phantom quickly repositioned himselfbeside her, rolling over as she scratched his belly. Marin set down her tray on my bedside table, then came up next to me.

“May I?”

I nodded, and she placed her fingers on my temples. The warm hum of her magic spread over me, and I slowly let out a breath.

“She’s fine,” Marin said, looking at her brother.

Bash arched an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be tellingherthat?”

Marin snorted. “Eva already knows that. You’re the one acting like a mother hen.”

I smirked, chuckling under my breath. Marin picked up her tray and put it on my lap. Bash smiled as he watched me quickly demolish one of those rolls before digging into a clay pot of eggs baked in a savory tomato sauce. A dollop of fresh cream lay on top of the bowl of berries, and I scooped some up with a raspberry before putting it in my mouth.

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