Page 72 of Three Scorched Kingdoms

For a moment, I think she might end him just as brutally as I always imagined doing myself. But then something changes—her eyes, lined with exhaustion, soften.

“You’re not worth it,” she says quietly, turning away from him.

Constantine sags in relief even as I grip my sword tight, readying it to finish what I started.

Before I can bring it down against his neck, the mate bond flares once more with pure, radiant power. I watch, both awed and relieved, as it closes in around Constantine. The light that empowered Paige now turns against the monster at our feet, an unstoppable force of retribution.

“Paige?” I call uncertainly.

“Light always claims the darkness,” she says. “Energy can’t be killed, only remade.”

Constantine’s breath quickens as he realizes what’s happening. “No… no, this isn’t how it ends…” he gasps, his voice trembling with terror. He tries to scramble away, but there’s nowhere to go, nothing left for him to cling to.

The light tightens, wrapping around him like a vice. His form, already diminished, starts to fracture, his body cracking like porcelain under the pressure. His cries for mercy turn into a gurgling scream, a final, desperate plea that echoes through the smoldering ruins of the library.

Paige doesn’t look back, her steps steady as she walks away from him. I follow her, my heart pounding with a mixture of relief and regret. Around us is the evidence of my fire’s destruction, but it led to victory, and I have to believe that made it worth it in the end.

I glance behind me as Constantine takes one last, shuddering breath—a sound that cuts off abruptly as the light fully consumes him.

And then, there’s silence.

Paige leans against me, exhausted but triumphant.

“It’s over,” she whispers, her voice filled with both relief and sorrow.

I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “And your magic?”

“Restored,” she says, though the happiness I expect isn’t there.

“You’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she reassures me. “His destruction has given me back what he took.”

Her words are lined with sorrow, but I nod, glad to be done with it. To be alive.

“It’s really over then,” I say, though the words feel strange in my mouth, as if I’m still trying to convince myself that it’s true.

I look out at what has become of the library and can’t help but wonder—what will happen to the worlds that were lost? The stories that are now nothing but ash? And what has become of Astronia while we’ve been gone?

19

PAIGE

At Aries’ insistence, I conjure a portal. It shimmers before us, the daylight shining through it a stark contrast to the smoldering, gray ruins of the Athenaeum. But I don’t move toward it. Instead, I stare with an aching heart at the destruction surrounding us—the ash and rubble that was once a sanctuary of knowledge and life.

The library is gone, and with it, a part of me has been lost too.

Aries’ hand in mine keeps me grounded, his presence a steady anchor. “We need to go, Paige,” he says gently. “Our world still needs us.”

I can’t bring myself to point out that Astronia is not just our world; it’s the only one left in all the realms.

Everything else is gone.

Instead, I nod, though the weight of everything we’ve lost presses heavily on my chest. Our people in Astronia need us now. I won’t fail them like I failed the library.

Together, we step through the portal, leaving the ruins of the Athenaeum behind. On the other side, we emerge into a scene of quiet aftermath. The battlefield is still, the sounds of clashing swords and battle cries replaced by the soft murmurs of soldierstending to the wounded and gathering the fallen. The air is thick with the scent of smoke, but the battle is over.

Constantine’s portal monsters have all been destroyed.

---