Page 80 of A Touch of Darkness

Amara howls in rage, stumbling under the force of the retaliation. “Again!” she barks, urging her witches on. They hurl their incantations with desperation, sweat slicking their brows, voices growing hoarse. But the wards pulse once more, bright as the sun, and repel every last curse that dares to strike.

I grit my teeth, stepping forward just behind Lucian. The protective boundary crackles, but I refuse to move. I will not be cowed by the Society any longer.

“You can’t break through,” I shout at Amara, my voice trembling with equal parts anger and exhilaration. “You lost your leverage the moment you gave me Lara.”

“You’ve cost us everything!” Amara’s voice splinters into near hysteria. “All the plans—ruined because of your deceit, you foolish girl!”

Her words whip up a frenzy among the slayers. Two of them exchange glances, shifting uncertainly. One tries to steel himself and lunges for the boundary again, brandishing a short blade crackling with some unnatural aura. He might have vampiric wards or a borrowed witch’s charm. Either way, it’s not enough. The moment his weapon meets the shimmering barrier, a spark shoots up his arm. He cries out, yanking back as if burned. The sword tumbles to the ground, useless.

Lucian takes a step forward, chin raised. “We gave you a chance for a peaceful end.” His tone is quiet, but it rings with finality. “It’s you who turned this into a war.”

Their frustration curdles the air. Darkness coils at the feet of the witches, swirling up their ankles like living smoke. Amara’s face is a mask of hatred and desperation—she’s never looked so unhinged, and the sight sends a chill down my spine.

“We are not done,” she snarls, voice ragged. “We’ll never be done. We’ll find another way to fulfill our purpose.”

She hurls one last surge of magic, a spear of roiling black energy. It crackles through the evening air—until it strikes Lucian’s strengthened wards and explodes in a shower of sparks. The recoil blasts the witches back a step, leaving them stumbling and half-blinded by their own power.

A tense beat passes where no one moves. Then the slayers begin to back up, warily collecting their fallen comrades. Thewitches clutch at each other’s arms, trembling with the toll of their spells. Amara stands in the middle of them all, her chest heaving, eyes blazing like green fire.

“You’ve earned yourself some very powerful enemies,” she spits at me, her gaze lingering on the blood spattered at my sleeve and the bowl abandoned nearby. “We will not forget this.”

“Neither will we, Amara,” I counter, voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. “Take your people and go. Next time, there won’t be mercy.”

Amara’s lip curls, but a glance at her tattered forces tells her everything she needs to know. Turning on her heel, she snaps an order to retreat. One by one, the Society members gather up their gear, scowling and muttering as they file out through the gaping iron gates. The tension is tangible, but their defeat is obvious.

Amara turns around and looks me directly in the eyes one last time.

And she smiles.

The landscape before me is bathed in the golden hues of the sunset, casting long, dark shadows across the estate’s sprawling grounds. The Solstice Society’s retreating figures vanish into the distance, their anger simmering behind them like the storm they’ve become, but for now, the worst of it is over. The fragile calm that follows feels almost surreal, a momentary reprieve from the chaos that has gripped us for what feels like lifetimes. The burden has finally lifted, and I feel like I can breathe for the first time in so long.

Lucian’s hand slips into mine, his touch warm, steadying me. His fingers interlace with mine, and I don’t hesitate to squeeze back. This simple act, this shared connection, feels like the last tether I have to any semblance of normality.

We’ve been through hell. But we’ve made it. Or at least, I hope we have.

We begin walking, side by side, the quiet murmurs of our allies trailing behind us as we head back toward the estate. Thenight air is cool, and the scents of grass and earth fill my senses. I try to breathe it in, to let the mundane rhythm of the world ground me. But all I can think about is Lara—my sister. I can’t wait to see her, to talk to her, to spend every second with her. I’ve missed her so much, and it almost doesn’t feel real that she’s back.

Lucian’s voice breaks through the silence, low and earnest, with a tenderness I didn’t expect. “You were incredible today.”

I glance at him, surprised by the raw admiration in his eyes. There’s no teasing, no shield of detachment he sometimes wears. Just honesty. I don’t know how to respond, unsure if anything will do my feelings justice. Lara, the Solstice Society, my bloodline…

“I’m not brave,” I murmur, unsure how to frame my own actions. “I just… I had no choice.”

Lucian stops walking, pulling me gently to a halt as well. His gaze softens, and he lifts his other hand to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin in a comforting gesture. The cool evening air stirs the strands of my hair, but his touch is steady as ever.

“No, Sylvie,” he says, his voice a little rough, like the words are trying to escape him. “You are brave. You’ve faced things no one should have to, and you’ve kept fighting. Not just for yourself, but for everyone around you. You’re stronger than I ever gave you credit for.”

I feel a lump form in my throat, emotions that I can’t quite name threatening to spill over. He’s always had a way of seeing things, of seeing me, that no one else has. I know he doesn’t mean just today. He means everything—the struggles, the losses, the choices we’ve both had to make to get here.

“You have no idea what it cost,” I whisper, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to steady it. “The power, the blood, thehorrifying reality of it all. I didn’t ask for any of this, and I’m not sure I wouldn’t change it if given the chance.”

Lucian’s eyes darken with an emotion I can’t place. He steps closer, and I feel the heat of his body radiating against mine. His breath is warm on my skin as he leans in, his lips just a breath away from mine.

“But you’ve faced it with more grace and courage than anyone could’ve expected. I’m proud of you,” he says, his eyes full of light.

My heart thuds in my chest, and for a moment, I forget everything—the curse, Lara’s kidnapping, her return, the looming threat of the Solstice Society. There is just this. Just Lucian, standing before me with such raw vulnerability, and for the first time, I realize how much I want to let myself fall into this. Into him.

His hand brushes a strand of hair from my face, his gaze unwavering, and I can feel his heart beating against mine. “I want you to understand something, Sylvie,” he says, his voice barely a whisper. “I don’t just want to protect you. I love you. I’ve loved you for longer than you can imagine. Through lifetimes. Through everything.”

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