Page 87 of Barely Breathing

The amulet burns against my palm, but Draakmar’s presence is steady now, confident.

Me for her. Everything was coming to this moment. My life for Diana’s.

The dragon shows me what he knows. Diana’s pure magic, untainted by darkness or power, is the perfect vessel. She will be his keeper, letting him rest while he keeps her safe. Unlike me, she won’t try to use his power to fill that chasm of need to fit in with my supernatural family. She’ll simply believe in it.

“Bow to me!” Elizabeth’s voice screeches with manic glee. Her body contorts. “Bow to your queen!”

Paul manages to reach Diana despite his wounds, his body dragging along the floor. “Sweetheart, close your eyes!”

I’m being torn apart as Elizabeth pulls Draakmar’s magic. Without the amulet’s protection, I won’t survive this. But Diana might.

“Brother!” Elizabeth taunts Costin as she floats above the altar. “Bear witness as I take everything!”

The marble floor cracks beneath her, fissures spreading like spider webs across the polished surface. They stretch up the walls to the glass dome. It groans and cracks in warning. The air becomes thin, making it hard to breathe. Wolves and vampires alike fall to their knees as she steals their strength.

Through the frenzy, I see Costin fighting to reach me. His eyes lock with mine, and I know he’s trying to stop me. The anguish on his face nearly breaks me.

The eclipse reaches its peak. The moon hangs like a dark wound in the sky, hemorrhaging a bloody light over us. Elizabeth’s form blurs, magic coursing so forcefully she’s barely corporeal. The power of the three magics whips her hair around her face.

“I’m sorry,” I mouth to Costin, not knowing if he sees it. I can’t bring myself to say goodbye.

At this moment, all my choices narrow to one path. I could keep the amulet, keep its protection, keep Costin. But that isn’t really a choice, not if I want to look myself in the mirror. Some prices are worth paying, even if they cost everything.

The chain around my bloody ankle cracks. I run toward Diana. My hands shake as I lift the amulet over my head.

Draakmar’s presence wraps around me one last time—not in farewell, but in gratitude. We did what was needed. Now it’s time to let go.

I trip on my wounded ankle, and as I fall, I throw the amulet toward Diana. The moment it leaves my hand, the chamber erupts in blinding light.

Chapter

Twenty-Four

The light burns away everything—sound, sensation, pain. The world ceases to exist for one endless moment, and I’m drifting into eternity.

Is this death?

Is this what I have become? An ethereal spirit with only my memories?

In this space, life feels so small. All those struggles, worries, threats… they’re pointless here in this great expanse of nothingness.

It’s tempting to stay in this white light, to be done with the struggle.

But then I think of those I leave behind, of Costin and Diana and Paul.

Reality crashes over like a black tidal wave, forcing me back into the abyss.

My aching body slams into the marble floorhard. I hear an ugly crack as two of my fingers break. The taste of blood and ash is thick in my mouth. When I try to stand, my wounded ankle gives out completely.

Through tears, I see the amulet suspended in the air before Diana. It hangs, caught in an invisible current, pulsing with golden light. Paul shields his daughter with his battered body, but she reaches past him, small fingers stretching toward the stone. The look of childlike wonder on her face doesn’t belong in this hellscape.

“No!” Elizabeth’s scream pierces the chamber. She tries to redirect the magic, but Draakmar’s power tears free from her grasp. The dragon’s rageful presence fills the room, ancient and terrible. I can’t see him, but I can feel the last lingering of him inside me. He’s in the air, heating the cold with his internal fire.

Diana’s hand closes around the amulet, and I smile. My battles are done. I can let the eternal white have me.

The Freemonts scatter like leaves in a storm. Francis pushes Mabel out of his way to save himself. Chester runs past his fallen mother.

Power surges, throwing everyone back. Wolves howl as the backlash of magic burns through them. Elizabeth is hurled from the altar.

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