Page 86 of Cast in Shadow
The fight moved almost too fast to track after that. Every time the Megan demon threw Emerson off, he flashed right back. Every time her smaller form slipped or twisted out of his grip, he shifted and caught her.
He lifted her up and smashed her into the ground. She yanked him down with her, threw him off, and rolled to her feet. And he grabbed her again. It was dizzying to watch, and not just because I could still feel the hot trickle of blood leaking down the back of my neck. They were both moving at supernatural speeds.
The demon eyed the brilliant orange rift and shoved Emerson toward it.
“Watch out!”I thought, practically screaming the warning as I moved closer. A fresh wave of panic rocked me. If she shoved him through into the Alius, he’d be lost to me.
I couldn’t lose him. Not after we’d just found each other again.
Understanding spilled through our link half a second before the demon twisted, reared back, and tore free of Emerson’s grip. She lunged for me, clawed fingers reaching. My weakened magic surged to the surface in defense, but Emerson caught her, wrapping one muscled arm around her neck and anchoring her in a choke hold.
Then he arched back, lifted her feet clear off the ground, and in a blink, they were closer to the edge of the pool. Closer to the rift. I rushed forward to help him shove her through, my innate magic tingling in my fingertips, but she kicked and twisted, nearly breaking free again.
One second, everything was chaos. The next, when Emerson and I locked eyes, the world slowed to a crawl.
“Forgive me.”
It took me a beat to catch his meaning, and when I did, my heart twisted in my chest. He wasn’t asking for forgiveness for the past. Not with the softness in his voice or the sadness in his crimson eyes.
He was saying goodbye.
“No.”I shook my head, blinking back stinging tears. But when I tried to close the distance, my legs refused to cooperate. My feet wouldn’t budge a single step, and he was the reason why.“Don’t do this.”
He hauled Megan’s writhing, screaming body back another step.“This demon is too powerful.”
I wanted to beg him to stop. I would have bartered my soul for more time—a second, a minute—just long enough to find another solution. Except deep down, I knew he was right. Someone had to hold the thing and drag it back through, but that didn’t mean everything inside wasn’t screaming at the universe to make someone else do it.
He wrestled the Megan demon back one more step, right to the edge. The glowing tear in the veil swelled and pulsed, as if reaching for them both.
“I love you, Senna.”His voice in my head was calm. Quiet. But the words cracked through my chest like a whip.“Then. Now.”He closed his eyes for a beat, and when he opened them again, I could have fallen into that ocean of blue and happily drowned.“Always.”
We stared at each other for gods only knew how long, thoughts and emotions swirling between us without barriers. It was probably only seconds, but a lifetime of longing threatened to crush my bruised heart.
Then, with one final nod, he hauled the Megan demon back through the veil.
The moment his magic released me, I lunged, my heart hammering in my throat. I skidded to a stop at the water’s edge, my hands grasping at thin air as the magical streak of fire flared in front of me.
“Senna, get back before that thing pulls you in too!” Nguyen’s voice cut through the horror and heartbreak churning inside me.
The idea of going back to the Alius turned my blood to ice in my veins. It had taken me forever to find a way out the first time, and once I’d finally broken free of that damned realm, I swore I would never step foot in it again.
Now Emerson was there, and no matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t escape that place on his own. His demon blood would keep him trapped for eternity. He’d sacrificed his life here to keep me safe. He’d given up any hope of a future with me to protect my world and the people in it.
And the only way to get him back would be to go back.
Bile burned up my throat. My fingers trembled as I watched that eerie orange sliver of light begin to fade.
Could I do it? Could I go through that hell again with no guarantee that I could bring him home? That I could even survive long enough to find him?
“Senna?” Shay’s voice slipped through my thoughts, bringing with it a jolt of reality.
I turned to look at her. Nguyen had his arm wrapped protectively around her slender shoulders, holding her back from coming closer. I couldn’t leave her, could I? She was an adult, technically, but barely.
What kind of mother would it make me if I left now?
“Come on, Senna,” Nguyen said, his voice gentle. He held out a hand, and I was so goddamned tempted to take it. That way was safety. That way was the life I’d spent decades building, and it was a life I knew well.
Following Emerson was guaranteed pain and suffering, but it was also the only chance I would have to feel whole again.
