Page 77 of Changeling
Amber wrestles with ebony, each force struggling for dominance when they must both submit.
Become one!I order with all my spirit.You were once one and will be again now. Make it so.
“But can’t you help?” Dominus again. If only I could tell him it’s working. Ease his fear.
“I’m not a faerie.” Remy.
“Just stop it, then. I don’t need to leave Hungary to be happy. I only need Sebastian for that.”
My lips curl to a grin. The magic has taken on a shiny gray luster, but it retains its orange halo. It’s done as I asked, and like this, it’s easier to control. I release the elements back to the ether and take one last look at Dominus in my mind.
Nothing but pure, beautiful white magic with its swirling pearlescent rainbows, totally unencumbered by ancient curses.
Free.
“I did it,” I mumble and slip into blackness.
CHAPTER23
Dominus
“Wake up. Sebastian. Wake up.”
Why won’t he wake up? I place a trembling hand on his face, grip his jaw, and give him a little shake. “Sebastian!”
“Give him a moment,” says Remigius. I hear him. Register the words. But panic wins.
I smack Sebastian’s cheek. “Wake up.”
His lips part. “Hey,” he mutters and scrunches his nose.
“Open your eyes, or I’ll do it again.”
He brings his hand atop mine, presumably to keep me from smacking him again. “I only like to be spanked in bed.”
Remigius chuckles.
“Didn’t need to know that,” says Laurence.
Sebastian blinks open his eyes, his intense amber gaze locking onto mine.
“Are you all right? You passed out.”
He smiles. “I did it.”
I did feel something happen, like a monster wave that took a layer of sand along with it as it receded, but what does that mean? Am I free to leave Hungary? How will I know without trying? And if I try and fail, well, I don’t want to disappoint Sebastian.
“You did,” says Remigius behind me. “The magic is yours now. How do you feel?”
Sebastian lolls his head toward the petite vampire’s direction. “Full.”
“Try releasing more of it to the earth. Dominus, can you set him on the ground? That will make it easier.”
I don’t want to give him up. My lap is where he belongs, but I won’t argue if this could help. So with some reluctance, I maneuver Sebastian to lie on the snowy ground, the three of us all hovering over him.
Remigius digs a thin layer of snow away, takes Sebastian’s hand, and presses his palm to the soil. “Imagine the energy seeping into the ground for safekeeping. Yours to call should you need it, but not your burden to carry.”
Sebastian nods and closes his eyes again. For a long while, I just watch his chest rise and fall. His breathing becomes even, his heart rate settles back to normal, thumping steadily beneath my fingers on his neck. He looks peaceful. Happy.
