Page 102 of Deceived By a Warrior

“She told me that much.” Eva despised Hella for what she did. Eva could have had the chance to love and be loved throughout her life. Instead, she lived a long life of isolation, not knowing that someone out there might have loved her the entire time.

“Then you understand that when you were no longeralivethe curse was broken. Your mother was able to come for you after you died.”

If he was telling the truth, how was her mother able to bring her back from the dead? “That doesn’t explain how she…” Eva’s voice faded as she realized what her mother must have done.

Every sorceress had the ability to give their life to save another. It was a power none of them used. Eva didn’t blame the sorceresses for neglecting to use that power. It required the ultimate sacrifice, one Eva didn’t believe she was yet ready to make. If she was brought back to life because of something her mother did, that meant her mother must have utilized that power. No other explanation made sense.

Darius frowned, sorrow flashing across his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

That was all he needed to say. Eva’s mother was dead. She scarified herself for Eva. So it really was possible that she died and came back to life. “A life for a life,” Eva whispered. “She saved my life.” No, she did more than save Eva’s life. She brought Evabackto life.

Which meant her prediction had already come to pass.

She was going to live.

“I’m sorry you didn’t have the chance to get to know her more. But I believe she knew you very well and has been watching you for a very long time.”

“How?”

“She was able to watch you from afar with the help of one of her powers, I believe.” He pressed his lips together. “You should know you have that power now. You haveallher powers now.”

“I… what?” This was so much information to absorb in so little time. She was just told that she not only died but was brought back to life by her estranged mother whoalsotransferred all her powers to Eva in the process. She was getting lightheaded, the world around her starting to spin.

Darius must have noticed her queasy reaction because he immediately pressed his hand to her forehead. “Relax yourself. We can talk about this later.”

As much as the idea of relaxing enticed Eva, she had more questions that needed to be answered. She gave herself a few moments to relax before asking them, grateful that she now had time to do exactly that.

I’m going to live, she reminded herself.

When the spinning slow down, she started up again. “Where’s Artem?” Eva saw Kelly screaming at Artem in her vision, which meant Artem had to be nearby while Eva was dead.

“He’s currently living in a sort of eternal hell thanks to Kelly. I’d rather he was dead, but something tells me he won’t be bothering us anytime soon.”

“Thanks to Kelly?” A smile slowly began to form on Eva’s face. Artem was gone. Eva was alive and well. It almost seemed too good to be true.

“Yeah, she took care of Artem for us.”

Eva’s grin widened. “Just like in my vision,” she whispered. “And Hella?”

“She’s dead.” When Eva heard that she closed her eyes, giving herself a moment to bask in the newfound happiness she was feeling. “It’s over, Eva. You don’t have anything to worry about anymore.”

It really was over.

But when the memory of her burning flashed across her mind, the pain resurfacing, she shuttered.

“What’s wrong?”

Eva turned on her side so she could look at Darius better. “I want to get rid of this memory. The memory of me burning. It… it’s too painful,” she admitted.

Darius ran his fingers through her hair again. She relaxed at his touch, the memory fading away. “We’ll do whatever it takes to work on that. It’ll take time, but I promise you I’ll be here with you the entire way.”

She nodded, losing herself in his soft eyes, allowing them to bring back her happiness. “I know.” Darius trailed his hand down to hers, entwining their fingers together. “I really did die,” Eva breathed. It was incredible to think about.

“Don’t make a habit of it,” he joked. “I never want to go through that again.”

“You really were going to miss me, weren’t you?”

“Missing you is an impressive understatement.” Darkness flooded his eyes. “I never want to live without you. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you, if you’ll have me. Just promise me you won’t run off again.”

---