I heard her hysterical laughter before I saw her walk back into my line of sight and cringed. The queen was not dead.

“Aha! It worked. I didn’t believe him, but it worked. I have my own SwordBrother. I’m invincible.” She crowed and grabbed Joss by the top of his head and wrenched it so far back he cried out in pain.

The knife at my throat pulled away slightly. I looked up into Kael’s eyes and behind the expressionless mask that he always wore. I saw him. I had stared into his eyes enough times to ponder what he was thinking. And I knew, in this moment, he could see me and he was fighting against that which controlled him.

He didn’t want to hurt me. His eyes were dark storms of fury and pain. I could feel the shadowing anger roll off of him in waves.

“Are you bonded to her?” I whispered, feeling panic consume me. I didn’t know that a SwordBrother could be bonded to more than one person. The bond was backwards if he was. Her life was now connected to his, and since he was near invincible, it was sheer genius on Cirrus’s part.

He didn’t answer, or he couldn’t.

“Okay. Blink once for yes, twice for no.” I was grasping at straws.

Kael’s eyes blinked once slowly. The hand holding the knife shook as he held it toward my throat.

“Does she know about us?” I whispered again. He blinked twice slowly.

“Don’t look at him!” Raven screeched, her voice rising in frustration. “Look at me! What are you willing to give me in exchange for the boy’s freedom? I know you care about him.” Even though she had the knife pointed at Joss, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Kael.

Freedom! What a glorious thought. I would give anything to be free, and that’s what I answered. “Anything.”

“I want Cirrus back! And you can’t give me that. So instead, you’re going to watch Joss die, the way I watched Cirrus. Then I’m going to kill your father, your cousin, and all of your friends. Then my SwordBrother is going to kill you.” She beckoned to someone behind her and they were all there.

One by one, other Septori came before me and shoved my father, Hemi, Siobhan, and Fenri onto the ground in front of me—all of them tied up and badly beaten.

“No!” I felt Kael try and pull back as the knife brushed my throat drawing blood.

“Yes! I win. I always win. In chess, you know you don’t win until you take out the queen, you stupid girl. You brought this on yourself.”

She paced back and forth among her victims, toying with them. She made a long slice here and there across a forearm, or a little cut across a cheek. Siobhan screamed when the knife came near her arms.

“Stop it!” I yelled. “It’s me you want. Not them. Hurt me. I’m the one who killed Cirrus.”

“But where is the fun in that? I want you to suffer. Maybe what I should do is let them all live and take them with me.” She ran her hands along Joss’s face, then my cousin’s. Look I’ve got Denai, Sirens…I can build myself a whole new army.”

“No!” I shouted. The thought of my father, of Joss, or of any more innocent people being subjected to the torture I had been through was almost my undoing.

“Then choose. I’ll give you the choice of who dies first. Will it be the pretty Denai? I’ve heard you’re in love with him.” She placed her face close to his and he recoiled from the mask. “Will it be your father? Or the girl? I’ll give you to the count to ten, and then I’ll just pick, shall I?” She began to walk up and down the line of victims counting off and pointing the knife at each one of them starting with…Joss.

TEN.

Thalia, Faraway called out to me. Where are you?

I’m by the river. I answered tears pouring out of my eyes as I watched the Raven move from Joss to Hemi.

NINE.

I’m on my way. Hold on.

You’ll never make it in time. You’ll be too late, I answered.

Another brush of thought touch my mind. Wolf.

Wolf? Can you help?

SEVEN.

Nay, I cannot give you what you are unwilling to give up yourself. It was the second time he’d said that to me tonight. Then it hit me.

SIX.

“Kael,” I whispered.

His eyes opened and met mine. He was crying with frustration, his tears running freely down his cheeks. His hand shook as he tried to pull the knife farther away from me.

“I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”

FIVE.

He seemed to understand by my tone of voice what I was asking of him. He devoured me with his gaze, memorizing me. His eyes locked onto my lips before he let out a small moan.

FOUR.

Kael shifted ever so slightly and succeeded in lowering the knife from my throat. It slid it to a spot over my heart. His hands trembled, and I wrapped my hands around his fists, feeling the warmth of him under my touch. I’d missed his touch so much. I needed him. I missed him, and I knew I could no longer live without him.

THREE.

Thalia…No wait. I’m almost there! Faraway called out.

TWO.

Faraway! I love you. You are the best friend I could ever have. I’m sorry I couldn’t wait for you!

I watched out of the corner of my eye as the Raven stopped in front of my father and lifted the knife high into the air.

“One.” I breathed the word mere milliseconds before the Raven did.

I grabbed Kael’s hands and flung myself onto the knife, plunging it deep into my heart. Instantly, Kael was released from the spell that held him. He reached out for me just as I fell into his arms. Kael crumpled to the ground, cradling me.

I briefly heard my father’s cry of grief and Joss screaming my name over the thundering sound of horse hooves. But none of it mattered, except for the beating of Kael’s heart as I lay pressed against his chest. The sound of my own heart was slowly fading away.

“I love you too,” Kael whispered.

Our heartbeats—matched in a beautiful, slowing rhythm—stopped.

Chapter 36

There was nothing.

Just a void.

No sound.

But then I heard it, very softly. The last sound I remembered before dying.

Kael’s heartbeat.

I opened my eyes and I was weighted down, like something heavy was on top of me. My cheek rubbed against something scratchy, and I lifted my head from the offending object. It was Kael’s extra set of knives, but something else had me pinned.

I didn’t care, though. I was fascinated by the very handsome man lying underneath me at the moment.

Kael’s eyes were closed, but then they started to flutter.

And then they opened. He gaze met mine, and before either of us could say anything, Kael pulled me down to meet his lips in passionate kiss that never seemed to end.

“Thalia.” A soft voice called my name, followed by the sound of clearing throats. I looked up and saw Joss staring down at me as I lay there wrapped in Kael’s arms. “I’m so sorry.” He turned away from me, and I looked up at my father in confusion.

Bearen stood above Kael’s head watching us as well, his face pale. He kept grasping his chest. “I feel like I’ve just seen the impossible.” He dropped to his knees and reached forward to touch my cheek.

I tried to move, but I was stuck.

Kael noticed my discomfort and tried to help me, but we were both pinned to the ground.