Authors: Stacey Kennedy
Her look stunned me. What had she meant by that? Why hadn’t she answered my question? Then, I heard Magnus speak and my thoughts focused instantly on him.
“Azar, let’s begin,” Magnus growled in a stare down with Kyden.
“The challenge has been issued by the Guardian; therefore, he will get the first attack,” Azar instructed. “From then on, there are no restrictions. Whoever remains standing at the end will be declared the victor.”
“Well, we know who that will be,” I said, certain.
“We will just see,” Misa said under her breath.
My gaze snapped to her harshly. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She shook her head, dismissed me and focused back on the impending battle. “I never said anything. You’re hearing things.”
Before I had a chance to call her on that lie, Azar shouted, “Let the challenge begin.”
Nerves shot right through me. Magnus would be fine, I didn’t doubt that. But I still felt very unsettled. Why, I wasn’t quite sure.
Kyden drew his sword, and slowly began circling Magnus. “You stole what belonged to me,” he growled.
“I stole nothing,” Magnus growled in return. “She came to me willingly and is now mine.”
Kyden snarled, punched Magnus, then quickly sliced through his stomach.
His blood spattered through the air. I screamed out as Magnus fell to the ground, gasping. He was bleeding. Oh God, he was hurt. Misa held me back as I tried frantically to get to him. As much as that gripped my thoughts, another filtered through. Why hadn’t Kyden taken the chance to kill him? The wound he gave would only injure Magnus, not kill. That made my breath whoosh back into my body. He wanted to die for me.
All the unanswered questions grew to a point where they reached their boiling point. Sometime was wrong here. It wasn’t adding up. Why was I feeling so confused? I glanced to Misa for help, she watched me with curious eyes.
Then my thoughts cleared when Magnus sucked in a deep breath, and stood. “That was your first shot. Now it is time to die.”
The second his words finished, he blasted Kyden with magic, sending him flaying back and screaming out in pain. He was doing nothing to him, not holding him in anyway, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before he was dead.
Zia was crying loudly. Talon kneeled, looking at the ground, obviously unable to watch his son die. My mind again filled with a mess of confusion. Something about this bothered me. Something urged me to yell for this to stop. Seeing Zia and Talon upset bothered me. It just sat wrong within my gut. I was too confused to act or move.
I glanced at Misa again, nearly begged her to make sense out of my scrabbled mind.
Instead of answering, she gave me a soft smile as she took my hand in hers and led me over to Azar. She placed my hand in his and he gripped it tightly. “Consider this a reminder from a friend.”
Suddenly, a blast of power rocketed through me and sent me a step back. It was like waking and stepping into a cold shower. The haze over my mind cleared, but the confusion stayed. “What the fuck?” I gasped. What the hell was going on? What was happening here?
Misa smiled, knowingly. “I told you there is more going on here than you know. I can only hope it is enough.”
With that simple reminder, the sense of myself slammed back into me. The draw to Magnus was still there, but Kyden lived strong in my heart.
The reality of this situation returned.
“Kyden,” I screamed, lunging forward, and did the only thing I could. Without a second’s consideration, I drew on Spirit and demanded that it give me everything it could. With a deep breath and a heavy push soul deep, I threw my shield around Kyden.
The instant it connected with Magnus’ magic, it deflected it away and flew a sparkle of power to rip through the auditorium. Loud gasps echoed followed thereafter, and even I had to gasp myself. My shield had proved to protect me, but to protect someone else, that was certainly new. My panic apparently made me stronger.
Kyden’s shouts of pain quieted. Fear wrenched through me, not knowing if it was because he was dead, or that he was just unconscious.
“What is going on here?” Magnus growled.
He glanced around the room, his eyes settled on Azar, who stood, shaking terribly. Obviously, withdrawing the hold over me took an immense amount of magic on his part.
“Azar, you will die for this betrayal,” Magnus roared. Then, he glanced to his demons. “Kill him.” No one moved. Shock and treachery flashed across Magnus’ face before his gaze fell on me.
“I can’t let you do this,” I said softly.
Just because the bond had been broken momentarily didn’t mean I still didn’t feel connected to Magnus. He was my soul mate, we were bonded and he was embedded into every part of me. Killing him would mean killing a part of myself. Was I capable of that?
“You are my Lady.” Magnus’ face darkened. “What are you doing?”
Tears filled my eyes, my words barely able to form. “I don’t know. I just can’t let this happen.”
The battle inside me was intense. Reason and heart told me to save Kyden—but my soul wouldn’t hear it. Questions swam through my mind as I battled within myself. I had never chosen Magnus. Just because fate brought us together, did that determine true love? My heart told me no.
Kyden was the man who loved me for who I was. Magnus would want me to become something different—dark. Kyden gave me everything I needed and no bond was needed to declare it.
It simply was.
In that very moment, I defied the odds.
My heart grew stronger. The fierceness that compelled me began to fade as Magnus’ connection to my soul weakened. His was a bond not based on love but on compatibility. I was the best choice of a mate for him. We could be more powerful together. We would provide everything we needed to each other, but that was not love.
Love is messy, confusing, comes with highs and lows. It wasn’t something convenient.
With my heart winning, I stepped forward. My soul screamed at me to back away, to stop what I was about to do. Every part of me shook in need to just run into Magnus’ arms and forget everyone else. I glanced quickly at Kyden’s lifeless body and the trembling stopped.
I wasn’t Magnus’. I was Kyden’s, always and forever. I knew it in every part of my body, even if my soul declared it otherwise.
Magnus’ grin was cold and evil. “You are meant to be mine. It lies there within you. You feel it. The pull. You need me. If you do this you will kill your soul.”
“My soul is nothing without Kyden,” I stated as I let my magic fill me.
Magnus screamed my name as power began to whip around us. He tried to catch my focus, tried to get me to hear his voice so I would stop, but my only thought was of Kyden.
I centered myself around every ounce of love we shared and drew on it. My soul was only one part of me and my heart at this very moment was stronger—solid.
Low hums filled the auditorium as energy began to flow rapidly. The magic I conjured was nothing I’d ever felt before. It wasn’t elemental. It was all energy and it felt powerful.
The willow on my neck began to tingle in response to the magic forming inside me. I considered drawing Magnus’ Black Magic within me, but instantly knew that I didn’t need it to destroy him.
The bond created with Magnus gave me part of his ability, and it made my magic stronger—gave more energy to my elements. It derived from Black Magic, relieved and fueled mine.
Magnus screamed louder. The betrayal and hurt was strong in his voice. It ripped at me. My soul nearly crippled hearing it. I roared against the desire to stop the magic from consuming me, and deny the need to see him dead. Magnus threw his magic at my shield. It hit in spurts, coming at every angle.
He was strong, which made me feel oddly proud. The one destined to me should be powerful, but the part that sunk deep wasn’t strong enough. I could unleash my power at any time and finish him. It was just getting to that point. Killing him was like separating my soul.
My shield stayed strong around me, repelled his blows, but the deepest fight was going on inside of me. I was ready to end it, one second, and the next I was bringing it back. I just couldn’t decide.
Magnus continued to scream my name and it cut through me. My soul emptied as each passing moment, but as I glanced down at Kyden, the answer was clear.
Kyden had to survive. If that meant Magnus had to die then that was the only choice because my world was no world at all if Kyden didn’t exist in it.
With a final last look at Magnus’ forlorn expression, tears filled my eyes and I screamed, “I’m sorry.”
I shut my eyes as I freed the power, willed it to destroy the one destined to love me.
Power exploded, ripped me apart. Energy flowed like a heartbeat as Magnus’ screams grew ear-shattering. Then, with a loud bang, it stopped, and my soul shattered into a thousand pieces as his life force ended. I fell to the ground, empty, starved of belonging to him.
A second later, Talon was there. “Nexi,” he shouted, shaking me.
The only sound to escape my mouth was a loud sob. He grabbed me in his arms. They were protecting, rejoicing, and adoring just as a father’s would.
The instant Magnus died my soul fell into a pit of darkness, but then it instantly rebounded, and his hold evaporated. The relief that came with it brought me such joy that I could only cry because of it.
That is what my tears were for, I realized. I was free from him. My soul was finally my own again. All I felt was the love I had for Kyden and it was stronger than ever. The anger gripping me was gone, as was the confusion. Once again, I was Nexi Jones, Witch, Guardian…and Kyden’s.
As I lay cradled in Talon’s arms, Zia ran to Kyden and laid a hand against him. After a few moments and a bit of strain from Zia, he immediately jumped to his feet, and glanced around a few times. When his gaze met mine, a soft whisper came from his mouth, “Álainn.” Then, he ran, fast and hard toward me.
I scrambled out of Talon’s arms, needing to touch him. Feel him. A thousand conflicting emotions raged through my heart. Betrayal for the events with Magnus, heartbreak over what almost was, but right now, the strongest was joy.
We still had each other. Everything else would be dealt with and sorted through. We made it through hell and back. Right now I wasn’t going to ruin it with guilty feelings.
When I reached Kyden, he grabbed me, hugged me with all his might. He leaned back a bit looking agape. “You killed him.” He grasped my face in his hands tightly. “You overcame the bond. How did you do that?”
“It wasn’t without help,” I said through tears, glancing at Misa and Azar, who smiled brightly.
My smile in return came easily. This was the first time I looked at Misa and didn’t see a demon. She saved us—saved me—and I could only hope her reasons behind it were good ones. Truth be told, I had reached my limit. I couldn’t take anymore.
Kyden ran his fingers along my cheeks, bringing my gaze back to him. His eyes were soft, victorious, and again, possessive as they always were. “You were wrong you know,” I told him, as the crowd and noises faded away as I lost myself in his eyes.
He arched a brow. “Wrong about what?”
“Love is enough.”
Kyden’s grin was devilish. “This time, I’m glad I was.”
He squeezed his hands tighter along my face, pulled me closer toward him, and met my lips in a passionate kiss that was the essence of love. I sighed at the perfection of it, knowing I was right where I belonged.
Did my connection with Kyden run as deep as the one I had with Magnus? Maybe not, but it was better. It was real.
Kyden didn’t own my soul, he captured it and I gave it to him freely. That would always be enough and more than I could ever want.
He released my mouth, laid a few sweet kisses more, then rested his forehead again mine.
My eyes shut of their own accord just relishing in this. The now. No thinking. No moving,. Just the enjoyment of his breath against my skin and his hands on my face. The love surrounding us.
Then Azar shouted, “All hail our new leader, Lady Nexi,” and our peace was interrupted.
Slowly, I drew away from Kyden, glanced around the auditorium to see that everyone had risen to their feet and were bowing. “All hail, Lady Nexi!” they shouted as if their lives depended on it.
Kyden’s chuckle came quiet, but enough that I heard it.
Confused, I glanced at him.
He gave me a knowing look, and with that amused twinkle in his eye, annoyance flew through me. “They can’t possibly think…?”
He nodded as if I was right on the money, his mouth closed in an obvious attempt to refrain from laughing.
My gaze glanced back out to the crowd, who awaited me to acknowledge them.
“Oh, for Christ sakes!”
The End
About the Author:
Stacey Kennedy is an avid lover of the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres. If she isn't plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she's got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.