“Because I love Ambrose? He’s my mate, not my love.”
There’s a stillness between us.
“You shouldn’t have shifted. You’re vulnerable. You need to run. You—” he says, suddenly panicked.
“You won’t kill me. Not without a long, long fight first. We have time.”
“Don’t come any closer,” he says, holding his hand up in front of him.
“You won’t kill me.”
He shakes his head. “Two minutes ago, you were panicked that magic was going to make you kill me. If someone doesn’t kill me, I’ll kill you before you have a chance to break the curse on the next full moon.”
Sunlight flickers through the branches of the trees, lighting up the spot where we stand to the point where Nyx has to take a step back to remain in the shadows.
It’s over. There is no chance of my breaking a curse for a month. And the blood deal I made with Ambrose didn’t kill me either.
I exhale a harsh breath—thankful that I don’t have to lock myself as Ambrose’s mate just yet, and terrified that it means I have a whole month to keep Nyx from killing me. A whole month I have to keep him alive. But I also have a whole month to figure out how to save him while saving myself in the process. And that flicker of hope is what I have to hold on to.
I take another step closer, reaching my hand out slowly. Nyx stares at it like I’m going to burn him with it.
“Please go, love. The curse will cause me to kill you. It might not even be on purpose. It could be an accident like I trip you and you fall off a cliff or something.”
I stare into Nyx’s deep eyes. Eyes that have suffered. Eyes that are still begging me to kill him, so there is no chance he’ll end me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is the only man I’ll ever love. I thought I loved Ambrose once; I was wrong. This is love. This desperate need to be with him, to die for him, to do anything for him. Even forgive him instantly for asking the unforgivable of me. His intentions are pure. He loves me so wholly that he’s so desperate that he’ll do the only thing he can to save me, too.
“You won’t kill me, Nyx.”
I reach out, stroking his face.
He winces, recoiling a tiny bit, but his eyes stay locked on me. He can’t bear to tear his eyes away from me.
And then, Nyx falls to the ground—lifeless.
I scream, my world being torn apart right in front of my eyes.
“It’s okay. He’s okay,” Ambrose shouts, panicked as he runs into view.
I hear Ambrose, but I bend down, trying to wake Nyx up. But I can’t touch him. My hands stop at an invisible barrier.
“What?”
“I have him in a magical cage.”
“Release him,” I say, a tear falling from my eye.
“Is that what you really want? Or do you want me to keep him safe even from himself until we figure out how to break the curses?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, the pain too much, but I know he’s right. This is the best way to keep everyone safe for the time being.
I nod.
Ambrose exhales in relief.
“I’m sorry, Nyx,”I whisper through the space that used to be our bond, knowing that he’ll never receive the message.
Chapter 3
Nyx