felt his life force waver at the end of our bond. He had seconds left.
“It’s time, Emma,” he rasped, the death rattle in his throat even more pronounced. “Let me go.”
“Ethan.” The tears were dripping down my nose and onto his cheeks. This couldn’t be real. I didn’t want to let him go— I couldn’t.
“I… love you, onawilke.” Ethan’s last gasp came. His eyes rolled back, and his eyelids shut.
Numbness invaded my senses, until I had to face the bitter, inevitable truth. I gave a cry of grief that shattered the Great Hunting Grounds and the Underworld below. I had dreaded the day this moment would come, but I never accepted it. Ethan was gone... and there was nothing I could do to bring him back. I’d failed him.
The world crumbled around me, and my life ceased to matter. I threw myself on Ethan’s chest and sobbed, wishing I could’ve gone with him.
The pain. It was unbearable… the whole thing. I would’ve preferred to be cut apart inch by inch than to experience this agony. Everything in my universe dissolved and blew away, ashes on the wind.
There was no light anymore; I’d never smile again.
The change was instantaneous. I wouldn’t have had time to notice if Theo hadn’t yanked me back. Ethan’s eyes shot open, glowing red. I gave a scream, and Theo pulled me several feet away. We scrambled against a tree trunk as the demon used Ethan’s body to pull himself upright, moving his limbs like a dying spider.
The leshane smiled. “He’s not coming back this time,” the leshane rasped. “Mine for good.”
“You bastard!” I leapt to my feet. I shot off spell after spell, directing all my rage at this monster that had stolen the love of my life. The leshane laughed and darted away from each one. My spells hit trees and exploded them apart, and the broken tops fell into the woods.
“I’m going to enjoy killing you all,” the leshane cackled. My friends’ mouths dropped open in horror as the leshane beckoned the power of the woods to his bidding. It grew even darker as he called the energy to his command. He directed his magic at a tree, and the oak began moving, pulling its roots out of the ground to use as feet, the tree swinging its branches like arms as my friends screamed and ran for cover.
Although my friends were scared, I felt nothing but pure hatred for this monster, unadulterated revenge. I couldn’t let Ethan’s soul be in torment. He was trapped inside his own body, a slave to the leshane’s will. As Ethan’s mate, I had to put him out of his misery.
The leshane was too busy controlling the tree to see me coming. His back was turned to me as he laughed, maneuvering the oak after my friends with malice in his eyes. I ran up from behind, fueled by despair, and raised my hand to deliver a final killing spell to the leshane’s neck.
“Stop!”
Kiara’s voice rang out. She approached, one hand flung outward, a crumpled letter in the other.
I moved out of her way. From Kiara’s fingers burst a jet of yellow magic. It wrapped around the demon, binding his legs and arms together. He struggled, and the yellow magic strained to keep him contained. The oak tree stopped moving— it fell to the ground, frozen without the help of the leshane’s forest magic to move it.
Delmare, Odette and I all reacted without having to be told. We threw out our own binding spells, cords of red, pink and blue. They circled around the demon and merged with the yellow spell, holding him tight. As the cords faded from sight, the demon struggled. The binding spell held. Together, the four of us could keep the leshane contained.
But not for long.
Kiara panted for breath. Alexei spun on her. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick about you!”
Kiara drew up and waved the letter in the air. “There’s a way,” she breathed. “We can still save Ethan.”
“What are you talking about? He’s already gone.” Theo’s voice was full of sorrow. The faces of the other Companions mirrored his. They thought this was all over.
“Not yet,” Kiara snapped. “I know someone who can exorcise the demon, even if it’s already taken over. I’ve spent months tracking her down, and I’ve finally found her.”
“Who is she?” Stefan demanded.
Kiara hesitated. “She’s a witch.”
The leshane’s eyes contracted, and he struggled even more violently against the bonds, though they didn’t break.