Page 89 of Chasing Stripes

Before he could reach it, the ceiling above them groaned ominously. Stone dust rained down as cracks spread across the ancient structure. A thunderous crack split the air as the ceiling gave way, chunks of pavement and soil cascading into the chamber.

Where there had been solid stone, a gaping hole now opened to the sky. Through it, sunlight streamed down—dimmed by the advancing eclipse that had already begun to blot out part of the sun.

Down through the opening Haavi rappelled in his beta glory, followed by Hudson, Gloria, Selene Moonlace, Tygra Fangcross, and several other council members.

“Right through the town square paving stones,” Hudson observed wryly as he landed beside his son. “Subtle as always.”

Haavi grinned, unrepentant. “Effectiveness trumps subtlety in a crisis.”

Gloria rushed to the twins, secured in their mother’s grip. “My little loves! You scared us half to death.”

“But we helped!” Jade protested.

“We spilled juice on the bad magic,” Lily added.

“That’s...” Gloria hesitated between scolding and praise. “We’ll discuss your heroics and your punishment later.”

Kalyna joined them, eyes gleaming with mischief. “May I suggest rewarding them with library cards? I have an entire restricted section of ‘How Not To Get Caught’ books they should definitely not have access to until they’re at least thirty.”

“Don’t you dare,” Gloria warned, though a smile tugged at her lips. “Those two are already too clever for their own good.”

“Clever is good,” Kalyna countered, kneeling to the twins’ level. “You two just saved the day with juice boxes. That’s the kind of unorthodox problem-solving we fox shifters respect.”

The twins beamed at her praise, jutting their little chins with pride.

The chamber now buzzed with supernatural energy as allies squared off against The Collector’s dwindling forces. At the heart of it all, Artemis and Bartek maintained their connection.

The Collector, seeing his carefully constructed plans disintegrating, retreated toward a small alcove lined with artifacts collected over centuries. His glamour had completely fallen away, revealing features that eerily mirrored Artemis’s own family—the same cheekbones, similar eye shape, but twisted with hatred and desperation.

“You think you’ve won?” he snarled, reaching for a twisted staff of blackened wood topped with a crystal that swirled with dark energy. “I’ve spent centuries collecting power for this moment!”

He emerged holding the staff aloft. “I’ll take your soul-tether by force!”

Artemis didn’t need words to know what Bartek was thinking. Their connection transcended language now, intention flowing freely between them. He had shifted back to human form, the golden patterns on his skin matching hers perfectly as he stood beside her.

His hand found hers, fingers intertwining naturally. The simple touch sparked an explosion of warmth that radiated up her arm and through her entire body.

“Together,” she whispered.

As one, they channeled their combined energy into a shield of golden light that expanded outward, encompassing their friends. The protective barrier shimmered with the essence of their bond—strength and vulnerability, fierceness and tenderness, perfectly balanced.

The Collector struck, unleashing a torrent of dark magic from the staff. The malevolent energy collided with their shield in a spectacular display of opposing forces—darkness against light, coercion against choice, hatred against love.

The impact resonated through Artemis’s body like a physical blow. She staggered, knees buckling, but Bartek’s arm slipped around her waist, supporting her weight while maintaining the connection.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, his voice steady despite the strain evident in his features.

Drawing strength from his support, Artemis straightened, pouring more power into their shared shield. The golden barrier brightened, pushing back against the darkness.

For one breathless moment, the outcome hung in balance—dark and light perfectly counterbalanced. Then, something shifted within the connection itself. The golden light between them pulsed with a new rhythm, deeper and more resonant as if responding to the eclipse reaching its zenith outside.

With a sound like a thunderclap, the darkness rebounded, redirecting back toward its source. The Collector screamed as his own magic enveloped him, the staff shattering in his hands. The backlash lifted him off his feet, suspending him in midair as tendrils of chaotic energy wrapped around his body.

The chamber fell silent as he collapsed to the ground in an unceremonious heap, motionless but breathing.

Artemis approached cautiously, Bartek never leaving her side. The man who had orchestrated so much suffering looked ordinary now—his mismatched eyes faded to a mundane brown, his skin lacking the subtle glow of fae heritage or the paleness of vampire lineage.

“He’s... human,” she whispered, understanding dawning. “His own spell stripped away his supernatural essence.”

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