Page 129 of A Bolt of Magic

When I open my eyes, I know what I have to do. There’s only one thing I can think of, and I’m sure it will work. It has to work. It worked before.

“Thank Kakara, I never promised you I wouldn’t do this again,” I tell Kian, speaking as if he can hear every word. And perhaps, somewhere deep down inside, he can. He’s still in there, after all. “I know you’ll be furious with me for it, but I’m doing it, anyway. I would rather deal with your anger than see you like this even a moment longer. I love you, Kian.” I swallow down a lump that has formed in my throat. “I refuse to lose you.”

I place my hands on his chest again, but this time, I don’t just send healing magic into him. This time, I reach deeper, into the very core of my being, and begin to give him some of my life essence.

Just like I did for Maya.

I can do it; I just have to be very careful.

The effect is immediate and dramatic. His eyes widen, the artificial brightness flickering. The black veins on his face begin to recede more quickly now, fading from angry black to gray to nothing at all.

“That’s it,” I whisper, pouring more of myself into him. “Fight it!”

His breathing deepens, becoming more natural. The rigid posture he’s maintained for days begins to relax. Color returns to his skin, replacing the sickly pallor that’s haunted his features.

“Fight!” I shout again, although I’m not sure if I’m talking to myself or to him. Maybe it’s for both of us.

Just a little more, and I’ll have him back completely.

It’s working.

The cold creeps in slowly at first, starting at my fingertips and working its way up my arms. I ignore it, focused entirely on the miracle happening before my eyes. Kian’s face is transforming. His color is coming back, and the veins are almost gone now.

The glowing green of his eyes flickers again, and for a moment, I see a flash of their natural color underneath. Just a hint, but it’s there.

“Almost,” I breathe, giving him more of my essence, more of my very life force. The cold is spreading now, moving through my chest, making my heart stutter. But I’m so close. So very close.

The black veins vanish entirely, disappearing as if they’d never been there at all. Kian’s royal marking emerges from beneath the corruption, the beautiful tree design restored to its full glory. His eyes blink rapidly, the artificial glow fading with each flutter of his lashes.

And then, suddenly, recognition floods his features. His beautiful, warm, living green eyes focus on my face with perfect clarity.

I stop giving him my essence, and he stays as is. It’s him. It’s Kian.

“McColl,” he says, his voice hoarse and rough from disuse but unmistakably him.

Joy fills my soul so completely that I think I might burst from it.

“It worked!” I throw my arms around his neck, feeling his strong hands come up to grip my waist, pulling me closer.

I want to tell him how good it is to see him, but I can’t. I’m so very weak.

The world begins to tilt and spin. The cold has spread through my entire body now, making my teeth chatter and my vision blur at the edges. I feel dizzy, so very cold, and suddenly, terrifyingly weak.

Perhaps I gave too much.

Even if I did, it was all worth it. Every drop of life essence, every moment of pain. He’s back. My Kian is back.

It’s my last coherent thought before darkness claims me, and I collapse into his arms.

41

Kian

McColl’s body feels impossibly light in my arms as I carry her through the corridors of her mother’s house, each step measured and careful.

Her head rests against my shoulder, her dark hair spilling over my arm like silk. Her skin is so pale it’s almost translucent, and her breathing is shallow, barely there. If I weren’t holding her so close, I might not even notice the faint rise and fall of her chest.

My heart feels like it’s being crushed in a vise with each thready beat.

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