Page 38 of Unbearable Attraction
"If I don't do this," she said quietly, "they'll remain trapped forever and Hollow Oak will fall."
"Yes."
"And if I do it, I might not survive to build a life with him."
"Also yes."
The brutal honesty was both helpful and devastating. There was no compromise here, no middle ground that would allow her to save everyone while keeping herself safe. Shecould choose love or justice, personal happiness or collective responsibility.
But not both.
As she stood there in the memory library, surrounded by centuries of accumulated grief and hope, Leenah realized that the choice had been made the moment she'd begun the ritual. Not because she didn't value her own life or her future with Luka, but because some wrongs were too fundamental to ignore.
The supernatural families who'd betrayed the original pact were long dead, but their descendants still benefited from protections they'd never earned. Meanwhile, the spirits who'd made those protections possible remained trapped between worlds, their sacrifice forgotten and their suffering ignored.
"I'll do it," she said, opening her eyes to meet Aiyana's grateful gaze. "I'll bear the spiritual burden and free you to find peace."
"Are you certain? Once the transfer begins, there will be no stopping it."
Leenah thought of Luka standing there, probably fighting every instinct he possessed to rush in and save her from her own choices. She thought of the way he'd looked at her the night before, like she was something precious he'd been waiting his entire life to find.
And then she thought of the spirits around her, who'd been waiting even longer for someone brave enough to set them free.
"I'm certain," she said, meaning every word.
Aiyana smiled, and for a moment she looked exactly like the young woman who'd sealed the original pact with hope and determination. "Then let us begin. And may your love be strong enough to anchor you when the darkness tries to claim you."
The memory library dissolved around them, pulling Leenah back into her physical body just as the spiritual transfer began. The last thing she saw before otherworldly forces overwhelmedher consciousness was Luka's face, tight with fear and fierce with love, watching her risk everything for people who could never thank her.
The last thing she felt was the hope that maybe love really would be enough to bring her home.
25
LUKA
The moment Leenah's small form began to sway under the weight of otherworldly forces, every rational thought in Luka's mind evaporated like morning mist. He'd stood there for what felt like hours, watching the woman he loved channel power that should have killed her within minutes, and his restraint finally snapped like an overstretched rope.
"The hell with this," he growled, and stepped into the ritual circle.
The protective barrier around the stone monoliths felt like walking through liquid lightning. Power coursed over his skin, through his bones, setting every nerve on fire as ancient magic tested his worthiness to enter sacred space. His bear roared beneath the surface, recognizing the spiritual forces at work and responding with territorial fury at the threat to their mate.
But instead of being repelled by the circle's defenses, Luka found himself welcomed into the supernatural maelstrom. The spirits turned toward him with expressions of surprise and growing hope, as if his presence was something they'd been waiting for without knowing it.
"Luka, no!" Leenah's voice came from everywhere and nowhere, carried on spiritual winds that made the air itself sing with power. "You'll disrupt the balance!"
"Then we'll find a new balance," he said grimly, dropping to his knees beside her trembling form.
Up close, he could see the toll the ritual was taking on her. Her skin was pale as moonlight, her breathing shallow and rapid as she fought to maintain the bridge between worlds. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her hands shook with the effort of channeling forces that were slowly burning her life force like candle wax.
"You stubborn, impossible woman," he murmured, reaching for her hands. "Did you really think I'd let you do this alone?"
The moment their fingers touched, lightning exploded through the sacred grove.
Not the destructive kind that shattered trees and started fires, but something deeper, more fundamental. The lightning of recognition, of two souls finding their perfect match and clicking into place with audible force. His bear surged forward, not to claim or dominate but to merge, to blend their life forces into something stronger than either could achieve alone.
Power flowed between them like molten gold, his earth-based shifter magic intertwining with her necromantic abilities to create something entirely new. Where her strength was failing under the weight of centuries-old spiritual burden, his steadied her. Where his human consciousness recoiled from otherworldly forces, her expertise guided him through the transition.
"What are you doing?" she gasped, her blue eyes wide with shock.
