Page 45 of Whisker me Away
"That's not your decision to make." Kieran's voice was gentle but implacable. "I chose you, Freya. Not because of fate or supernatural destiny, but because you're brave and stubborn and willing to sacrifice everything for people you love. Even when that sacrifice is incredibly stupid."
Despite everything, his words brought a watery smile to her face. "Incredibly stupid?"
"Monumentally stupid. Ridiculously, catastrophically stupid." He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "But also incredibly brave, which is why we're going to find another way to stop the Thornweaver. Together this time."
"What if there isn't another way?" The question had been haunting her since consciousness returned. "What if I've made things so much worse that the ritual won't work anymore?"
"Then we'll figure out something else." Kieran's confidence was absolute, unshakeable. "We'll research different approaches, consult with practitioners from other regions, find ancient texts that haven't been translated yet. Whatever it takes."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then we'll make something up as we go along." His grin was tired but genuine. "But we'll do it together, as partners. No more lone hero nonsense."
Freya stared at him and felt some of the crushing weight on her chest lift. Not all of it—the guilt over her failure and the devastation outside would haunt her for years. But enough that she could breathe again, enough that hope seemed possible despite the odds stacked against them.
"Promise me something," she said.
"Anything."
"Promise me that whatever we try next, whatever the willing sacrifice turns out to be, we face it honestly. No more secrets, no more trying to protect each other from the truth."
Kieran was quiet for a long moment, and she could see him weighing her words against his protective instincts. Finally, he nodded.
"I promise. Complete honesty, even when it hurts." His thumb traced across her knuckles. "But that means you have to promise the same thing. No more solo missions, no more martyr complexes."
"I promise." The words felt like a vow. "Partners in everything."
"Partners in everything," he agreed.
Outside her window, the devastated landscape stretched toward the horizon like a testament to her failure. Half of Hollow Oak was gone, the lake was poisoned, and an ancient evil grew stronger with every passing hour.
Maybe they couldn't undo the damage she'd caused. The Thornweaver was too strong and their time too short. But they'd face whatever came next together.
Even if it killed them both to try.
24
KIERAN
Kieran closed the bedroom door behind him with careful quiet, leaving Freya to rest despite every instinct screaming at him to stay by her side. Three days of watching her lie motionless had carved hollows under his eyes and left his tiger pacing restlessly beneath his skin, but seeing her awake and talking had only made his protectiveness worse.
She blamed herself. For everything. The devastation outside, the evacuated families, the poisoned lake. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do to take that burden from her shoulders.
He made coffee out of habit, moving through her kitchen like he'd done it a thousand times before. The familiar ritual helped center his scattered thoughts, but when he looked out the window at the blackened wasteland that used to be her grandmother's garden, rage surged hot in his chest.
This was his fault as much as hers. He'd known something felt off about her magic lately, had sensed the instability growing since her failed attempt. But he'd been so focused on protecting her from external threats that he'd missed the danger building inside her own power.
His phone buzzed with a text from Maizy: How is she?
Awake. Blaming herself for everything.
The response came immediately: Of course she is. Stubborn witch never met a problem she couldn't take responsibility for.
Maizy's blunt assessment was accurate. Freya had always carried the weight of her family's legacy like personal responsibility, but this was different. This was crushing guilt over catastrophic failure, and he could see it eating her alive.
Another text: Bring her to the mercantile when she's strong enough. Edgar found something about incomplete mate bonds that might help.
Kieran stared at the message. If there was research that could explain what went wrong, maybe they could fix it. But if that research confirmed his worst fears about what her solo attempt had cost them...
