Page 110 of Visions of You
Keegan stilled, the work finally done. Relief washed over him. He thought he could rest now, let the darkness take him as he severed his ties to the world. But the fiery energy didn't fade. It pulsed, warm and inviting, beckoning him.
Jaron.
It was so unmistakably Jaron that it hurt.
Keegan hadn't know he'd have the capacity to feel pain, to feel longing after death, but he did.
If only he could…
Realization struck him.
He still had power. Jaron's power. Enough of it to change one more fate—his own.
Jaron cradled Keegan's lifeless body against his chest, his heart shattered into a million pieces. He had poured every ounce of his magic, every bit of his love and desperation into the enchanted scarf, hoping beyond hope that it would be enough.
He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face as he held Keegan tighter.
"Look at that," Mordyn said.
Look at what?
Jaron's breath caught in his throat as slowly, impossibly, the gaping wound in Keegan's chest began to close, the flesh knitting itself back together as if by some divine miracle.
Jaron watched, transfixed, hardly daring to breathe.
Could this really be happening?
Then, Keegan's eyes fluttered open, those beautiful, piercing eyes that Jaron had thought he'd never see again.
"Keegan?" Jaron's voice was barely a whisper, his hands shaking as he cupped Keegan's face.
Keegan blinked, his gaze focusing on Jaron's tear-streaked face. "Jaron," he murmured, his voice hoarse but filled with wonder. "We did it."
Jaron let out a choked sob, pulling Keegan into a fierce embrace. He buried his face in Keegan's neck, breathing in his scent, vowing never to let him go again.
Keegan's arms came up to wrap around Jaron, holding him just as tightly. "You saved me," he said softly, his fingers tangling in Jaron's hair. "Your love, your magic… it let me change our fate."
Jaron pulled back just enough to look into Keegan's eyes and with a sincerity that came from deep within himself, he said, "Fuck fate."
Keegan's fingers brushed against Jaron's cheek, wiping away the remnants of tears. "I felt you with me when I needed you the most."
Jaron pressed his forehead against Keegan's, eyes closed. "I tried so hard to reach you. Don't ever leave me again."
Jaron felt Keegan's breath against his skin, cool and real. He clung to that sensation, grounding himself in the reality that Keegan was here, alive, in his arms. The nightmare was over, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, Jaron allowed himself to breathe freely.
"I promise," Keegan said, voice steady despite the exhaustion etched on his features. "Im not going anywhere."
"Good."
They stayed like that for a moment longer, wrapped in each other's arms, savoring the reality of their survival. The room around them was still, except for Mordyn working to get the magical shackles off his mate and the other survivors.
"We should help him," Keegan said. "Get everyone out of here."
"Agreed." Jaron hated letting go of Keegan, even for a minute, but the vampire was right. They could celebrate their reunion later. For now, he still had other matters to take care of.
Like his brothers.
He would take them to get checked by a healer and then he would take them home.
