No. We need it, was his short reply.
He was right, but what if he was inviting the darkness in permanently? We didn’t need it that bad that I would sacrifice any part of Kade’s goodness for it.
Rowan is opening a portal behind him. You need to push the fae into it, I said. The sooner he got rid of the dark fae, the sooner he could let that staff go.
Kade just nodded before kicking me out and closing our bond down tight. A damp heat sprang to my eyes, my throat and chest tight as I rasped in a breath. He’d never done that before, kicked me out so violently. I knew it was to protect me but … it hurt. It physically and mentally hurt.
I recovered with a few deep breaths, ignoring the lingering twinges of pain to focus on the scene in the water. The fae, who still had his power wrapped around Kade, closed his hands into tight fists, and Kade’s feet skimmed across the water, gliding towards the fae at an alarming speed.
I could have used my ability to break spells and free my mate, but he needed to get closer to the fae to knock him in. So all I could do was watch. I saw Kade’s hand slip up behind his shirt, pulling free his twelve-inch serrated hunting blade. His other hand was still grasping the staff.
Rowan was spinning her hands next to me, murmuring low words. A swirling circle was opening up just behind the dark fae’s feet, partially hidden by the choppy waters. Kade, was now mere feet from the Dark Fae Lord.
“I believe you have something that belongs to me,” the dark fae told Kade.
The bear let out a low growl, swinging his knife around and slashing out at the fae’s neck. The Dark Fae Lord must have seen the blade coming, because he ducked his head down, jerking it toward my mate, goring him in the rib cage with one of his horns. Kade’s knife sliced right through the other one of the horns; black oil spilled out of the severed end. Kade had to drop the blade as the fae grabbed for the staff, both of them struggling with it.
Kade had the advantage, physical strength far beyond the fae. But the fae had the other staff, and he was still using it to limit Kade’s movement.
I gathered as much of my winter magic as I could, feeling the slightest tendrils of fatigue kicking in. I had used a lot of energy already today, and we had barely started. I aimed for the Dark Fae Lord’s staff, letting my icy energy fly. The second it slammed into the dark crystal, breaking the spell holding Kade in place, I shouted, “Kick him in!”
The ice on the lake was pretty much gone now; it had only been the fae lord keeping them above the water. When I broke the spell, Kade immediately started to sink, but he had enough time to lift his big foot and connect with the fae’s stomach, sending him flying backward into the open portal. With a loud yell, the Fae Lord cursed as he fell through, and immediately the portal sealed.
Kade groaned, and my wolf almost burst free from my chest when he clutched his stomach and disappeared into the frigid water.
I leapt off the bridge without a second thought; the moment the icy water hit my skin I had to fight the urge to take in a deep breath out of shock from the cold.
Pulling myself together, I ignored the calls of my friends and Finn in my head, and instead headed straight for the last place I’d seen Kade. Following the trail of blood and oil that coated the surface of the lake in that spot.
The water was deep, and I had almost no visibility when I was a few feet down. I kicked and pushed harder, blindly feeling around for Kade. Just when I thought I was going to have to surface again, my lungs screaming for air, my hands brushed against something solid. Hoping whatever I was holding was Kade and not a piece of trash or wood, I sent some fae and mecca magic out, using it to propel us to the surface.
When my head broke through, I took in a huge gasping breath, hauling the heavy weight up. Relief and panic warred within me as Kade’s pale features became visible. Mercifully, he coughed out a mouthful of water, but was still unconscious. I could feel the pulsing of dark energy within him, and as I pulled him farther up, the staff popped up at his side. It was hooked in the arm of his sleeve, floating along beside him.
Well, that was a lucky break. With the last of my energy, I towed him to the shore, where our friends were waiting. Nikoli and Violet pulled him up and I crawled out of the water, teeth chattering.
“W-w-why is he unconscious?” I asked Violet. “We need to wake him, t-t-the d-d-d—”
The chattering got so bad I couldn’t get words “Dark Fae Lord” out. But everyone understood.
“The wound.” Violet turned worried eyes on me. “He’s fighting it. His body has shut down to try and expel the dark energy.”
The wound inflicted from the oily horn. Violet slammed her hands down on his chest, sending out a burst of energy, like a defibrillator to his heart. Kade’s eyes shot open, then with a roar he was on his feet, icy water flinging off him in large arcs. Violet stumbled back; Nikoli caught her before she hit the ground.
I stood in front of them both, in case Kade was about to lose it. He had the staff in his hand again. Somehow he had snatched it up from where it lay beside him as he jumped.
“What happened? Where is the dark fae?” he asked, and I was relieved that his voice sounded somewhat normal, not as rage-filled as that bellow.
“Y-y-you pushed him into Rowan’s portal,” I reminded him
Violet stepped forward, and I felt her hand press into my back. A wave of heat filled me. My clothes dried in an instant, and I was warm enough to be able to halt my chattering teeth. I still felt the chill to my bones, but I could at least talk now. “What happened, Kade? Why did you drop in the water?”
He shook his head a few times, his face crumpling as he lifted his free hand to rub at his forehead. “I can’t remember … he gored me, and then my head went cloudy.”
“I think you need to drop that stone now.” Rowan was moving cautiously, acting almost as worried as she had been with the dark fae.
Kade’s eyes flicked to the staff, moving up to the stone at the top. It was like he had forgotten he was holding it. “Shouldn’t I keep a hold of it until we can get it back to the royal estate? He might return for it.”
“You need to drop it,” Rowan said again, and I was silently begging him to hand it over. He had to be able to let it go. I felt it in my soul that if he couldn’t, we would be in trouble. Some of the agony on my face must have registered with him. He watched me for a few moments, then he slowly lowered the staff.
The moment he lost contact with it, he seemed to lose the small amount of strength he had, crumpling to the ground. Violet hurried to him, pulling her special box from a bag she had slung across her body. It was only large enough to enclose the head of the staff, but hopefully was enough to keep the evil somewhat contained.
“Are you okay?” I dropped to his side, and he let out a pained chuckle, reaching up to push back a few strands of my now dry hair.