The light streamed over the swords, touching Shay’s fingers and making him shudder. Like glimmering ribbons, it twined around his arms and chest. When the light coursed over his neck and met my fingers, the sparkling tendrils began to claim my body too.
The light grew brighter until I could see nothing—not even Shay, though I still felt my fingers on his neck—nothing but the pale, shimmering air around me. Air that was alive with power.
I thought it would hurt. Ansel said having the wolf torn from him was like being ripped apart and burned.
But I didn’t hurt. Not at all. There was no pain. Only a sense of lightness, giddy and dizzying, like flight—of a burden that didn’t belong to me being lifted.
Suddenly I knew the truth and the lights surrounding me exploded.
I am free.
EPILOGUE
Look not at the greatness of the evil past, but the greatness of the good to follow.
—Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
SABINE SHIVERED, wishing she’d borrowed that sweater Ethan had offered her. Sunlight filtered through the scaffolding that ran along the edge of Rowan Estate, but the tarps hanging between the outside world and the library couldn’t keep out December’s cold. And the space heaters just weren’t cutting it.
She sealed another box with packing tape, scrawling the words History—17th century in black marker across the top. Almost all the books she’d packed so far seemed to be history. Really old history. Weren’t there any interesting books around here?
“Aren’t you finished yet?” Ethan strolled into the library. “Why are all these books still lying around?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” She carried the box over to the growing stack that would be taken back to the Academy to be cataloged and stored. “That way I can still like you.”
Ethan laughed. She walked over to him, rubbing her arms. He frowned, shrugging off his long leather jacket, and put it around her shoulders.
“You should have taken that sweater.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, snuggling into the body heat still warming the inside of his coat. “You were right. Be happy about it. Next time I’ll be right.”
Sabine glanced at the evidence of construction at the other side of the room. “You know it would be warmer in here a lot faster if you didn’t have to ship special stones in to rebuild this place.”
“We got it onto the National Register of Historic Places.” He shrugged. “Special stone is obligatory.”
“Great,” Sabine said. “I’m freezing my ass off.”
“Really?” He widened his eyes. “That’d be tragic. I’d better check it out.”
She shrieked when he lunged at her. They were still chasing each other around the stack of boxes when the shimmering door opened.
“Howdy!” Connor hopped into the library.
Adne came after him, shaking her head. “Connor, don’t say ‘howdy.’ You’re not a cowboy, no matter how much you wish you were.”
She closed the portal and pivoted around to face him, hands on her hips.
“Sorry if I gave offense, little lady.” He pretended to tip his hat.
She scowled but dissolved into laughter when he began to tickle her.
“Stop!” she squealed. “Stop it! I take it back. You can be a cowboy!”
Connor wrangled her into a one-armed embrace, grinning at Ethan.
“So how was it?” he asked. “Did you find them?”
Sabine looked away. Connor had asked the question she hadn’t been ready to voice but that had been running through her mind since Ethan returned.
Ethan cleared his throat as he watched Sabine tense. “Yeah. It wasn’t hard. They’re right where we thought they’d be.”
“Old stomping grounds.” Connor shrugged. “It makes sense.”
“It’s a little strange, though,” Adne said. “Don’t you think? Going back to Haldis after everything that happened.”
“It’s their territory,” Sabine said, glancing at her and then staring into the distance again. “They belong on that mountain.”
She hesitated and her voice grew softer. “Do they seem happy?”
“They really do.” Ethan moved closer to her. His fingers gently rested on her upper arm. “You should come next time. See them.”
Sabine managed to smile at the kindness in his eyes, although her heart had gone jagged. “Maybe.”
“Sabine—”
She turned to face him head-on, reaching up and resting her palm against his throat. She let his pulse drum against her skin for a few seconds before speaking again. “That’s the past. I’m here now. With you.”
He frowned. “You don’t want to see them?”
She lowered her lashes, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes. He’d know it was there. He always did, but sometimes she wanted to keep it veiled from her new companions. She was grateful for their friendship and Ethan’s love. She didn’t want the past to mar the hope she had for their future. “What about the other pack?”
“They’ve moved to the western face,” Ethan said. “Stephen’s pack has taken over the Banes’ former range. What was left of the Bane pack after the fight seems to have moved on.”
“That’s justice.”
“I thought so too.”
“So one alpha got her happy ending,” Connor said. “But how’s our boy adjusting to his new role?”
“Not that I’m an expert, but he seems fine.” Ethan put his arms around Sabine, drawing her back against him.
“I feel kind of sorry for Tristan and Sarah,” Adne said, hopping up on the table. She swung her legs back and forth as she mused. “They had about a ten-minute reunion. And then they lost their son again.”
“They didn’t lose him,” Ethan said. “Not exactly.”
“I don’t think they’ll be having family picnics in the forest, though,” Connor said.
“Are you ever serious?” Sabine asked.
Connor flashed a smile at her. “Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.” He frowned at Adne. “Why do you feel bad? I thought you talked to Sarah and, you know, explained about Calla.”
“I did,” Adne said. “And I think they’re trying to be happy for him, but I think they still feel like he’s just gone.”
The light grew brighter until I could see nothing—not even Shay, though I still felt my fingers on his neck—nothing but the pale, shimmering air around me. Air that was alive with power.
I thought it would hurt. Ansel said having the wolf torn from him was like being ripped apart and burned.
But I didn’t hurt. Not at all. There was no pain. Only a sense of lightness, giddy and dizzying, like flight—of a burden that didn’t belong to me being lifted.
Suddenly I knew the truth and the lights surrounding me exploded.
I am free.
EPILOGUE
Look not at the greatness of the evil past, but the greatness of the good to follow.
—Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
SABINE SHIVERED, wishing she’d borrowed that sweater Ethan had offered her. Sunlight filtered through the scaffolding that ran along the edge of Rowan Estate, but the tarps hanging between the outside world and the library couldn’t keep out December’s cold. And the space heaters just weren’t cutting it.
She sealed another box with packing tape, scrawling the words History—17th century in black marker across the top. Almost all the books she’d packed so far seemed to be history. Really old history. Weren’t there any interesting books around here?
“Aren’t you finished yet?” Ethan strolled into the library. “Why are all these books still lying around?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” She carried the box over to the growing stack that would be taken back to the Academy to be cataloged and stored. “That way I can still like you.”
Ethan laughed. She walked over to him, rubbing her arms. He frowned, shrugging off his long leather jacket, and put it around her shoulders.
“You should have taken that sweater.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, snuggling into the body heat still warming the inside of his coat. “You were right. Be happy about it. Next time I’ll be right.”
Sabine glanced at the evidence of construction at the other side of the room. “You know it would be warmer in here a lot faster if you didn’t have to ship special stones in to rebuild this place.”
“We got it onto the National Register of Historic Places.” He shrugged. “Special stone is obligatory.”
“Great,” Sabine said. “I’m freezing my ass off.”
“Really?” He widened his eyes. “That’d be tragic. I’d better check it out.”
She shrieked when he lunged at her. They were still chasing each other around the stack of boxes when the shimmering door opened.
“Howdy!” Connor hopped into the library.
Adne came after him, shaking her head. “Connor, don’t say ‘howdy.’ You’re not a cowboy, no matter how much you wish you were.”
She closed the portal and pivoted around to face him, hands on her hips.
“Sorry if I gave offense, little lady.” He pretended to tip his hat.
She scowled but dissolved into laughter when he began to tickle her.
“Stop!” she squealed. “Stop it! I take it back. You can be a cowboy!”
Connor wrangled her into a one-armed embrace, grinning at Ethan.
“So how was it?” he asked. “Did you find them?”
Sabine looked away. Connor had asked the question she hadn’t been ready to voice but that had been running through her mind since Ethan returned.
Ethan cleared his throat as he watched Sabine tense. “Yeah. It wasn’t hard. They’re right where we thought they’d be.”
“Old stomping grounds.” Connor shrugged. “It makes sense.”
“It’s a little strange, though,” Adne said. “Don’t you think? Going back to Haldis after everything that happened.”
“It’s their territory,” Sabine said, glancing at her and then staring into the distance again. “They belong on that mountain.”
She hesitated and her voice grew softer. “Do they seem happy?”
“They really do.” Ethan moved closer to her. His fingers gently rested on her upper arm. “You should come next time. See them.”
Sabine managed to smile at the kindness in his eyes, although her heart had gone jagged. “Maybe.”
“Sabine—”
She turned to face him head-on, reaching up and resting her palm against his throat. She let his pulse drum against her skin for a few seconds before speaking again. “That’s the past. I’m here now. With you.”
He frowned. “You don’t want to see them?”
She lowered her lashes, not wanting him to see the pain in her eyes. He’d know it was there. He always did, but sometimes she wanted to keep it veiled from her new companions. She was grateful for their friendship and Ethan’s love. She didn’t want the past to mar the hope she had for their future. “What about the other pack?”
“They’ve moved to the western face,” Ethan said. “Stephen’s pack has taken over the Banes’ former range. What was left of the Bane pack after the fight seems to have moved on.”
“That’s justice.”
“I thought so too.”
“So one alpha got her happy ending,” Connor said. “But how’s our boy adjusting to his new role?”
“Not that I’m an expert, but he seems fine.” Ethan put his arms around Sabine, drawing her back against him.
“I feel kind of sorry for Tristan and Sarah,” Adne said, hopping up on the table. She swung her legs back and forth as she mused. “They had about a ten-minute reunion. And then they lost their son again.”
“They didn’t lose him,” Ethan said. “Not exactly.”
“I don’t think they’ll be having family picnics in the forest, though,” Connor said.
“Are you ever serious?” Sabine asked.
Connor flashed a smile at her. “Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.” He frowned at Adne. “Why do you feel bad? I thought you talked to Sarah and, you know, explained about Calla.”
“I did,” Adne said. “And I think they’re trying to be happy for him, but I think they still feel like he’s just gone.”
