“Frederick!”

  My shout echoed uselessly off the walls as his eyes lost focus and slid shut. Mana surged through me, fueled by raw panic and terror coursing in my veins, but the spell. Wasn’t. Latching.

  It flickered like a fragile flame in the wind, sputtering in and out of existence. I poured more power into it, willing the bite wound to close, the poison to vanish–but nothing happened.

  Tears blurred my vision, turning everything into a crimson haze, the stark white of his hair cutting through it like a cruel beacon. I swiped them away, smearing the still-warm streak of his blood across my cheek. The sensation burned like molten metal.

  “S’rry…”

  Sorry? What the hell was he sorry for? I was the idiot who’d run in like a fool, right into the basilisk’s range while it was clearly still alive.

  Frederick would’ve been fine if I’d just taken the long way around, stayed out of reach. Maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.

  The memory of the snake’s fangs descending on me replayed in my mind, as vivid as the moment it happened, the lethal points inching ever closer. Only for Frederick–protective, sweet, stupidly kind Frederick–to appear before it could reach me. Its massive jaws snapped shut in slow motion, piercing his armor as if it were paper. Even now, it was all I could see. And the blood…

  Spirits above and below, so much blood.

  My focus faltered, and the spell sputtered. I cursed and forced it back into place, but the wound refused to close. It stared back at me through the jagged edges of his armor like a taunt: See? You’re still the useless girl from Highgate, always reaching for something you’ll never grasp.

  The words were old, the voice cruel and familiar. A wave of self-loathing crashed over me. One thing, I just wanted to do this one thing right! Was that too much to ask?

  Frederick was too damn good to die here!

  The phoenix screeched nearby, circling the basilisk’s corpse. Its talons dug into the thick hide, before it pulled back. “Human, you must help! If I try to reach my eggs, I could harm them!”

  Anger flared white-hot, and I snapped, “Fuck your eggs! That’s the whole reason we’re in this mess! I have someone dying here!”

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  I should’ve trusted my gut and dragged Frederick out the moment that damn bird got involved. But those stupid, kind, understanding eyes of his had convinced me otherwise.

  Another tear slipped free, catching in the corner of my mouth.

  I wasn’t going to see those eyes again. They wouldn’t light up with excitement over garlic snails or soften when he spoke about his family.

  I wouldn’t get to kiss him again.

  The unfairness of it all crushed me. Finally, finally I’d found someone–a kind man who wouldn’t hesitate to stand his ground, who backed me off when I was over the line–and I couldn’t fucking save him.

  The universe had a cruel way of giving me hope just to tear it away.

  I stared down at his face, pain twisting his features, sweat lining his brow. Determination surged through me, sharp as a blade.

  No.

  I wouldn’t let the world take him from me. He was mine. Since the moment we met, I’d felt it in my marrow. He was mine, and I wasn’t letting him go.

  Reaching deep into the bond I’d all but avoided for over a year, I called out to my Lady. I know I messed up. I trusted the wrong person, and thousands paid the price. I know, but please, I need your help now. Save him. You can go back to ignoring me afterward–let that be my punishment–but don’t let him die. Please.

  The silence stretched endlessly. Grief crept in, threatening to drown me again, when her voice–quiet yet familiar–broke through.

  I never punished you, Darling. Our weakened bond was your doing.

  Everything screeched to a halt. It was…me?

  You made a mistake, one that cost many their lives, but you were a pawn in a greater plot. I would never punish you for such a thing. But you were consumed by grief. I couldn’t reach you through it.

  My mana wavered, dragging my focus back to Frederick’s unmoving form. I shoved the revelation aside. We can come back to this later. Can you heal him? I’m trying, but it’s not working.

  I hadn’t had this much trouble healing someone since I was a novice, and of course it had to happen now, when it mattered most.

  Calm yourself, my lady said. The poison nullifies magic, just as the basilisk’s scales do. Your spells can’t take hold until it’s cleared from his body.

  Her calm explanation only fanned the flames of my desperation. He’s dying in my arms and I’m completely useless. What part of that is supposed to calm me?!

  She didn’t flinch at my outburst, her tone steady. The part where the phoenix nearby can neutralize any poison on Nexus. Once the venom is gone, you can heal your lover.

  Hope struck like a lightning bolt, evaporating the terror and frustration. I could save him. I could save him!

  Shifting Frederick’s head off my lap, I rose on trembling legs. It burned to step away from him, but my magic wasn’t helping. Not yet. The bird was his only chance.

  I wouldn’t let the world take him from me.