681

Kyan is giddy when he looks at us, and I can feel his burning excitement at getting his father back.
Jonah scratches his chin, but Eziah and I speak the words that Kyan said when he suddenly drops his hands on our shoulders. The moment he does, my body tenses as Octavian’s magic rushes through me.
Eziah shivers and sways on his feet, and my arm feels like it caught fire as the heat of Eziah’s magic burns and sears my arm. It scorches the blood in my veins and makes sweat form and beads on my skin.
His power intensifies. Eziah’s face is pale, and he turns a sickly gray as my magic’s icy touch seeps into him. Our power transfers between us and merges. Eziah tries to speak the words, yet the more I stare at my twin, the stronger I grow. I feel invigorated while Eziah looks like he is dying; I glance at our glowing hands. Kyan’s head drops as he channels more power into us. Eziah reaches forward as we chant and then he chokes.
“Eziah?” I mutter, ripping my hand away from him, that is holding the stone. The spell breaks.
The stone falls from our hands as I clutch Eziah’s arms. He sways toward me and Kyan gasps looking at the stone on the ground before looking at Eziah. His magic is giving me life while mine is taking his. The moment he drops the stone, his color returns and he sucks in air.
“No, we can do this,” Eziah says, swaying on his feet. He bends down, grabbing the stone again. He stumbles into me and I grip his shoulders.
“Eziah?” I ask, hauling him upright and trying to hold him steady.
“We are so close,” Eziah says. I look at Kyan in panic, who stares between us before looking down at the stone clutched in Eziah’s hands. Eziah shakes me off and stands. “I’m fine, let’s try again, it just overwhelmed me,” he says, holding his hand out with the stone.
Kyan watches him and glances at me and shrugs and we try again. The same thing happens. I am killing my brother, and he is giving his life force to me the moment Kyan touches us. Eziah keeps wanting to try again. I look at Kyan pleadingly before glancing back at the coffin that holds his father. How much power is needed to break the stone, and how much would it take for it to kill my brother? Eziah holds his hand out, but I take a step back and shake my head.
Eziah steps closer, but I take a step back. “It’s killing you,” I stutter.
“I’m fine. We just need to wake him up,” Eziah gasps.
“Not by sacrificing your life, no,” I tell him as Eziah steps toward me.
“We can do this, Marabella. This is what we are made for. Light and darkness, it is what it needs to break it. We are so close, Dominic is right there,” Eziah says, yet I take a step back before looking at Kyan. Pleading for him to tell Eziah no, he glances between us and looks at his father, his shoulders dropping.
“Ella is right,” Kyan says, and I felt the soul-crushing pressure in my chest as disappointment rushed through me.
“No, what happens if you don’t break the spell, Kyan? Does she know what Kaif’s backup plan is?” Eziah snaps at him.
“What backup plan?” I ask, glancing between them nervously.
“It’s nothing,” Kyan says. He grips his hair and his eyes turn glassy.
“She has a right to know. She can choose!” Eziah snaps.
“I will not let her make that choice. She’s your fucking twin!” Kyan snarls and Jonah grips his shoulder. Kyan’s shoulders sag. He lets out a breath. “I knew it was impossible. It’s over Ella,” Kyan murmurs. He bites his lip and nods. “It’s over.”
“What backup plan?” I demand.
“You can’t harness his father’s power while carrying your child. Kyan can’t for long either, along with Kaif’s. Kaif will die, Kyan will lose his power, and his Lycan, trapping the Octavians in the shadows for eternity, isn’t that right Kyan? That is Kaif’s backup plan, so don’t tell me Marabella doesn’t get a say in that!” Eziah snaps.
“What?” I gasp and my legs tremble at his words. I look at Jonah, who hangs his head, and Kyan glares at Eziah. “Is this true?” I murmur. Kyan swallows and looks away from me.
“We don’t have a choice,” Kyan murmurs.
“Wait, so if we can’t wake up, your father. Kaif dies?” I gasp.
“Yes, but if you wake him, you will kill your brother, so which is it? You want her to choose?” He growls, turning and glaring at Eziah.
I glance between them before shaking my head. “No, No. I…”
“I can do this Mara,” Eziah says. But I shake my head. Yet, I am torn. This is so fucked up. My mate or my brother? How do you choose?
“One last time, just try one more time,” Eziah murmurs, stepping toward me, but I take a step back, unable to choose.
“It’s okay, Ella. I know you can’t, therefore I will choose for you,” Kyan says, shutting the lid on the coffin. “It will be okay,” he says, but I shake my head, feeling his heartbreak. Despite him and Eziah not getting along, he wouldn’t make me choose between him and my brother.
“It makes no sense?” Jonah mutters.
“You’re right. It makes none at all. I should have known better,” Kyan says, shaking his head. “It’s over, it’s done,” Kyan says, stalking off down the trail.
“Kyan!” I call after him, but he disappears between the trees, and Eziah growls before going to grab me only when his hands reach out to grip my arms. My mother appears out of thin air and he grabs hers instead.
“Mom?” I stammer. She stares off in the direction of where Kyan walked off and disappeared.
“I can do this, mom!” Eziah says.
“I know, and you would for her, but what kind of mother would I be if I let my child die for the other,” she says before glancing over her shoulder at me. Tears brim in my eyes as she smiles sadly. I swallow, looking toward the trail, and Jonah chases after Kyan, also disappearing.
“It started with the moon and it ends with the moon,” my mother says, and I turn my tear-filled eyes back to her while she wanders over to the Grimoire resting open on the coffin where Jonah placed it.
“What are you doing?” Eziah asks her.
“Cleaning out the closet,” she says, looking over at me. Eziah and I look at each other.
“We all have skeletons in the closet,” she says while turning and opening the coffin again. “We get to choose which ones to live with and I chose wrong. I can’t live with that choice,” she says.
“Mom?” Eziah says, but she holds up a hand.
“I could have saved him, but I didn’t. Dominic gave his life for my daughter, he sacrificed himself for Marabella, then stayed with you. He made you strong and I owe him this much,” she says, looking down in the coffin at Dominic.
“I don’t understand?” I tell her, looking at Eziah.
“I took Kyan’s father from him once. I won’t do it again,” she says, lifting her chin and looking at us. Eziah and I try to figure out what riddle she speaks about this time. She looks down at the Grimoire reading over the pages.
“I will be the sacrifice needed, that I can live with,” she says, looking down at the coffin. She grips Dominic’s hand. “A life for a life, and for that I will take the sentence of eternity, cursed to forever remain the Moon Goddess,” she tells him.