Kai's POV
"Anna—stay with me!"
I pressed both hands to her side, trying to stop the bleeding, but my magic kept sliding off her skin like water.
She was going cold. Too fast.
Her eyelids fluttered, her lips parted slightly—but no breath came.
No. No. Not like this.
The pendant around her neck dimmed again.
"Don't you dare leave me," I choked, voice cracking as my magic flared harder, wild and uncontrolled. The stone beneath her cracked from the force of it, but her body stayed still.
Her blood soaked into my hands.
I clutched the pendant with one palm and reached for the thread between us—not just mine and Anna's, but the one that bound her soul to her brother's.
Twins born beneath a cursed sky. A bond stronger than time. Stronger than death.
Nick.
I turned to him. He knelt beside me now, eyes wide with grief and horror.
"She's not gone yet," I said. "But I need you. You're the last piece. You're still linked to her in a way I can't be."
Nick swallowed hard. "But I don't have magic—"
"You don't need it." I grabbed his hand, forced it to Anna's.
"You have her."
For a moment, nothing.
Then—
The pendant sparked.
The blade mark on Anna's chest flickered. The magic that had once burned through her reignited—sluggish, dim.
"Talk to her," I said to Nick. "Call her back. Remind her who she is." My voice dropped. "Before she forgets."
Nick's eyes filled with tears as he leaned close, pressing his forehead to hers.
"Hey… it's me. It's your annoying twin, remember? The one who never stopped believing in you, even when you didn't believe in yourself. Don't do this, Anna. Don't leave me again."
The pendant burned hot between them—glowing brighter now, matching Nick's pulse.
The bond ignited.
And I felt it too—through Anna.
Her spirit, still caught in the in-between, began to tremble. To stir.
I closed my eyes and whispered with everything I had left, "Come back to me. Please. I'll never ask you to fight alone again. Just come back."
The air trembled. The light spread.
And suddenly—Anna gasped.
Her body jerked in my arms. Her eyes flew open, wide and glassy, her lips parting in a desperate gasp for air.
She was back.
I caught her before she could fall again, pulling her into me, forehead pressed to hers, shaking with relief.
"I've got you," I whispered. "I've got you."
Anna's POV
The first thing I felt was heat.
Not the burning of pain, but warmth—safe, steady, alive.
The second was a heartbeat, not mine, pounding beneath my cheek, strong and grounding.
Kai.
I blinked slowly. My lashes were heavy. My limbs, heavier. My whole body ached like I'd been shattered and put back together with trembling hands.
But I was here.
Alive.
And I was in his arms.
His scent surrounded me—earth, storm, and something uniquely him. One of his hands was cradling the back of my head, the other pressed tightly against my waist like he was afraid I'd slip through him again.
I tried to speak, but my throat was raw. Only a whisper came out:
"You… came."
His grip tightened slightly. His voice cracked above me. "Of course I did."
I felt the tremble in his breath as he rested his forehead against mine. He was still crying, though he tried to hide it.
"I thought I lost you," he whispered.
"You almost did," I admitted, voice weak.
My eyes fluttered open. His were right there—red-rimmed, fierce, beautiful.
"I saw everything," I whispered. "The curse. The shadow. Nick." My eyes flicked briefly toward my brother, who knelt close, watching us with quiet awe. "I thought I'd disappear."
Kai swallowed hard. "You almost did. But you didn't. You found your way back. And I… I wasn't letting you go."
I lifted a hand slowly, painfully, and cupped his cheek. "You brought me back."
He pressed a kiss into my palm. "I would've torn the veil apart if that's what it took."
For a moment, I just looked at him. Let myself feel the shape of the moment—his heartbeat, Nick's presence, the stillness of a world no longer breaking.
I was alive.
The curse… might be over.
But Kai—he was the one constant I had always come back to, no matter what world, what timeline, what life.
"Kiss me," I murmured.
And he did.
Soft and sure. A vow. A homecoming. A beginning.
Kai's lips met mine—warm, grounding, everything I needed to remember I was still here. Still whole.
It was soft, reverent. A breath shared between two souls that had found each other again through fire, shadow, and time.
But even as I clung to him, I felt the world slipping sideways once more.
My strength was gone.
The fight, the wound, the fall—it had taken too much. My body was a husk trying to hold light. And now that I knew I was safe, the exhaustion crashed over me like a wave.
My fingers went limp.
My head fell against his shoulder.
"Anna?" Kai's voice broke through the quiet, sharp with sudden worry. "Anna—no, no, stay with me—"
I wanted to answer. To tell him I was okay.
But the darkness wrapped around me again—this time soft, like sleep.
And I surrendered to it.
Kai's POV
She went still in my arms.
Not lifeless—not like before—but her body gave out completely. Her breath was shallow, her eyes fluttering closed, lips slightly parted.
I cradled her tighter, heart hammering.
"She's not bleeding anymore," Nick said behind me, voice shaky but alert. "The blade's power… I think it sealed the worst of it when the curse fell."
I nodded wordlessly, brushing a strand of hair from Anna's face.
She looked… peaceful. Exhausted. Beautiful. Alive.
But she couldn't stay here.
Not in this shattered, cursed ground.
I shifted my hold beneath her knees and lifted her into my arms fully. She was light—too light—and her head lolled gently against my shoulder.
"I'm taking her home," I said, voice low.
Nick rose to his feet beside me. "Then I'm coming too."
Together, we stepped away from the altar, and I felt the space around us ripple—the last breath of magic released. The curse was broken. The shadow undone. The weight of centuries lifting.
And still, I held Anna close, as if fate might try to steal her back one more time.
But it wouldn't.I wouldn't let it.
I opened the portal with a thought—drawn not by power alone, but by love. The blade in my blood still shimmered faintly, responding to her heartbeat in my arms.
And I carried her home.
Anna's POV
I woke to warmth.
Not the warmth of battle, or fire, or blood—but of sunlight. Gentle. Golden. Streaming through sheer curtains that fluttered in a soft breeze.
I was in a bed—not mine, but I knew it immediately.
Kai's.
The linens were dark blue, cool and smooth beneath my skin. A low fire crackled in a hearth across the room, and a faint floral scent—lavender and cedar—hung in the air. The windows were open just enough to let in birdsong.
Everything felt… safe.
My body ached, but it was a distant throb now, muffled under healing spells and time. My fingers moved slowly beneath the soft sheets, searching.
And then I felt it—his hand. Large. Warm. Wrapped gently around mine.
Kai.
He sat in a chair beside the bed, still wearing his sleeveless tunic, his long hair half-loose and slightly tangled. He looked like he hadn't moved in hours. A book was resting on his lap, unread. His head was bowed, one hand clasping mine, thumb slowly brushing my knuckles.
He was watching me even in sleep.
I squeezed his hand weakly.
He jolted slightly, then looked up. His eyes locked on mine, wide with shock—and then relief that nearly broke me.
"Anna," he breathed. "You're awake."
I tried to speak. My voice cracked, dry and hoarse. "Water…"
He was already pouring a glass before I could finish. He slid his arm gently behind my shoulders, lifting me slightly, holding the cup to my lips.
The water was cool and sweet. I drank slowly, eyes never leaving his.
When I finished, he set the glass down and lowered me back into the pillows with exquisite care.
"How long?" I asked, voice rasping.
"Two days," he said softly. "You slept like the gods owed you peace." He smiled faintly. "I wasn't going to wake you."
I reached for his hand again. "You stayed."
His eyes went glassy. "Where else would I go?"
A long silence passed between us—comfortable, full of breath and memory and unspoken love.
Then he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead.
"You scared me," he whispered against my skin.
"I scared myself."
I turned my face into his palm as he cupped my cheek.
"Is it over?" I asked.
He nodded slowly. "The curse broke when you banished the shadow. Nick's healing. The Warden's gone. Whatever Janie started… it ended with you."
I closed my eyes, tears slipping silently down my temples. Relief like I'd never known filled my lungs. For the first time in what felt like centuries—I could breathe.
"Then maybe," I whispered, "we can finally begin."
He leaned forward again and kissed me—soft and slow and full of promise.
And for the first time since all of this began… I didn't feel haunted. I felt whole.
Kai kissed me—softly, reverently—and when he pulled back, I saw something flicker behind his eyes.
A need.
Not urgent or demanding, but something aching—a desire held back for too long. The kind born not just of longing, but of fear. Of nearly losing the person you love.
He exhaled shakily and brushed his knuckles along my jaw.
"I should let the others know you're awake," he said quietly, glancing toward the door. "Nick's probably pacing a hole in the floor."
I nodded slowly, but before he stood, I gently tightened my fingers around his hand.
"Not yet," I whispered.
He froze.
Our eyes met. The truth passed between us without a word.
Kai leaned forward once more, kissed my temple, and stood—but instead of leaving, he walked to the door.
He turned the lock.
The sound was soft, but it echoed in my chest like thunder.
Then he turned back to me, slower this time, his expression unreadable—until he reached the side of the bed and lowered himself beside me.
"They can wait," he said gently.
I felt tears rise again—not from fear or pain, but from love. From the depth of what we'd survived. From knowing he was still here, still choosing me.
Still mine.
He ran a hand through my hair and kissed my forehead, then my cheek, lingering.
His fingers brushed the edge of the bandage at my side. "Does it hurt?"
"Not with you here," I murmured.
He exhaled again, shakier this time, and leaned in, his voice rough with restraint. "I thought I'd lost you, Anna. I—"
I pressed a finger to his lips. "You didn't. I came back. For you."
He smiled faintly and kissed the tip of my finger. "Then let me have you. Just for a little while. No shadows. No curses. Just us."
"Yes," I whispered.
And as he leaned in again, slow and sure, I closed my eyes and let myself melt into the warmth of him, of us—a moment stolen from fate, and finally free of everything that had tried to keep us apart.
Kai's kiss deepened—slow, unhurried, like he was relearning the shape of my lips, committing every breath of me to memory.
His hand slid into my hair, fingers spreading gently at the nape of my neck as he pulled me closer. His other hand rested lightly at my waist, just above the bandage, careful… but trembling.
I felt the way he held back. The way he worshipped every inch of me he touched—like I was something precious he wasn't sure he deserved to hold again.
I shifted closer, guiding his hand to my skin. "I'm here," I whispered. "You don't have to be afraid."
He looked at me like I was the only star left in a broken sky.
His lips trailed from mine to my jaw, then lower—along the line of my throat. Each kiss was slow, reverent, like a prayer uttered in the language only we spoke.
"Say it again," he murmured against my collarbone.
"I'm here," I whispered, threading my fingers through his hair.
His hands slid lower now, slow and steady, exploring the shape of me with rediscovered hunger—not urgent, but deep and aching. Like he'd been starved of this, of us, and now that he had it back, he wasn't rushing a second of it.
The sheets shifted. Our bodies pressed closer. The tension gave way to heat—warmth that built in waves between kisses and gasps, between whispered names and promises.
Clothes slipped away in fragments—tunic, bandages, underlayers—each removed with care. Every touch became a vow, every kiss an answer.
And when he entered me—it wasn't fire, it wasn't violence.
It was home.
We moved slowly, wrapped in each other completely, every breath shared, every heartbeat synced. He whispered things against my skin—soft, sacred things. That he loved me. That he would never stop. That this was real, not a dream, not a curse.
And I believed him.
Because I could feel it in the way he held me—like I was something eternal, not just a lover but a miracle.
Time didn't exist in that moment. Just bodies, breath, love, and light.
And when it was over, when we lay tangled in the sheets, limbs still trembling from the intensity of it, he kissed my temple and whispered:
"You saved me too, Anna. Not just from the curse. From myself."
I buried my face into his chest, the sound of his heartbeat steady beneath my ear.
"Then we saved each other."