(Amaia)

I feel they are not fully on board with my decision but they stick with me. They don’t leave and don’t try to talk me out of it.

I have no clue what I’m doing.

The orb with the bright light burning at its centre, I try to merge with Saiph’s body using my healing powers. Nothing happens. It just hovers over his body and my healing doesn’t work apart from connecting his head with his torso.

With every effort I put in, a dread falls over me but I don’t give up. I can’t give up on him. But with every failure I understand how Alnilam must have felt when he lost Jamina.

It’s guilt which is halting me from letting go. With Saiph gone and the truths revealed, I know I wronged him by trying to put distance between us. He was suffering and couldn’t even tell me.

The burden of his loss is so heavy and yet the guilt of shunning him, not realising what he was going through and his confession is what truly breaks me.

How he must have suffered when she made him reveal all my secrets to her. The guilt he must have carried.

I lost the concept of time, I didn’t care for anything except bringing him back.

Did two days pass or more?

Mintaka’s assuring hand has me halting. My breath is coming out in pants, sweat coating my face, dripping down blood mixing with sweat.

Saiph’s and mine.

"Amaia, let’s take a break. Why don’t I take you to have a bath and change your clothes," he kindly asks.

My body refuses to move. My hands don’t want to leave him.

"Please! We will return soon. No one will take him away." I trust them, I know they won’t try to trick me.

"I don’t want to leave him." My voice is unrecognisable.

"I understand but Saiph won’t want you to look like this when he comes back to us. Right?" He wisely says and my eyes finally leave Saiph and rise towards Mintaka.

He also lost his brother, they all did and are still here trying to console me and take me for a bath. I haven’t even considered their feelings. I am such a horrible horrible mate.

I have no grip over my emotions. The tears slip out in abundance.

"..Okay and I am sorry you lost your brother because of me." I shake my head and he takes my face in his warm hands.

But it’s Rigel who speaks sitting opposite me.

"Never blame yourself for what that monster did. This is all her, not you." I gulp at Rigel’s words. More tears leak out, wetting Mintaka’s hands.

Min slowly wipes them away. "He is right. Come."

"Stay by his side," I request Rigel, who just like me hasn’t left his twin’s side.

"I won’t leave him for a second."

I try to reel in my emotions.

"Where are Alnilam and Alnitak?" I question Min.

"They are forming a barrier around this place and feeding the crystals with their magic so no enemy can enter."

With a gulp, I nod and tiredly get up. Every bone in my body aches and yet his strength keeps me standing.

"No one touches him apart from us," I say between sobs and Rigel grimly nods.

"No one will."

I leave the room with Min and he takes me out of the castle. The sun is bright in the sky. A new day has begun.

We find Alnilam, Alnitak and their father along with a few girls all dressed in black uniforms with thin veils over their faces.

They are standing by the crystals feeding their powers into them.

"I would like to help." Min nods and takes me forward. They all turn to watch us approach.

"Amaia!" Alnitak rushes towards me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "How are you doing?"

"I am failing but I am not going to give up."

Alnitak softly nods, keeping his hands on my waist and taking me forward.

Their father is standing with Beta Diez who is also Rahria’s father and General Bakshi, the commander of all forces of Orion. Both of them observe me with a slight curiosity in their eyes. I know it’s because of my Fae appearance and also the state I am in.

"We are reinforcing the boundaries, now that we don’t have her magic and are prone to attack any time," Alnilam explains.

"I will help."

"You are exhausted." Alnilam’s desperate eyes find his brothers and father as if pleading that they not let me do this.

"I am fine," I insist, moving closer to the giant red crystal embedded in the ground.

One of the girls who appears like their leader. She has her hair tightly tied back on the back of her head. Face devoid of any emotions, even through the thin veil I can sense a similarity to how Saiph used to be. Trained not to show anything.

"My condolences on your loss. I am one of the Farians. Aramia Ramos." Farians are especially trained witches and warlocks who specialise in shield magic that is fed into these containment crystals. As far as I know, they have a different institute which came under the queen. Now that she is gone, I wonder what will happen and what secrets will be revealed. How many people she must have tortured there?

I give a simple nod and place my hand on the crystal. It hums under my touch, my powers feed into it and then it begins to glow, bright and clear.

"Wow, I have never seen such an extent of power. The more the crystal glows the more the magic it has been fed into," General Bakshi says.

"She is an Omnifae. Her magic is strong. Stronger than any of us," Alnilam quietly answers, placing his hand on my shoulder and addressing me.

"That’s enough. We will do the rest. Go with Min" This time I listen. Leaving them there to complete the rest I leave the castle grounds with Min to return to my room.

Min transforms, giving reins to his Incubus and taking flight with me.

Once we arrive, he opens the door for me and Saiph’s scent and memories hit me like an avalanche. My eyes land on the Yeti he had gifted me and my knees give way, plunging to the ground as a storm of tears breaks loose on me.