The explosion that resulted in the severing of the link threw us apart. I couldn't even feel myself hitting the ground because my nerves were alight with a new pain. At first, the burning heat hurt, but when I opened my eyes, I realized it wasn't pain. 

   The vibrating of the barrier was so intense in my ears that they ached. I sat upright and looked around, stunned. The mark around my arm was still there -- as it would remain until Dani died -- but the air around us was no longer dark with storm clouds.

   As I rose to my feet, the air became crimson. The barrier nearby swirled towards me, the magic darkening to red as it got near. I felt the true power of the barrier for the first time. It was so raw, so potent, that I felt alive. 

   Dani got to her feet. I looked her way, my lips parted with shock. My fingers flexed experimentally. "After all this time," I said. "It never occurred to me that your link dampened my power, even when it wasn't in use. I've never felt the full potential. But now?" My fingers curled closed and I looked back up, a malevolent grin taking over my lips. I'm unleashed. And I felt invincible.

   The first true sign of anger crossed her features in a form of a sneer. She took a fighting stance and violet magic swirled down her arms. Pure. No dark magic in the midst. Now that it wasn't tainted, it looked much closer to Daniella's lilac than dark purple. 

   We launched forwards, crimson meeting amethyst halfway. It collided in a storm of color, a clap of thunder cracking through my ears. I knocked aside the lousy attempt of a blinding spell and caught Dani around her arm. Wrenching her to the side, I gathered magic into my palm before I sent it into her side. She hit the ground and rolled to her feet, a spear forming in her hand as she snarled. I felt no pain from the attacks, proving that all signs of the link were truly gone.

   A chain lashed out for my leg. I caught it with my arm and yanked. Dani used the momentum to jab the spear for my gut. Crimson swirls enveloped it and I threw it to the side, blocking another paralyzing spell. Dani pulled her hands apart, purple magic condensing between them into several sharp glass-like shards. They soared my way. 

   I managed to dodge and block most, but two impacted. One grazed my neck. The other impaled my calf. I grunted and yanked it out, crushing the shard in my palm. Waves of heat lapped up my leg to my hip. I couldn't feel the pain. That can't be good. 

   Dani spun forwards, a chain swinging in a large arc. It was too heavy to block. Recalling a trick Alexie had used, I punched my fist at the ground. A split second and I lashed my arm, a massive axe cutting right through the chain. The axe broke off of my arm and soared for Dani. She ducked as it soared over her head. My rope wrapped around her ankle and I pulled her feet out from under her.

   The longer I stood, the redder the atmosphere became. A small breeze blew through the gap as I approached Dani where she laid on the ground, trying to catch her breath. Her hand was hidden under her body.

   "Not so tough without dark magic, are--?"

   Her hand thrust up. The spear shot up. Reflexively, a red shield conjured in front of my body, but the spear was too potent. The shield shattered as the spear impaled my stomach.

   My breath left my lungs as I stumbled backwards, hands rushing to the spear. Almost incredulously, I looked at Dani, my lips parted. She pushed herself to her feet. All blood left my face as my knees buckled. The ground struck my legs and I felt the impact in my skull. Bloodied hands gripped the spear. I watched Dani approach through bleary eyes. 

   She actually . . . She actually wants me dead. I thought that she'd want me alive to use me later . . . I was wrong. I'd made a mistake. It was just as Mr. Leon had warned. I'd been too arrogant. I'd assumed . . . And now there was a spear sticking through my stomach.

   There was no pain from the wound. The area was numb. Dani got closer to me, tilting her head tauntingly. As she approached, I looked back down at my chest and shut my eyes, too sick to see the spear. No. This isn't the end. It can't be. More than anything, I hated myself for letting her hit me.

   Energy pooled into my heart as I focused on one last attack. One last blow. I refused to look at the woman as she approached, furiously gathering magic. It was invisible to the eye, but I felt my chest warm up. Pain spiked through my skull from the effort. 

   "You are so arrogant," hissed Dani. She limped forward, a knife forming in her hand. I could sense her magic as it loomed closer. I could almost see the knife in her palm.

   "Am I really?" I taunted her, coughing. Copper filled my mouth. Her words stung. She wasn't entirely wrong.

   "To think you could beat me?" She crouched at my side. My lips pressed as the heat in my chest started to burn. "You're nothing. You're a nobody from nowhere."

   I finally looked at her. My eyes hardened. "And that was your first mistake."

   Dani's eyes widened, confused. In that split second, I lifted my hand to her torso and opened a channel, allowing all of the built-up energy to explode free. Every ounce of it. 

   A crackling filled the air as the magic found the exit. It was so potent -- so raw -- that it blasted from my hand in the form of scarlet electricity. It wreathed around my arm and slammed into Dani's chest. The very air around us shattered as the sheer force of the explosion threw her out of the gap and into the Mortal Realm. 

  Dani could hardly move as she coughed violently, her body streaked with blood. Her head lifted as I staggered into the Mortal Realm, my knee giving out when I touched the ground. A searing headache pounded between my eyes. Too much magic. Any more, and I might collapse.

   Before she could so much as move, a crimson rope wrapped around her throat. So much for that. Her hands gripped it tightly as her dark eyes bored into my face. Panting, I reached into the pocket of my pants, and withdrew the only object in it.

   "An almond?" Dani wheezed. "You're going to kill me with an almond?"

   "A walnut, and it's not for you." I held the nut closer to the spear in my chest. Heat raced up my spine as I managed to pull it out by the head, and blood started to pour freely. My hand crushed the walnut. Golden magic burst free and located the nearest wound. I visibly winced as the witch's healing spell burned into my chest, trying to sew the gap closed.

   The spell wore off way too soon. By the looks of it, it had managed to heal the hole halfway. Enough to keep me alive for maybe another thirty minutes. Every light in the room was pure white, like a camera had turned up the sensitivity. Everything was whiting out. Too much blood loss.

   "And I'm not going to kill you, yet." I limped forward, my leg aching. "You're going to die in front of the Council. I'll be the one to kill you, of course. But you're going to die, looking at the faces of the people you failed to kill."

  The bullet formed between my fingers. Dani attempted to get out of the way, but she was too injured. The bullet seared into her ribcage. Her body slammed into the wall. A rope appeared between my hands as I tossed it around her hands and feet. Exhaustion weighed on me like a lead blanket. Every muscle in my body trembled, screaming for a rest. Not to mention that my leg had been impaled, there was a bite in my shoulder, several cuts and slices through my arms, my nose bled, and I'd been stabbed in the lower back. A bruise wrapped around my throat along with the pricks from Dani's nails.

   "Now, stay here and wait while I go outside and deal with your little friends." My voice held nothing to say I could actually keep fighting. 

   "You're too late," she said. "The door is down. Your little buddies are dead." 

   My eyes turned to where the door had stood and my gut sank into my feet. In its place was a pile of ashes. I'd been too late. She'd destroyed the door as I threw her into the gap. Gritting my teeth, I deliberately stepped on one of her fingers as I walked out of the room.

   The only thing on my mind as I limped out the front door was Tate. My eyes found the battle field and my heart sank rapidly. Clearly, the door being destroyed had been the only thing the Dark Stars needed to finish the battle.

   There were maybe ten Enforcers on their feet, compared to the twenty Dark Star members. My eyes picked up on the blur of Zain. Even to me, she was slow. I could actually see her figure as she darted between Dark Star members, knocking down weapons. She was doing everything in her power to keep Enforcers from dying.

   Jennifer was no where to be seen. Mark was surrounded by three Dark Star members. Maroon magic swirled around him in a storm as he defended all attacks, but he dealt none. Even from the distance, I could see the sweat. He was barely still upright.

   Captains Thorn and Pierce stood back to back, taking turns to shift and launch at the Dark Star members that circled them. Captain Lugo was gone, too. My heart leapt into my throat as I spotted Caze on the ground. His curly hair was unmistakable, as was the sword in his chest. Bile filled my mouth. God. That is my fault. His death is my fault. 

   Tate was missing. I scoured the crowd before I finally managed to see him. He was busy tangling with a wolf shifter. Numerous cuts lined his body, but he was alive. I headed his way, my foot dragging slightly.

   Tate's back hit the ground but he used it to his advantage, unleashing all of his lion claws into the wolf. The canine howled, but her teeth snapped for Tate's throat. He slashed claws right across her chest just as her teeth bit into his shoulder. Tate bucked with his back legs, launching the wolf off of him, but another wolf shifter leaped to take her place.

   Just behind him, Mark yelled as a knife stabbed into his shoulder. He spun and his staff knocked the elf aside, but the fae took the opening. Mark rapidly backed up.

   A blur tackled Zain as she raced past Mark, throwing the fae away from him, but she hit the ground at hundreds of miles an hour. The hybrid rolled for several feet before she stopped. The elf that had managed to hit her drew a sword. Zain struggled to get up, her foot twisted at a wrong angle. Just before the sword sliced her throat, another Enforcer threw himself into the way. Metal clashed as two swords met. 

   A third sword impaled the Enforcer's lungs. He looked down, stunned, before the fae tore the sword out. Zain screamed as the Enforcer collapsed. Nearby, Mark's knee buckled. A maroon sphere formed around him as the other mage crashed into it. Tate began to back up as three shifters advanced on him.

   I finally reached the battle field, launching myself forward with two elastic-like bands. My feet hit the ground in a swirl of scarlet magic. I refused to think about my pain or exhaustion as I lashed out. Mark ducked as the spear crashed into the mage's back and tossed him away. Zain scrambled backwards as I threw the elf and fae away from her. Their backs slammed into the nearby building, collapsing the wall.

   Tate watched as I stepped forward, lashing out at the three shifters surrounding him. The first got hit with a paralyzing spell. The second ducked the first but my second blinding spell seared into her eyes. The third was simply thrown away. Tate stepped forward and shifted. The shift was slow and when he stood up, his body was covered with blood. 

   His mouth opened. In that split second, a blur shot between us. Tate's words turned into a yelp as he was torn off of his feet. I stumbled as the blur swooped upwards. My jaw fell as I saw what it was.

   It was Karrae. The woman had Tate by his arm, but what was shocking was the wings. Pure white, feathered wings attached to her back. She soared up into the sky, wings pumping as she fought for altitude. Tate struck at her chest, but she hardly flinched. 

   Why we couldn't identify her hit me. She was a species that was considered extinct. Light and weak in the bones, but fast and light-footed. Karrae was an angel.

   When she finally seemed to hit the height she wanted, her lips moved as she said something, and then she let go. Tate's voice ripped in a cry as he plummeted.

   My heart started to race. I hurried for where he was going to land, panicking. He'd never been able to stop falling before -- not since Tulip died. No, no! Tate flipped over mid-air, taking a skydiver position. I wasn't going to be able to make it to him on time. He was falling too fast.

   Seconds before his body hit the ground, he vanished. I skidded to a stop. "Tate!" My voice was desperate. "Tate!"

   Then a sparrow darted upwards from the ground, spinning in insane circles. The flight was haphazardly, but the bird managed to get to the ground. The small body warped and broke. Tate tripped over his own feet and hit the dirt. He struggled up to his feet, eyes wide and face pale. 

   An exhausted laugh left my lips, relief hitting me so hard that I felt water try to get through my eyelids. He'd done it. That son of a bitch finally managed to do it. I would have celebrated, had I not been forced to dodge a sudden swipe of claws. I glowered at the vampire and batted her aside, annoyed, but another Dark Star member popped up to take her place.

   Tate's fist slammed into the side of the guy's face with the force of a train. His skull hit the ground, eyes bleary, but I stomped down onto his ear and knocked him clean out. Tate's breaths wheezed in my ear, but movement around us made me grit my teeth again. At least nine Dark Star members stood facing us. Three neutrals, a fae, an elf, and four shifters. Tate and I were surrounded.

   I reached for the barrier, but nothing came. The energy I used when I accessed magic was spent. A few sparks flew from my fingertips, but that was it. I was empty. My eyes darted to Tate's, trying to convey my worry, and I saw it reflected back. He was exhausted, too. Even without saying a word, I knew that he was as empty as I was.

   There were only so many Dark Star members left. My eyes darted around quickly. There had to be a way. They were all close enough that if I could wind up a powerful enough strike . . . They'd be down. One more big spell. One more.

   I closed my eyes. Tate's warmth beside me shifted, as if confused. My hand gripped his arm as I reached for the barrier. In my mind's eye, I could see it. The towering wall of fog that separated us from the Ghost Realm. Pure, raw energy that we used in the form of magic. 

   I had no stamina left. Nothing. But I reached anyway, digging for anything. Sweat beaded across my brow. As I strained outwards, a faint spark flew from my hand. I could feel that I was reaching the barrier. The moment I sensed the faintest hum, I grabbed ahold of it and pulled. It felt like I was pulling on a skyscraper. My nails dug into Tate's skin as I pulled fiercely.

   Finally, the humming returned. It was as if a bee had gotten into my head, not unlike the first time I heard it, up in Alexie's attic. Fist held tight, as if it would escape, I reeled my mental reach in. A faint whisp of energy followed with me until I held a coil of it in my solid body.

   Gripping Tate tightly, I amplified the energy and forced the magic to explode with the force of a bomb. White stars burst to life in my vision as I released the pent-up magic with a shrill cry.

   My ears rang and my vision turned white briefly. Agony tore through my cells, setting my nerves on fire and my muscles into fiberglass. My skin turned to lead. Faintly, I felt my skull crack against the concrete, and then there was nothing.