Stone Cold

Chapter 28

SHAME

In that explosion of power, we made our choice.

Without a word, without so much as a nod, Terric and I reached into the spells as they exploded. We grabbed them with our hands and dragged that raw fire and pain toward us, into our bodies, into our souls.

All magic in the world is joined. Like thousands of rivers, lakes, pools, it is connected by rocks, soil, air, and those who use it.

It is us.

It connected Terric and me, tied us by the soul, made us whole.

Soul Complements.

We could break magic, deep at its core. We could rewrite its rules. If ever there was a time to go all in—to break magic and make it do anything we wanted it to do, this was it.

We broke magic, splitting it like a melon beneath the machete of our will.

It was no longer just Life and Death that filled us. It was no longer the soft, nearly useless force that filled the world. It was darkness and light, pure, deadly, and intoxicatingly strong.

Magic that anyone could use for a price—pain.

Just like the good ol’ days.

All the magic in the world paused, waiting for our hands to guide it. To use it, to make it into whatever we wanted it to be.

The room was silent.

First we kill Eli, I thought, knowing Terric would hear me.

First we stop the drones, Terric thought. Then we take care of Eli.

I was still full of Void stone bullets, and yes, they still hurt like hell. But light and dark magic pulsed through me, through Terric, and back to me, in a constant loop, one part adrenaline, the other part morphine. I felt no pain.

We didn’t have to talk it out, didn’t have to decide who was doing what. We were in perfect sync now, not a horrifying nonperson as I’d feared, but two people perfectly locked together in ways I’d never imagined possible.

Soul Complements. It was strong. Powerful.

Terric and I weren’t lost in each other’s minds; we were found.

Oh, we could get into so much trouble, I chuckled.

Focus, Flynn, he said.

We focused. It was easy to throw magic, dark and light across any distance. Easy to break the spells carved into the drones. And so we did.

One by one, the drones fell, empty of magic, powerless. All of Eli’s work undone, all of Krogher’s plans ended. The monitors went blank as the spells that connected the drones to Eli’s network and control were broken.

And since we could take the shot, we threw magic at Krogher too. Found where he was hiding in this world, stopped his heart, ended his life with a single thought. It was a much more merciful death than he deserved.

But with Krogher dead, my mum in ICU was safe. Allie, Zay, Cody, Davy, the hospitals, the police department, the remaining Soul Complements, and every other target in Krogher’s crosshairs was safe.

But we were not done using magic yet. Were not done with this great power at our disposal. Eli wasn’t dead yet.

We strode to Brandy’s room, shoulder to shoulder, step in step.

Eli backed away from her cot, gun aimed at her still form. He must have seen us coming, must have known what we had done. He pulled the trigger. The rattle of gunfire filled the air as bullets tore through her body.

“Eleanor!” I said.

Eli swung the barrel our way. “If I can’t have her,” he yelled, “then I’ll be damned if you can have him.” He aimed at Terric.

“No!” I yelled.

We were already throwing magic. To stop him. To end him.

Magic is fast.

Bullets are faster.

A dozen bullets hit Terric. Bullets I couldn’t stop.

“You son of a bitch,” I growled.

Terric stumbled backward, fell to his knees just as our magic, all magic, pounded into Eli.

I dropped to the floor next to Terric, catching him before he hit the ground.

“Terric?”

“Don’t let him live, Shame,” he gasped.

I glanced over at Eli. Magic enveloped him, burning Eli alive, searing red and black as it devoured him, his flesh, his bones, until only his ghost remained, standing above a pile of ash at his feet.

“This, I said, to the dead man, “is done between us, Eli Collins. This”—I pointed to the world around me—“is mine. I rule here. Death rules. I will know if you return. And if you do, I will kill you and burn even your soul to dust. Do you understand me?”

Eli screamed, hatred twisting his face into inhuman rage. He ran at us, but before he could take more than two steps, he faded and was gone.

It was not a cruel enough death for that sick bastard. It was not nearly enough suffering to make him pay for all he had done to hurt the people I loved.

But by God, it felt good to snuff out his flame.

“You’re going to be okay,” I said to Terric, easing him the rest of the way to the floor.

His pressed hands over his gut, but too much blood covered the floor around him already. Too much of his blood covered me.

“I should have bet on black,” he whispered.

“No,” I said. “No. You are not going to die. We got this.”

“Don’t . . .” He inhaled but couldn’t seem to get much air in him. “. . . tell me what to do.” He tried to smile, but I knew how much pain he was in. I could feel the slow, slow beat of his heart as if it were my own, the numbing shock that was drinking him down, taking his thoughts away, making this world fuzzy and distant, taking him away from me.

He was dying.

Just because we had all the magic at our fingertips didn’t mean I could heal him. There weren’t spells that could heal instantly. The only healing—real healing—I’d seen magic accomplish was when Life magic filled Terric. But now that we had broken magic, all it was good for was destruction.

I had all the magic in the world in my hands and I still couldn’t save the one man who I would give up my life for.

I wasn’t ready to let go of him. Not now. Not ever.

Shame? Mum said. You have to let him go, son. Don’t trap his soul. Don’t chain him to you.

She was right. I shouldn’t trap him. I should let him go.

The only problem? I never was very good at doing the right thing.

There was a slim chance I could save him. Not by tying his ghostly soul to me. That wasn’t saving; that was enslaving.

Life magic could save him. I just needed to unbreak magic, join dark and light together the way Cody had joined it together—by holding it in my body long enough for light and dark magic to blend and heal. And then Terric would be filled with Life magic again, right?

It would heal him. It wouldn’t let him die no matter how many bullets were in him.

Joining magic, all magic in the world, wasn’t an easy thing. Cody alone had been strong enough to endure that particular hell. Lots of people had tried to join light and dark magic in the past. Lots of people had died. Breaking it wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t deadly.

It was the joining of magic that would probably kill me. Still, it was worth it.

Time to put all my money on red.

“We had a good run, mate,” I said to him, even though he was beyond hearing me now, barely breathing. “Come on up and have a beer someday.”

I stood, strode into the other room.

Shame? Mum said again. What are you doing?

What I was doing was installing a nuclear reactor into my body. A little distance between me and the guy I was trying to save seemed prudent.

“Love you, Mum,” I said. “And, Sunny? I’m sorry for . . . hell. Everything.”

She just nodded.

I glanced over at Stone. He wasn’t moving, poor little gargoyle. Well, hopefully this would fix that too.

I drew magic to me, dark magic, light magic, all the magic in the world. I opened myself to it, surrendering to it, giving in, giving up. Without hatred, without fear, without anger. Just peace and calm. Very Zen.

I thought Victor might be a little proud of me for that.

Then I commanded it to join together again, to heal and mend using my body as the focal point and as the vessel to do so.

I knew I’d pay a price for this. More than pain. I would pay with my life. But Terric would live.

Worth it.

There was a moment of intense pleasure as magic filled me up and took over every part of me that made me me. And then as I tried to make dark and light join once again, magic tried to unmake me.