24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

ENDER

I'm trapped in a nightmare.

Sera is stuck in The Veil while it collapses, and my father stands behind me, laughing as my mate dies.

My screams wake me up—as well as Sera.

"Ender! Are you ok?"

"Just a bad dream."

She doesn't press for details, but I feel her presence in my mind, soft as butterfly wings.

Hearing everything that happened.

Sera wraps her arms around me, holding me close.

We lie there together until I feel the warmth of the sun's rays through the window.

"Time to go, angel."

She hums, getting up to pad to the bathroom. I didn't chain her to my bed last night.

Before I was afraid she'd leave me, but I know her mind.

My mate isn't going anywhere, thank the gods.

Knowing she won't wear the armor, I leave out a pair of leather pants and a halter top.

The buttery smooth fabric reminds me of Sera's skin, and I know she likes wearing them, even though she grumbles about it under her breath.

She wonders where I get her clothes, and hopefully, I'll be able to tell her how to channel her power into something material.

But not today.

Today is a test that we can't fail.

When Sera comes out of the bedroom, I try to lead her to the dining room, but she stops me.

"I'm not hungry—I'm too nervous. If I ate anything, I might puke."

Part of me wants to argue because my mate needs her strength, but I know I need to respect her decisions, too.

Besides, the anxious energy swirling inside of her is a reflection of what I'm feeling deep down as well.

Taking her hand, we walk outside. The second we step into the fresh air, the world seems to flatten.

Sera gasps, but I can't turn my head. In the next blink of an eye, everything has righted itself.

"Ugh, now I might really puke," my mate groans.

I run a hand over her back as she hunches over and dry heaves.

"It's ok. I'm right here. Take your time."

She splutters out a wet sounding laugh at this that helps to ease some of my worry for her.

"We don't have time , remember?"

Yep, I remember.

Her head is a jumbled mess as we fly to The Valley of Souls.

Not that I blame her.

Sera's worried about failing her aunt and all the other souls.

And I'm terrified that I'm going to fail her.

When we arrive, the air nearly chokes me with the scent of fermented, decaying almaberries.

My mate gags but doesn't even stop to regain her breath.

Determined.

It's one of Sera's most endearing qualities—and perhaps most frustrating.

"I heard that," she whispers, and I chuckle but the sound is mirthless.

Being in the valley feels like all the happiness in the world has been sucked away.

While I navigate to the altar, Sera searches for Denine.

Using my fingers, I trace over the runes once more to see if there's anything I missed.

My translation is rough but gives us a general idea of where to start.

By healing the souls.

I snort—how can I heal others when I'm just as fractured as them?

The question gives me pause, and I call to my mate in my head.

She comes back with Denine in tow a few minutes later.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" her aunt simpers.

"I see where Sera gets her sarcasm."

"Oh please, my sister is far worse than me!"

"She is," Sera agrees. "Is everything alright, Ender?"

"Yes, I think I realized something important. We need to help the souls with their unfinished business—heal, in a way—but the idea seems pointless when I'm so broken—"

"You're not broken," my mate interjects in a stern voice.

"—and I realized maybe we need to heal ourselves to help the souls."

Denine and Sera fall quiet, mulling over this while my mind formulates a plan.

But of course, my mate beats me to it.

She turns to her aunt, asking her to gather all the souls and bring them to the altar.

There are only a few hundred left as most have crossed over at my insistence.

Those were the souls waiting to go to The Beyond and not genuinely stuck here like these ones.

"Some of you know me, but I am Ender and this is my mate, Sera. We're…"

I trail off, unsure of how to continue, but once again, Sera saves me.

"Like you, we have shadows that cover our souls. We're trying to be better and hope this will help you to either cross over or release the emotional energy surge that's causing a rift in the realm."

She takes my hand, and I press a brief kiss to her forehead.

"As she said, we all have shadows. Mine might be darker than most. I'm domineering, controlling, and selfish. I say that I do this out of love to protect those dearest to me, but I've learned that love doesn't force anything. Love isn't about challenging everything the worlds throw at you—it's about surrendering. Once I surrendered to the love inside of me, I became whole again. My mate healed me. There are still pieces that are missing, but they're mending. It's so much easier to look at others and find forgiveness and worthiness, but most of us can't do it for ourselves. So I ask you, how many of you are torn apart by your own internal self-loathing?"

Sera sniffles when I finish, and the crowd of souls grows more restless as they begin to murmur.

"I can't forgive myself for not helping you more," Denine suddenly whispers.

My mate whimpers as if in physical pain. "Stop! You and Franny are two of the best things in any realm to happen to me!"

"We knew who your parents were, though, dear. I should've tried harder to protect you and them. If I had, maybe they wouldn't have been killed."

Poor woman, her guilt is nearly as crippling as mine—and she's likely carried it for far longer.

Another soul speaks up, then another, and a pattern forms until I realize I'm not the only one carrying the weight of the realm on my shoulders.

We all are.

Sera sobs as the voices get louder, and I gently tug her to my side.

When the valley finally goes quiet again, the tension in the air seems to dissipate.

"Ender!" my mate croaks, her voice dry. "I see it—I see the rift!"

She pushes past the souls, taking me to the opposite end where another grove of almaberry trees is.

Denine follows behind us but stops as we get closer.

"I'm not sure it's safe to get any closer."

Unsure of what she means, I pause. Something tugs at my navel, trying to yank me forward.

The rift.

"Your aunt's right. If we get closer, it might suck us in."

"But I have to be if I want to mend it!"

"Try doing it from here. Remember what we worked on yesterday?"

I feel Sera nod as she tries to channel her power into the tiny vacuum that's causing our imminent demise.

"Ahhh!" Sera screams in frustration. "It's not working!"

"Again," I command, knowing I'm pushing my mate to her limits.

Her mind goes blank, and she pulls away from me.

"I need some space."

Taking only a step back, I wrack my brain with ways to help her when I note my mistake.

One second, Sera is at my side.

The next, I know she's hurtling toward the damned rip in time and space.

I reach for her, but I'm too late and I howl in rage and pain because I always am.

Too fucking late.