18. Aries

18

ARIES

T he flames roar around us, a living, breathing entity of destruction. My dragon fire, once controlled and precise, now rages unchecked, devouring everything in its path. The shelves, the books, the very heart of the Athenaeum—all of it is being consumed by the inferno I've unleashed.

But none of that matters as I watch Constantine move toward Paige.

She's lying on the floor, her body limp and fragile amidst the chaos. Smoke swirls around her, and beneath the smudges of soot on her cheeks, her skin is pale, too pale. My heart thunders in my chest as I realize she's unconscious—vulnerable. And Constantine knows it.

With a wicked grin, he reaches down, his hand glowing with dark magic, ready to take what's left of her for his own—ready to finish what he started.

"No!" I roar, charging forward, but the flames slow me down, the intense heat forcing me to shield my eyes. I swing my sword, sending a wave of fire toward him, but he's faster. He darts to the side, avoiding the flames as he grabs Paige by the arm, pulling her up like she's nothing more than a rag doll.

"Such a waste," he sneers, his eyes glinting with malevolence. "You could have been so powerful, little mage. But now, you'll die like the rest of them."

My fury knows no bounds. The dragon inside me roars, demanding blood, demanding that I tear Constantine apart for daring to touch her.

But I can't get to him—not with Paige in his grasp.

Constantine's grip on her tightens, and I know he's draining her, his magic pulling the life from her soul. Her head lolls to the side, her eyes closed, and a sickening fear grips me. She's not moving. She's not fighting back.

The mate bond flickers.

I have to end this now.

I summon every ounce of power within me, feeling the dragon fire course through my veins. The flames around us intensify, the heat so intense that the very air shimmers with it. The library trembles, the walls cracking under the pressure.

With a final, desperate roar, I hurl myself at Constantine, my sword blazing with dragon fire. I aim for his heart, determined to rip it from his chest.

But he's faster than I expect. He shifts Paige in front of him, using her as a shield. I pull back at the last second, the blade only narrowly missing her flesh as I yank it away.

Constantine laughs, a cold, heartless sound that makes my blood boil. "You can't save her, dragon. You can't save any of them."

Leo was wrong. This is goodbye—and I'm not sure I'll survive it.

Through the bond, I send Paige all my love. The sensation of it is one last, parting embrace. Soul to soul.

It's all I have left to offer, and it's not nearly enough.

But Paige suddenly gasps, her eyes flying open as her breath returns to her body.

Our eyes meet, and then her magic explodes.

Her skin glows with it, and the blinding light forces my eyes shut.

When I open them again, the fire is gone.

Screaming, Constantine stumbles back, his robes smoldering, his skin charred and cracked. Paige falls to the ground, her body free from his grip, but she's still not moving.

"Paige!" I shout, rushing to her side. I drop to my knees, cradling her in my arms.

Her eyes flutter open, and I can see the determination in them, the strength that she's drawing from somewhere deep within. She's not done. Not yet.

"Aries," she whispers, her voice weak but filled with resolve. "Help me stand."

I hesitate, afraid that she's too weak, but she gives me a look that brooks no argument. I help her to her feet, keeping one arm around her waist to steady her.

Constantine appears through the fog, his eyes narrowing as he watches her rise. "Impossible," he hisses, his voice tinged with disbelief. "I drained you of every drop you had."

Paige takes a step forward, her body trembling with effort, but there's a new light in her eyes—a light that blazes with hope, love, and power.

The bond between us thrums with energy, with life. It's not just my power or hers but something greater, something born from the connection we share. A power that Constantine could never understand because it's not about destruction or domination—it's about creation. About love.

The realization hits me like a bolt of lightning. Our bond—it's not just a link between mates. It's a source of magic all its own, a wellspring of light and life that we can draw from when one of us is empty or lost.

"Paige," I say, my voice hoarse with urgency. "Our bond."

She reaches out to me, her hand dark with soot, and I clasp it in mine. The connection between us flares brighter, a golden thread that weaves through the darkness, banishing the shadows, filling the void with warmth and light.

"You've taken enough from me, Constantine," Paige says, her voice gaining strength with every word. "But now, I'm taking it back."

I focus on the love we share, the strength that flows between us, just as I feel Paige doing the same. Constantine recoils, his eyes wide with fear as the light envelops us, growing brighter, stronger with each passing second.

"Love creates," she murmurs, her voice soft but unyielding. "And hate destroys."

With a final, forceful pull, the bond between us explodes into a magic I can feel as if it were my own.

Constantine screams, the sound high-pitched and inhuman, as the light wraps around him, latching onto his stolen magic and ripping it away. He thrashes, trying to break free, but he's no match for the force of creation—of love.

His form begins to wither, the dark energy that once surrounded him dissipating into the air. He shrinks before our eyes, his once-imposing figure now frail and human, his eyes wide with terror as he realizes he's lost.

"No… No, this can't be…" he stammers, his voice weak and broken. He stumbles back, tripping over his own feet, and collapses to the ground, clutching at his chest as if trying to hold on to the last vestiges of his power.

But it's gone. All of it. And without it, Constantine is nothing.

Paige sways, her strength nearly spent, but I catch her before she can fall. The flames around us are gone, but their damage remains. The library is a smoldering ruin of ash and smoke.

Constantine lies at our feet, nothing more than a pitiful, broken man. His eyes, once filled with malice and power, now only reflect fear and despair. The power that once made him so formidable is gone, leaving only a shell of the man who once threatened worlds.

"Please," he begs, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't kill me."

Paige looks down at Constantine, her expression unreadable. She reaches into her belt and withdraws the dagger I gave her this morning before the battle. Gripping it tight in her hand, she stands over Constantine.

For a moment, I think she might end him just as brutally as I always imagined doing myself. But then something changes—her eyes, lined with exhaustion, soften.

"You're not worth it," she says quietly, turning away from him.

Constantine sags in relief even as I grip my sword tight, readying it to finish what I started.

Before I can bring it down against his neck, the mate bond flares once more with pure, radiant power. I watch, both awed and relieved, as it closes in around Constantine. The light that empowered Paige now turns against the monster at our feet, an unstoppable force of retribution.

"Paige?" I call uncertainly.

"Light always claims the darkness," she says. "Energy can't be killed, only remade."

Constantine's breath quickens as he realizes what's happening. "No… no, this isn't how it ends…" he gasps, his voice trembling with terror. He tries to scramble away, but there's nowhere to go, nothing left for him to cling to.

The light tightens, wrapping around him like a vice. His form, already diminished, starts to fracture, his body cracking like porcelain under the pressure. His cries for mercy turn into a gurgling scream, a final, desperate plea that echoes through the smoldering ruins of the library.

Paige doesn't look back, her steps steady as she walks away from him. I follow her, my heart pounding with a mixture of relief and regret. Around us is the evidence of my fire's destruction, but it led to victory, and I have to believe that made it worth it in the end.

I glance behind me as Constantine takes one last, shuddering breath—a sound that cuts off abruptly as the light fully consumes him.

And then, there's silence.

Paige leans against me, exhausted but triumphant.

"It's over," she whispers, her voice filled with both relief and sorrow.

I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. "And your magic?"

"Restored," she says, though the happiness I expect isn't there.

"You're okay?"

"I'm fine," she reassures me. "His destruction has given me back what he took."

Her words are lined with sorrow, but I nod, glad to be done with it. To be alive.

"It's really over then," I say, though the words feel strange in my mouth, as if I'm still trying to convince myself that it's true.

I look out at what has become of the library and can't help but wonder—what will happen to the worlds that were lost? The stories that are now nothing but ash? And what has become of Astronia while we've been gone?