He took me into his arms. “Charlotte.”
“I’m sorry.” I was apologizing for everything, but mostly for hurting him over the past few weeks.
“I understand. Your mom thought you’d want to take things slow, that you wouldn’t want everyone rushing up to you.”
“She knows me well.”
“Do you want to see James now?”
I rested my head on Liam’s chest. “I want to see him, but we need to move him to the cathedral.”
“The cathedral?”
“Yes, but Liam?”
“Yeah?”
I looked up at him. “Can someone else move him? I don’t want to separate from you now.”
He smiled. “Of course. Let’s tell a guard.”
Liam and I walked toward the cathedral, hand in hand. It felt so good to have his strong hand around mine. He’d always been a shoulder to cry on for me, but with Calvin’s death, he had become so much more.
He stopped walking. “I have something for you.”
I looked up at him. “You do?”
“This.” He pulled a crystal heart out of his pocket. The trinket was made from the same iridescent crystal as the other pendants on my necklace. “I know it’s probably getting heavy, but I wanted you to have one from me, and the heart seemed symbolic, because… well, you’ve always had my heart.”
I leaned up and kissed him. He responded immediately, and it was like I could feel everything he was feeling. I could have kissed him forever, but it was time to save James. Liam held my hand as I pushed open the door to the cathedral.
My family waited for me inside. The last time I’d been in there, we were worried about someone barging in. That was no longer a concern. We’d taken back Bellgard.
“Dad!” I’d seen him briefly after Calvin and Monty had died, but I’d been in such a state of shock that his presence had barely registered.
I enjoyed the warmth of his hug before he pulled away slightly to give Mom a turn. He never actually let go, and it became more of a group hug.
“I’m proud of you,” Mom said.
That surprised me. I’d expected her to say she was glad I was okay or something along those lines. “For what?”
“For having the strength to face the world again.”
“I told you, we just had to force some sense into her.” Kevin hugged me.
“You do realize that you are the only one who could ever get away with that, right?”
Kevin grinned. “Yeah, I definitely do.”
“Glad you are back, Charlotte.” Henry smiled nervously.
I knew he wouldn’t hug me on his own accord, so I made the first move. I glanced over Henry’s shoulder and noticed James lying on a cot.
I snapped back to reality. I had a job to do. I sorted through my new knowledge, hoping that my idea would work the way I thought it should.
I kneeled in front of the water basin and placed my hands in the flowing current. I closed my eyes and willed the current to slow until it was barely moving. Without looking, I knew that Mom and Liam were on either side of me. Their proximity gave me extra strength and confidence.
I opened my eyes. “Please bring James over and put him in the water.”
Kevin put James in the water on top of my hands. I closed my eyes again and found my memory of when he’d jumped in front of me. I paused the memory long enough to figure out exactly what Blake had used against him. I reached inside myself to find energy. Only my energy would be strong enough. My experience with Blake had taught me the power of light—my light. The afterglow created by Calvin’s sacrifice had infused the river with light. If I could tap into it and combine it with my own, I could reverse even the darkest curse.
I concentrated, trying to pull out the dark and replace it with light. I worked until I could barely hold on. I let go of him and fell back. I didn’t fall far. Without opening my eyes, I knew I was in Liam’s arms. I let myself fade out. Liam’s energy would bring me back. I’d used almost all of my own energy, but it would recharge. Like everything else, I just needed time.
***
“So something tells me I missed something kind of big,” James teased. He was wrapped in a blanket, watching me when I woke up from my recharging sleep.
“You’re okay!” I pulled him into a hug.
“Yes, thanks to you, I hear.”
“No, it wasn’t just me. None of this would be possible if we hadn’t taken out Blake, and I never could have done that alone.”
“I know that, Charlotte. I just thought you might like the credit.”
I laughed. It felt good to laugh again. “Glad to see you’re still James.”
“Yeah, it’s still me.”
“Good.” I finally released him, taking a few steps back to join Liam again.
James turned to Liam. “So you are the new Gerard, huh?”
Liam nodded. “Yes. That means you have to listen to me.”
“Not a chance. But seriously, I’m glad it’s you. You two have been ready for each other for a long time.”
I searched James’s face, looking for a sign of humor. “Okay, maybe you aren’t the same James.”
“What? I can’t get sentimental sometimes?”
I kissed him on the cheek. “You can anytime you like.”
“Good to know.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“For you being hurt, for what happened to your father. I’m sure it’s hard on you, too.”
He shrugged. “He was my father by blood, but he was not the same man in the end. It does look like I am out of blood relatives now, though.”
I took his hand. “We may not be related by blood, but we’re your family.”
He laughed. “Please do not start on that. Your kids better not call me Uncle.”
“They will already have at least one uncle, so it’s okay.”
“Yeah, where did Kevin go anyway? He disappeared pretty quickly.”
Liam smiled. “I… uh… think he had a date.”
“A date?” James asked. “With Samantha?”
“Yes. They said they were heading to Kenset to return some dragons, but I think that was just cover for alone time.” Liam nudged me gently.
I laughed. “I owe him big time. Sometimes it takes an older brother to knock some sense into you.”
Liam took my hand again. “Yeah. I felt your anger but decided to stay away. You guys have your own way of dealing with things.”