In order to save the world from eternal night, Red must find a way to unlock the dormant power of the Sun Goddess running through her veins without killing herself and everyone she loves.
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Sebastian leaned against a tree trunk, content to watch as the three women meticulously planned their upcoming trip. The blackened bark crumbled beneath his weight, and he knew he would have a black streak running from his shoulders to the waistband of his shorts, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was too entranced by the sight of Red talking animatedly with her companions, holding her own with a strength of body to match the blazing spirit that initially intrigued him. It was hard to believe this was the same girl who'd ripped her hands open on a rope, too weak to control her descent from the ashwood walls guarding the Blood Moon village.
For so long, he'd thought those walls were made to keep monsters like him out. Now he wondered if they'd been made to keep her in.
If so, they had failed spectacularly. Red was alive and far beyond his father's influence, finally free to choose her own path. It was almost too good to be true; Sebastian was finding it difficult to believe this wasn't all some cruel fever dream, spurred by the Queen Weaver's venom as he bled out in her web.
They both would have been lost, if it wasn't for the timely resurgence of Rya's Blessing within Red. Sebastian had balked from using Nya's Grace at the last second, condemning them both to certain death. His entire being had rebelled against the possibility of becoming Nya's slave again, even as his heart begged to save Red whatever the cost to himself. He was willing to die for her, but he wasn't willing to live as a slave for anyone.
And so he had utterly failed in his rescue attempt. Red had risen to the occasion, but had nearly lost her life to the very magic that saved them from the Weavers. Her pulse had only been a faint stirring in her veins when the dust settled, and injured as he was, Sebastian had been hard pressed to drag her dead weight out of the tunnels before they caved in. It had been a grueling trek back to the iron cottage, where Gretchen was already laboring to purge Weaver venom from Rana's wounds. He could have used Nya's Grace to speed both of their recovery, but still he had refrained.
Since then, he'd watched over Red, as if that could make up for his failings. When she first woke up, every fiber of his being had strained to be close to her, to prove as touch only could that she was real.
Now he struggled to meet her eyes, too ashamed of how he'd valued his freedom over her life. What right did he have to hold her, after what he'd done? And what had possessed him to think, for that split fraction of a second, that it would be a good idea to kiss her?
She has a mate, Sebastian reminded himself, fingers clenching into fists as his brother's broad, strong features came to mind. And Hunter is probably on his way to claim her now.
The youngest son of Rogan -- heir to the Blood Moon Pack, as Sebastian, the eldest, had defected -- claimed that he'd felt Red die during the forest fire. Hunter had been devastated by her loss, and had only refrained from retrieving her corpse because of the risk it would hold for his men.
Sebastian had complicated feelings where his brother was concerned, but he was no longer convinced that Hunter was evil like his mother. The boy still balanced on the edge of being a good man and a good soldier; perhaps Red would help to ground him, remind Hunter of his humanity.
She'd done the same for him.
Sebastian was under no illusions that their saga was over. The bond would surely alert Hunter of Red's survival. It was only a matter of time before his brother showed up to take Sebastian's place and claim his Goddess-destined mate.
It was only a matter of time before Red walked away from him for good.
