Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75539 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Something appeared to break inside him.
“I… I’m sorry,” he whispered, but the words felt hollow, too little, too late.
Cassius, who had been standing in stunned silence, finally stepped forward. He had taken shelter behind a rock during the battle but no longer had anything to fear. His eyes were filled with pain. “You can’t undo what you’ve done, Dad. But you can start making amends.”
Joshua didn’t respond. He simply nodded. I wasn’t expecting any kind of apology or remorse, not so soon. But at least there was a chance for that in the future. After much soul-searching and amends. Cassius didn’t have to completely lose his father. Especially not with the understanding that the Chaos King had a large part to play in all of this.
Claire swirled a hand and sent ruby-red threads of mana flying through the air, snapping around Joshua’s ankles and wrists. She did the same for Simon. With the two biggest threats bound, we were able to reconvene and check each other for any wounds.
It wasn’t much longer until the Enforcers showed up in their clean and crisp white robes. Always a little late but at least present. They wrangled up Joshua and Simon, along with the two Time Turners who’d survived the attack, and they took them to the Ivory Tower, where they’d be locked up and interrogated. Cassius had a difficult time seeing his father dragged away, but he also appeared to be slightly more at peace now that he knew the full picture.
The scars from tonight were definitely deep and would remain for the foreseeable future, but at least the world hadn’t ended, and we were all still here.
That was a win in my book.
We were back inside the house, Xavier sitting next to me on the couch, a steaming cup of coffee in my hands. I had changed into a pair of gray cotton shorts and a tank top. Damien and Robby were with us while the others had all gone to bed. Conversations came in short bursts, about anything and everything.
Until it turned to the battle.
“What happened?” I ventured to ask. “When you turned back time?”
Xavier pursed his lips. He dropped his head back. “A lot happened.” There was a slightly haunted look in his gaze. It startled me.
I sat up and set my coffee to the side. “Did I… was I dead?”
He sucked in a breath. Damien and Robby both went still. The air turned into heavy cement in my lungs. “Yes,” he answered. The single word carried with it a world of meaning.
Holy shit. I had died. Someone had killed me. My heart stopped beating, and my soul had evacuated the premises, only to be dragged right back in.
“How?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the details, but something about being unaware of my own ending didn’t sit well with me. “Was it Simon who did it?”
“It was. He had the advantage in the fight, and he went for your throat. I was too late. I couldn’t protect you.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“For even putting myself in that situation. I should have listened to you.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Not at all. And it happened the way it was meant to. I was able to grab the dagger, and with it, I ended up stabbing myself. It worked. The entire history of time unraveled in front of me, but all I needed was the last few minutes. I went back for you. And when I did, the dagger was done. They couldn’t use it for their twisted goals. It was over, and you were safe.”
“Thank you,” I said, leaning in for a kiss. It felt like this moment deserved so much more than a simple “thanks,” but it was all I really had to offer.
“You did good, X,” Damien said.
“You had all of time at your fingertips, and you chose to turn it back just to save me.” I felt an irrational stab of guilt. He had saved my life. But how much more could he have done? Gone back in time and stopped wars from happening, stopped people from suffering? Hell, he could have gone back to win the lotto—not that his family needed any money. But still, the option had been there.
And he chose me.
“I wouldn’t do it any differently,” Xavier said with a genuine smile. “You know my theory about messing with one’s own timeline. I could have done a lot of different things with that power, but I couldn’t imagine a world that didn’t have us together in it. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t change one thing to then ruin another. I had to make sure I minimized the ripple effects while also keeping you here, next to me. It was an easy choice.”
“And a good one,” Robby said. He leaned his head on Damien’s shoulder. “I get it. Totally. Love is something that’s more powerful than gravity itself. It’s worth doing anything you can to hold on to it.”