Perse and Hector fled. I didn’t blame them. Dropping to my knees, I did my best to pull my arcana back before it could tear into anyone else. All the while, I could feel the arcana working its way through Jaden. It had infiltrated him. He was trapped within my control.
I could pull the strings, or I could tear him apart. There was tremendous power in my hands, and I wanted nothing to do with it. This terrified me. Jaden had been a living human being. He’d been ripped from the world of the living far too early. His torment was undeserved. I had no right to hold him like this.
But the same also went for him. He shouldn’t have attacked me or Maddox.
“I’m so sorry, Jaden.”
I didn’t want to pull this trigger. It broke my heart to think about doing it. He deserved another chance. So many things had been taken away from him. He could have one more chance…
But my arcana acted without hesitation. It yanked and carved through Jaden like a hundred knives. His mouth opened in shock. When his eyes slid towards me, the betrayal in them nearly destroyed me. My lips trembled. Tears burned my eyes.
I watched the young man’s spirit fall to pieces and fade away. He would never visit me again. I would never be able to convince him to head to the afterlife. Jaden Jones was no more.
And it was all my fault.
I collapsed into the chair Jaden had occupied and gave in to my sobs. My arcana still moved through the room like a prowling snake in search of more threats. I didn’t have the energy to pull it back. There was no point when no other ghosts lingered.
Poor Maddox couldn’t see what was going on. This whole time, he’d been helpless in the face of the dangers around him. Had Jaden gotten ahold of him, there was nothing he could have done.
I never wanted to put Maddox in this position. Being around me was dangerous. No one should love me.
The thought made me sob harder. Maddox didn’t say anything. He didn’t try to comfort me or even ask what had happened. Instead, he lifted me from my chair and carried me back to the bed. There, he buried me in blankets and pillows until I found myself in a nest.
I laughed through my tears. He had no idea what to do with me. This was all he could think to do. It was sweet, honestly. I never would have thought to ask for this, but it helped more than I expected. Reaching for the nearest pillow, I pulled it tight to my chest.
Too bad it wasn’t a living person, but I couldn’t risk letting anyone get too close to me.