Enchanter

Chapter Thirty-Two

Anton's prison was petite. The walls were made of foam, almost as though he was locked inside a looney bin. It didn't surprise him. There was no longer a way for him to see his reflection if he wanted to. With Azalea no longer a part of him, he was restricted. And with the serum that the rogue injected in him daily, he was far too weak to fight back.

As much as he missed his mate, he missed Azalea more. She was no longer there for him when he was lonely to help keep him company. He didn't know what it would be like for him once she was gone for good, no longer a way to communicate with her. He felt lonelier than ever as he sat in his cell all alone. He felt like Azalea, and it was no wonder she sought out a way to escape. Any resentment he had against her for latching onto him was instantly gone.

But he wouldn't be lonely anymore. He had Raven. She was still his best friend and most loyal companion. Unless he told her to go away, she would never leave. And with her mated to Robin, it was impossible to send her away if he wanted to.

Plus, he did have his mate. Just one look into his mate's eyes caused all his fears to vanish. There was no longer a reason to be afraid. As long as he had his mate on his side, there was nothing to fear. He would be alright, and he believed it. As sad as it was to know he would have to let her go and say goodbye, he was prepared for it.

'Anton,' he heard. Lolling his head sleepily around, he squinted his eyes to detect the voice. 'Anton,' he heard once again. 'Anton, you need to find me,' Azalea demanded. He knew it was her, but with his fried brain, it was difficult to tell where the source of her voice was calling from.

"'s none...way," he slurred, falling back onto the cushioned floor.

'Bleed,' she coaxed.

Jerking his head up as though he was waking to his alarm, he focused all of his energy on the ability to sprout his claws. With the serum that ran through his veins, it was near impossible to shift. But not completely. He sprouted his claws and slashed his arm. He panted and hissed as he bled out, and Azalea's face quickly appeared in the gash on his arm.

"Ready?" she rhetorically asked. Whether he was ready or not, she dragged the dagger across his arm and reached her hand out, forcing him inside the blood stain on his arm.

Entering her soul through her mouth, she let out a long, heavy groan once he settled his place inside herself. "Well, buddy, I've missed you," she chuckled as she stared at him through the glass on the wall in the bunker.

"What the-"

"Shut up, Alexander! I did what had to be done."

'How did you get me here? The dagger's back at Aaric's.'

"Well, once my prison sentence was lifted, I felt the dagger attach to my hip with a rose. I think your mate may have found a way to send me gifts over, and if that is any consolation, I do believe he may have discovered a way for us to continue interacting while we are apart," she smirked.

Placing the rose on a table, she quickly dragged the dagger over her scar and bled onto the rose. Bleeding Rosebud appeared, sitting on the table with a smirk. All sorceresses in the room stared at the witch in awe. Bleeding Rosebud stared at all their perplexed expressions and said, "Good. Glad my cloak was able to serve you."

"Yes, and now that my statement is lifted, can we be unlatched?" Azalea impatiently asked.

Bleeding Rosebud tsked. "Obviously."

She handed the small vial over to Azalea. With one final smirk at Anton, he nodded as she choked back the liquid in the vial. The glass vial dropped to the floor, cracking all around her feet. Azalea coughed heavily as she fell into the shards. Multiple people began to rush towards her, but Bleeding Rosebud commanded them all to stay back.

In the midst of her coughing, Azalea vomited, spitting Anton out in the process, The two inhaled deep, tantalizing breaths as they looked up at one another. For the first time in their lives, they finally were able to meet one another face to face. There was no reflection to hold them back, and they reached their fingers out to touch. When they felt the other's skin, they embraced for the first time in nine years.

"As my final gift to you, for the next two hours, your timelines shall travel at the same speed. Time will flow by slowly in Anton's dimension, though it will feel normal to them all. You have two hours to help fight off the revenants in your land, which is more than enough time if you use the speed reader spell after summoning your precious journal. But a day has already passed in Anton's land-"

"How the hell does time flow for you?" he exclaimed.

"-so get to it. We don't need for too much time to pass for him. Good luck and goodbye."

Once Bleeding Rosebud was gone for good, Azalea summoned her journal hidden in her hut. "Well...time for you all to learn how to kill revenants."