Chapter 146

As James collapsed into my arms, my entire world tilted. The weight of everything that had happened, all that we had fought through, pressed down on me with a force so overwhelming it was hard to breathe. I held him tighter, afraid that if I let go, he might slip away again, back into the darkness that had tried so viciously to claim him. 

"James," I whispered, my voice trembling. My fingers ran through his hair, damp with sweat. "I thought I lost you."

His chest rose and fell, his breathing ragged but steady. Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine, and in that moment, I saw him — the real James, no longer shackled by the curse. The darkness that had clouded his gaze, the torment that had twisted his features, was gone. But he was exhausted, his body shaking as though he'd fought a battle within himself that was far more brutal than the one we had faced against Emily.