The Witch Collector

Raina wakes beneath a snowy sky, Alexus curled protectively around her. She drifts in and out of sleep, aware of him lifting her into his arms and, later, cradling her against him on horseback. When she wakes again, she’s in a grand four-poster bed, clean, bandaged, and healed. Flashes of memory return: sharing what happened with Helena, Rhonin, and Alexus, and holding Nephele while she cried for Colden. The grief still lingers.

She explores the room, overwhelmed by the sheer number of books, more than she has ever seen. She recognizes Alexus’s seal and realizes that she’s in his chambers. The window view is peaceful, but she recalls their arrival through broken gates and a courtyard strewn with bodies—reminders of the chaos they barely escaped.

Alexus enters quietly, looking burdened. When Raina asks if anyone needs healing, he says it can wait. They share a moment of warmth, and he explains that because of the rune, they’re forever connected. Raina responds that their bond was forged when she saved his life.

Alexus reveals that he once persuaded Colden to go to the Summerlands, where he was cursed, and that he followed later to see Fia Drumera. He asked Fia to make him immortal so that he could continue supporting Colden throughout his life.