I transported directly in front of Flare, eyes narrowed as she skidded to a stop in front of me.

“You killed me.” Hatred oozed from my words and deepened my voice.

“You already died on earth as a baby." Fear strained her voice. "This life was never yours.”

“It’s certainly not yours. I’ve given the Collective all of my memories. It’s over.”

Terror flashed in her eyes, far deeper than even the bright fear that filled her eyes when I'd appeared. “You jeopardized your entire world. They could end everything now. You have to let me help you.”

I snorted. "It's not that easy to fool me. I don't need you to save me from the Collective. You want me to save you."

"You think the Collective cares about this world? No one cares about any of you except for me."

“We're done talking. We've had three lifetimes of it." I winced as I drew my sword, the wound to my side screaming in pain. "Now have some honor and face me yourself this time."

Flare stumbled a step backward. She clenched her hands into fists. "You're playing right into their hands. Doesn't it strike you as odd that supposedly evolved beings would send you back here to kill me?"

I swung my sword and smiled when she stepped back again. "I told them I'd give you the chance to surrender." My lips tightened into a snarl. "Maybe I need to be rehabilitated too. Because I'll make sure you taste death if it's the last thing I do."

"Stupid girl." Flames flashed between us, singing my knuckles. "The Collective knows that. You gave them your memories. That isn't all you gave them, is it? You're letting them watch this right now. You agreed to let them watch you for the rest of your life if it meant coming back."

My stomach tightened. "I told you that we're done talking."

"You're not the only part of the experiment. Your world isn't." Pain flooded Flare's eyes. "It's me. I'm part of the experiment. I should have seen it sooner. That's the only reason the Collective would let you come back here when they knew you'd kill me. So they can finish monitoring what they started."

I lowered my sword slightly.

"Don't you see, Max? The lack of safeguards to keep me from taking too much power in this world has nothing to do with my society being so peaceful it seems unnecessary. They wanted to see what would happen, so that when they implement interventions in the physical world, they already know how supervisors will act." She laughed bitterly and hung her head. "It isn't that I never considered it. I just never knew they'd want data on my behavior so badly that they'd send death to me."

"You brought death upon yourself."

“The Collective knew what you would do when they sent you here. This is a sanctioned killing.”

My muscles ached as I wrenched my sword back up. "It doesn't matter to me if the Collective is just as screwed up as you are. That's a battle for another lifetime. Today, my fight is for my world to be free of your influence. To be free to choose its own path."

"Free to destroy itself like every other world out there. You're killing your only hope for salvation."

Her claims itched at the back of my mind. Was I wrong to let the Collective watch over my life like this? It had played into their hands if they wanted to observe Dr. Henderson's behavior until the end. Still, if that was the cost of freedom, I would pay it. I couldn't stop them from shutting down our world if they had tricked me and planned to do it. But I could kill this miserable woman standing before me.

I could kill her and I would.

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I screamed and lunged. Snapped my blade like a cobra's bite.

Flare disappeared just as the tip nicked her side.

Instinctively, I locked onto her, and threw myself through space-time, latched onto this thread that had always connected us through these lives. I was as entangled with her as I was with Nash and the eclipse. It was time to accept that and seize that awful bond.

We appeared on a hillside I didn't recognize. Vanished and then stood atop a shore with lapping waves. Fear emanated like heat from Flare as I followed her each time she traveled and seamlessly landed with her. Any weakness I’d felt before burned up in the raging inferno within me.

The world around us peeled away and blurred as we sped through distances I could scarcely imagine. We landed on hard rock. Grassy plains. Soft flowers. Thick mud and dry desert ground.

I managed to lock my arm around Flare's throat before she took off again and we landed in front of the Mountain of the Gods as I aimed the sword for the tender of her throat.

"Hold still." I tightened my hold. "I might slip if you don't."

Her trembling hands grasped my arm. "We could agree this time." Tears spilled down her face and against my skin. "We both love this world. We work together this time."

"No." I whispered in her ear. "This time, you die."

"Max–"

"You helped the Prophet of the Valley, even when he tortured and slaughtered his own people. You manipulated Piercey and me when we were only children. Reset our world to try to get your way." I ground my teeth. "You stole little Elsie. You had me killed." My nails dug into her shoulder. "You locked the door to the after-life and I know you were never going to let us through. You claimed this world as your own."

"I am the only one who can ease the suffering of this world."

"You're not the medicine we need." I expected her flames to burn against me, but they never did. Flare knew she'd been beat. I'd endure any pain to kill her. No matter where she ran, I'd follow. This was inescapable and I reveled in the joy of knowing that she couldn't deny it. "You've damned yourself to hell. I'll gladly damn myself as well to end you."

"I'll make sure everyone learns about what the Collective has done." Her voice raised, reaching beyond me to the ones who watched. "If I'm tainted, then you're evil incarnate. Her blade is yours. Any blood shed here is shed by the Collective."

"My world, my justice." I ripped my blade against her throat when she vanished from my grasp. "Damn it!"

I reached for her with my power and landed in the all-white room, facing Dr. Drake. Her sad eyes stared into my own. Dr. Henderson stood beside her.

How naive to think she'd accepted the inevitability of her defeat. She was only feigning helplessness until she could decide on her next move. I wouldn't let her escape so easily. "You can't take this from me." I spoke to Dr. Drake but raised my sword up toward Dr. Henderson. "She has blood on her hands. My blood and the blood of my people. The blood of lives stolen and banished even from memory.”

Dr. Henderson clutched Dr. Drake's slender arm and ripped the other woman in front of her. "Stop her."

"She can't." I snarled. "This isn't her world. What power does she have here?"

"Max, please." Dr. Drake reached a gentle hand out to me.

I wouldn't be tempted by her grace and softness. Vengeance ran through my veins. "Do you know how many times I've died? It has haunted me every day of my life. Then, for her to threaten the people I love…"

"We need to make peace with each other." Dr. Henderson dared to speak. "One day we'll both be out of this world and in the rest of society. We must find peace."

“My blade will make peace with you.” I tilted my head. “In this world, in my world, you answer to me because the people I love are still here.”

"Max." Dr. Henderson lifted her hand. "Think about what you're doing. The Collective is watching."

"Let them see."

Dr. Drake's voice broke through, clear and calm. "If you cede control, Dr. Henderson, you won't be here any longer, and she won't be able to hurt you."

"Don't you dare run from me!" I ran forward and slid behind both women. Grabbed a handful of Dr. Henderson's hair to rip her away from Dr. Drake. She shrieked.

"Stop it, Max!" Dr. Drake's voice commanded attention, but nothing could dissuade me now. "Dr. Henderson, listen to me. I'm authorized to negotiate. Instead of rehabilitation, you can heal in the after-life under my supervision, but only if you leave peacefully."

The hazel of Dr. Henderson's eyes erupted into red and a ball of fire slammed into my gut. I skidded back across the floor.

The smell of fire burned my sinuses. Flames danced from Flare's hands. "This is my world. I'm not going anywhere."

Another ball of flames erupted from her hands. White snapped behind it. The walls closed in on me, trapping me. The fire swelled in the tiny space and bit into every inch of my body.

I growled and focused on Flare. Appeared so close to her that I knocked her back a step.

Dr. Drake shouted for us to stop and suddenly ran for us. I lifted my hand and pushed her back with my power so she couldn't come closer. I wasn't sure that we could even hurt her, but I wouldn't take the chance.

Fire erupted around Flare, spreading to the edges of the room, licking the walls, and quickly the ceiling. I had to focus to keep it from consuming me and Dr. Drake.

This was the only way it ever could have ended between us.