AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’s wrong?” Leaf asked, his voice intimate as they took a position between the portals.
“I just—” She swallowed a lump. “It just hit me. This is war.”
He studied her. “Yes.”
She faced him, wide-eyed. “It didn’t register before now. We could die. Peoplewilldie. I—” Bloody visions from her beginnings here in Elphyne flashed before her eyes. The panic, the nausea, the helplessness. Her chest felt like something sat on it. She couldn’t breathe.
Leaf’s hand cupped her face. “And what happened last time?”
He forced her gaze to meet his.
“You saved me,” she replied.
“That’s right.” His sword-calloused thumb rubbed her cheek. “This might be new to you, but it’s not to me, as sad as that sounds. I want you to do something for me. Whenever you feel panic and dread rising, listen through our bond and concentrate on how I feel. Inhale, then exhale. Good.” His eyes searched hers. “I protect what’s mine, Nova. To my dying breath and then some.”
Tears stung her eyes. The gravity of his words settled like a warm blanket around her shoulders. He’d lived through an apocalypse, through mutation, through the beginnings of madness, and then, in a way, death… all to be with her. If there was anyone in the world she felt safe around, it was him. And if this was the way she went out, then at least they went together. She smiled through trembling lips and said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
He held her gaze a moment longer, then turned his attention to the sky, perhaps looking for signs of attack. Nova took a moment to admire the love of her life. As he’d said, when she focused on their bond, she only felt his resolute determination. The portals bloomed in the night, causing a stark contrast of light and shadow on his austere face. Every feature looked sharper as he scoured the surroundings. Long blond hair hung down his back where his sword waited to be used.
She glanced between that sword and his face—particularly the Guardian teardrop, almost invisible with the bright lights on his face. He kept insisting they would remain together, but he was a warrior. He would need to fight with his hands as much as his magic. At some point, she might have to be the one who told him it was okay for him to leave her.
Her gaze landed on the breadth of his shoulders, his biceps straining the seams of his jacket. She’d experienced his strength so many times already. It was comforting to remind herself how easily he’d maneuvered her in the bedroom.
Leaf gave her a sideways look. “Now, if you keep sending me images like that, I’m going to lose concentration.”
A blush heated her cheeks. “I didn’t realize.”
He chuckled, eyes softening, then his brows together, and he glanced up.
“How long?” he barked at the night sky.
An ear-piercing screech stole the answer of whoever flew above. Leaf’s hand clenched around Nova’s, and then a cool, calm detachment washed over him. In the silence that followed, he bellowed, “They’re here!”
A bomb landed from the sky, blowing up dirt and lawn before Nova. She flinched, shielding her eyes. It wasn’t a bomb, but a vampire—the big one, Haze.
His calm eyes met Leaf’s, and he held up three fingers. “Aerial units from the east. Two from the west. Another on foot through the forest. Indi spotted a manticore’s tail whipping about. We’ve also had reports of trembling underground—probably a wyrm. She had a few captive at the Winter Court. That screech you heard was the demogorgon landing on the field before the Order.”
“With Maebh?”
Haze’s jaw clenched. “And the Prime.”
“She’s alive?”
He gave a nod. “She doesn’t look good. She was carried in a sack by the beast, and she looks… aged.”
Nova’s eyes widened. Did that mean someone had been stealing her mana?
“The Six?” Leaf asked.
“Nowhere in sight,” Haze replied.
“Fuckers.” Leaf scrubbed his face, then glanced at the portals where a steady stream of soldiers still arrived. “Make sure they’re headed in the right direction. Where’s Jasper?”
“Near the portcullis, ready upon your word.”
“Aeron?”
“With his foot squadron near the west point. The crows are with the aerial units, ready to go over the wall.”
