“Let me in!” Rada flung herself into my arms. Her body against mine, her hand closing around the dagger, her mind touching my mind.
Every hair at my nape rose under her bright gaze, my heartbeat thundering painfully. I stood in the eye of the storm just before lightning struck.
And then, lightning did strike.
Her lips collided with mine.
The world burst into a kaleidoscope of iridescent colors. She tasted like rain and magic. Like everything I had lost and thought I’d never find again. She tasted like home.
Her lips pressed demandingly against mine, her tongue darting inside my mouth. I opened up to her without hesitation, surging against her at the sharp spike of desire, greedy for more of this feeling, more of her.
She took what I offered so completely that it overwhelmed my senses, exploring my mouth as though she sought to devour me, to take all of me until nothing remained. And Light, I would let her. I would let her have everything, even if it destroyed me.
The magic pulsed between us like a living thing, an unbreakable bond connecting us through pure, unfettered power.
“Together.”Rada’s voice echoed in my thoughts, as fierce and relentless as her kiss.“I know you can do it.”
A cascade of memories flooded my mind.
Rada sitting upon a golden throne, clad in a radiant white gown, a tiara made of starlight crowning her red locks. Her face stunning and flawless, but oh so cold.
Her throaty laughter ringing out as she ran across an endless stretch of soft sand, diving into the inviting turquoise waves, utterly naked, sending up thousands of sparkling droplets into the sunlight.
Tears streaming down her cheeks in a ceaseless flood, her expression forlorn as she reached for me, the flame of her hair hidden by hercloak’s shadow.
Her silver eyes holding a raging light as she wielded Starfire in a bright arc of steel and magic, the dark blood of her enemies splattered over her face.
My wild, beautiful queen. She had come for me. She was here by my side, and together we could achieve anything.
Our hands closed over the dagger’s hilt, intertwined. Our minds did the same, and Chaos magic roared through our connection, raw and untamed. For one endless moment, I drowned in it all. In her, in the power, in the feeling of sheer rightness. This was what we were made for: riding the storm, controlling its power.
Yet I could already feel the limitations of our mortal bodies, the returning sting of fire in my veins. I had to rein in the magic or it would consume us both. I’d be damned if I allowed her to come to harm because of my weakness.
This time, the magic followed my call, flowing into the dagger. I deepened our kiss, thrusting my tongue deep into the sweet heat of Rada’s mouth while simultaneously bringing down our hands. The magic burst forth, blazing through us and into the ground, propelling mud and rainwater skyward in a resonating shockwave. Our connection broke beneath the onslaught and I stumbled back, forced to let go of Rada and the dagger.
The afterglow of the explosion danced before my eyes. When I could see again, relief swept over me. We had done it. The Chaos storm had quieted.
I turned to Rada beside me, taking in her pale face, the inviting bow of her lips, her fierce gaze. Need reawakened inside me, undeniable in its intensity. I reached for her instinctually, tangling my hand in the hair at the base of her neck, arching her head back with a firm tug. She inhaled sharply.
An animal’s distressed cry cut through the tension before I couldbridge the distance between us again. Rada ripped herself from my grip, already running. She fell to her knees in the mud, the shadow of a broken tree looming over her, the darker silhouette of an injured arak twitching in agony below.
After picking up the Chaosdagger, I trailed behind her, my trepidation growing. The arak, lively Itzi, was trapped under the weight of the tree, her legs kicking futilely in the air as she struggled in vain to free herself. Only one leg remained still, the fractured bone gleaming white in the dim light, her blood soaking the dark fur and the mud below.
“We have to get her out of there.” Rada frantically tried to pull on the animal and the tree.
“Baradaz…” I stepped closer and touched her arm, knowing there was nothing we could do. Even if we moved the tree, transporting an animal of such size and weight was impossible. There was no way to take Itzi to a place where she could recover.
Rada’s hands sank down. Her eyes met mine, the same hopeless realization shining in them.
“Take the others to the barn,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I’ll stay with her.”
For a moment, I contemplated opposing her suggestion. I knew what I had sensed as the storm had descended upon us. Someone had sent it after us. Whoever it was might attack us in the aftermath, using our distraction to their advantage.
Itzi moaned and twitched in misery, her big, brown eyes full of fear.
“Go!” Rada threw a desperate look at me. And I understood. There was no hope for the arak. Yet Rada would not forsake her in these final moments.
As I hesitated, I felt the Chaosdagger pulse in my hand. Curseit, the bloody thing would lead the Chiasma straight to us. I had to return it to thelyr-stone chest as quickly as possible.
