I could have fainted.
I didn’t because I was a bad bitch.
CHAPTER27
LILA
Iwas excited but not slow. We still had a shot now at rescuing the others. We just couldn’t lose the connection to the hidden town.
I turned back toward Luca, who was still halfway in the mist. From the outside, it just looked like the back half of a dragon’s body because there was no mist on this side, only an expanse of forest.
“Luca, stop moving!”
He immediately stilled. Excellent soldier.
I turned back to Yosef, and he eyed me like he wanted to wrap me in his arms and run away. However, he was a captain, and he had to seize the moment.
He raised his hand in the air and then pointed forward. “Charge! Fight until we find our people and get them out!” he shouted.
The soldiers wasted no time in moving forward through the cloak. With the ward down, it didn’t matter that they couldn’t see the town, they could get in.
I ran to Yosef, and he met me halfway, wrapping me in his arms so tight that I momentarily couldn’t breathe. “Sweetness,” was all he said.
And my heart just about burst. Stupid emotions.
He grabbed a soldier by the arm. “Take her to the transporter and stay with her. Don’t leave unless there’s trouble and that means going back to the city and my house.”
I pulled free of him, anxious. “No, let me help. I can show you where the prison is.”
He touched both my shoulders, eyes focused and face stern. He was going into alpha-boss mode. “You just took down a very strong ward, and I know your energy is low. I don’t want you back in there. Luca can show us to the prison. Xander has another group of soldiers in this vicinity. We’ve already communicated and told them to go into the forest. We’ll find our people. I need you safe. For once, don’t argue with me, please.”
I wanted to argue, but the worried look in his eyes and the way he said please, got me to back down. I gave him a wordless nod, reluctantly letting him go. He watched as his soldier guided me away from the fighting. I knew Yosef had to be just as weak as me, but he was the leader, he wouldn’t rest. I could only hope he didn’t get hurt in there.
* * *
Turns out, using all your strength to break a ward makes you sleepy. That’s my only explanation for how I could have possibly fallen asleep while the people I cared about fought for their lives. Well, I wasn’t totally useless. I did pour out every reserve of magic strength I had into Yosef and Luca through our bonds. I hoped it was enough to make a difference for them. After doing that, I sort of just passed out, totally drained of physical and magical energy.
When I came to, I was resting sideways, my head on a lap and my lower half on another lap in the backseat of a moving car. What sounded like a purr vibrated against my back. I twisted and looked up to see Yosef staring down at me, his hand slowly petting me from the top of my head down to my arm. His face looked bruised and bloodied. A puffy eye, busted lip, cracked nose. However, nothing he couldn’t heal from. I wished I could help.
“Did we win?” I croaked out. My throat felt raw, and I was still a limp noodle.
He nodded. “You shouldn’t have given me all your strength like that.”
“That’s what you get for telling me to stay behind. I had to help in some way.”
He smiled slightly, seemingly unbothered by the cut on his lips. He continued to purr. I’d heard about that alpha purr. I didn’t think it would work on a non-omega, but damn if it didn’t instantly soothe me. I wanted to nuzzle my head against his chest like I was a kitten. As it was, I was practically moving my head into his hand. Damn alpha bond. Maybe I liked it a little. He was doing this for me. The purr was meant, at its core, to settle an omega. Make it so she or he would submit. Other times, it could be used just to calm an omega. With a good alpha, it was only used as a relaxing tool. This seemed to be the way Yosef was using it now. He was happy, I could feel it through the bond, and he was using his purr to show me that. I graciously accepted.
I looked at my lower half where Luca, back in human form with just a pair of pants on, sat with my legs in his lap. He had a serious gash across his chest, and I frowned. “You both look a mess. Where’s your healer?”
Luca snorted. “It’s just a scratch. There are a lot of others worse off. We’ll be healed by morning.”
I looked out the window. It was darker than earlier. “How long have I been out?”
“Hours. We’ve been fighting most of the day. It’s night now,” Yosef replied, still petting me.
“Did you find everyone? Melina?”
He nodded. “Yes, she’s safe. Shaken up.”
