"Okay. I will portal you and Lucien to Rhyden’s penthouse. It is secure. You both will be safe." Auren released a shaky breath. "Then I will go get your incubus and vampire for you." Hetouched her cheek. She had no strength, and her head fell into his palm easily.
It made her recall the phantom touch at the base of her skull, slithering over her body—what was that? Her shadow had returned to her… or the pain had been too great, and her mind had conjured anything to cope.
"No, I’m going too."
"You cannot stand, Vesperin," Auren begged.
"Iwill." Rin began the laborious task of standing. She had to show him she could do this—she was strong. But her Soul felt like syrup, slipping through the cracks of her skin. He saw her determination and sighed, gripping her elbow as he helped her stand. She had to lean most of her weight on him. Her knees wobbled. The butterfly wings were tipped in blood. "Take… take Lucien," she managed, "then we’ll go find them."
Auren nodded, just once, then held his scythe up. He stepped away carefully so she wouldn’t drop to the ground. She had to lock her knees, her fingers and toes trembling from exertion as she stood alone.
Auren’s blonde hair was matted with sweat and blood. He was no less beautiful to her. His nostrils flared, then in a move etched with pain, he reached for her and gripped the back of her neck, pressing his bloody lips to hers. It was a cold, bruising kiss, steeped in their shared blood. It was everything to her. She was weak and splayed, shoving away the agony in desperation. She just wanted to sleep and cry. She made weak fists and punched against his chest, even as he opened her mouth with his lips, his iron tongue sweeping against hers in a short claim. When he pulled away, his eyes were brighter, Star burning.
"You—" Auren’s voice broke. "You do not know how long I have wished to kiss you."
She felt wolves tearing into her gut. A dirt path beneath her broken body. Feverish as a cloaked being stood at her bedside,ready to reap. Each life, lived far too short with him. As a reminder, her heartbeat faltered—this life wasn’t forever. Not for her. Her heart was a ticking bomb, poised to explode and take her with it.
"I love you," Rin said to him.
Auren took her wrist, bringing her hand up to his lips, stained with their shared blood. "And I you."
He hooked his arms beneath Lucien’s and tugged him through the portal. It closed for a breath, and in that moment, she was utterly alone. She felt shadows tickle her nape, helping her stand when she felt like she might sink to the ground and curl in on herself.
White filled the room as the portal reopened, and Auren stepped through, immediately walking to her and wrapping an arm around her. "We will portal to Rhyden first," he said against the top of her head. She nodded weakly, letting him tug her through the next portal.
Her belly flipped, then the scent of clean, fresh air filled her senses.
On the rooftop of the Academy dorms, Rhyden stood pacing, hidden by a roof access structure. At the sound of their arrival, he turned, gun raised—but when he saw them, bloodied and wavering, he dropped the weapon to the ground, rushing toward them with his vampiric speed.
Rhyden’s hands were warm against her flesh. Hm. They were usually cold.
"Wife," Rhyden rasped, "what the fuck happened? Shit, you’re covered in blood." His hands touched every inch of her, feeling her. She trembled beneath his touch, eyes drifting closed.
Auren was speaking, but Rin barely heard.
"—a device that caused us pain… Vesperin was adamant about coming." The soft note Auren’s voice took on when he said her name was not lost on any of them.
Rhyden shrugged off his leather jacket, bodily lifting her arms and shoving them in the sleeves, then zipping it up for her. He treated her like she was a child, unable to care for herself. It was comforting, just what she wanted in this moment—to let someone else protect her. She pressed her nose to the collar, inhaling the rich peppermint scent that clung to the leather.
"Thank you," she mumbled.
Rhyden kept fussing over her, cursing all the while. His eyes were a deep red from the blood on their clothes. Still, he didn’t falter. He was a pillar for them both.
"I’ve got you now," Rhyden said.
And the words… they made her tired body melt. She walked awkwardly, only just realizing she was without one heel. Kit had?—
Bile crawled up the back of her throat.
She felt the firm press of the gun’s barrel against her head, then the warm spray of blood as the hands holding her went slack. Kit roaring at her togo.
Rin started to bend and kick off her other heel, but her body wouldn’t quite cooperate. Rhyden stopped her, kneeling sharply as he unhooked the strap and slipped her foot out of her heel. Her hands landed on his shoulders to steady herself as his breath teased the butterfly wings peeking out from the bottom of his coat.
When he stood, he gripped the heel in his hands.
"Just leave it," Rin said thickly.
Rhyden dropped the heel, then wrapped an arm around her when she wavered. She coughed weakly, lungs stretched thin. Auren cut his scythe through the air, but he stumbled, and the portal flashed. She and Rhyden both reached for him at the same time. Rhyden sighed roughly, then wrapped his other arm around the Soul Searcher’s shoulders, keeping them both held up.
