He wasn’t sure if he had taken a single breath since he laid eyes on her. His chest cracked open slightly at the sight. There was something about the stillness in her that made her somehow look older. Not in her face, but in her soul, like her wildfire had completely snuffed out.
Draevyn’s spine straightened, his pulse thundering. And then he was moving before he even realized. His first few steps were slow and cautious as his breath became shallow in his throat.
But then Esmyra looked up, her eyes finding him instantly as if she sensed him.
Their stares met across the tavern and the world came to a sudden halt. It was like the floor dropped out from beneath him. For one endless second, the tavern’s roar faded to a distant hum. Their surroundings dissipated entirely, and the only thing that existed to him was her.
Draevyn’s feet were once again rooted where he stood as the heat of his memories burned in his chest. Memories of her laugh, of the fire in her eyes when she fought or was being defiant, and of the way she used to look at him before everything went to shit.
But then Esmyra quickly stood and abandoned her table, bolting across the room as she shoved through the rowdy crowd.
“Fuck,” Draevyn muttered. He should’ve known she would make this difficult.
It was one of his favorite things about her.
She cut through the crowded room, weaving between and camouflaging herself among the surrounding men. The tavern swallowed her in seconds.
“No—” Draevyn lunged after her, shoving his way between pirates and merchants and drunks. “Wait!” he bellowed, his hand reaching for her as if she was within reach.
He crashed through the crowd, knocking into shoulders as he barreled forward, and patrons shouted.
“ESMYRA!” he bellowed, but it was drowned out by the chaos.
Laughter and curses and shouts filled the tavern like fog, disorienting him as panic crept in that he may have already lost her.
A drunkard stepped in front of him, but Draevyn quickly shoved him aside, sending a tray of drinks flying from a barmaid’s hands. Glass shattered, scuttering across the floor as someone grabbed at his coat.
“Watch it, you bastard!”
Draevyn whirled on the man holding him by his jacket. The man’s arm was already reared back, his hand balling into a fist as he moved to send it into Draevyn’s face.
Fucking Irah.He didn’t have time for this.
But the man swung before he could react, his fist cracking against Draevyn’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. Pain bloomed across his face, rekindling every flicker of rage he’d been feeling these past several weeks.
Draevyn’s jaw locked, and with a growl, he grabbed the man’s shirt and slammed him back against the bar. He stood over the man, chest heaving as he screamed, “Stay thefuckout of my way.”
The pirate swung again, but Draevyn dodged it as he sent his own fist into the man’s ribs, and then the other into his cheek. With an uproar of shouts and taunts—a mix of bloodthirsty demands for a fight and panicked cries of fear—the crowd backed away from the scene.
Draevyn felt like a caged animal, and sparks were ready to erupt from his fingertips as the drunken moron lunged at him again. He stepped aside, caught the man by the collar, and flung him across a nearby table. Its wood splintered under the weight as drinks flew through the air and chairs tipped over onto the floor.
Draevyn’s heart was thundering. Not just from the brawl, but from hope, and maybe even a bit of terror. He didn’t have a plan; he didn’t have a single clue of what he’d say if he caught Esmyra. All he knew was he had to reach her, and this could be his only chance.
He glimpsed the tail end of her cloak fluttering near the rear of the tavern, her long, dark hair flowing behind her as she slipped past a heavy curtain near the back.
He surged forward, his shoulder slamming into a wall as he skidded around the corner she fled behind.
Gone.
Draevyn didn’t understand why she was running in the first place, but he chased after her regardless. He wouldalwayschase his Wildfire. He would follow his goddess to the ends of their world and beyond if that’s what it took.
The realm had given up on her, making her feel alone and trapped. And he vowed to shield her from those who labeled her a monster, ensuring she’d never feel the sting of loneliness again. Draevyn would protect her for as long as his lungs breathed air.
He burst into the rear corridor, where the shadows grew thicker as the lanterns flickered low. A side door creaked open, still swinging from when she must have raced out. He lunged for it and yanked it wide before stumbling into an alleyway.
His steps came to a skidding halt, his hands flying out at his sides to steady himself as he took in his surroundings. The alley was empty, and Esmyra was nowhere in sight. The only sound aside from the whistle of the night’s breeze was the open window above, its shutter banging against the wall in the wind.
Draevyn stared up at the crescent moon, chest heaving as a few drops of rain dripped from the eaves.
