His boot is on her chest in a flash, the blade retaken, and before I even realize what’s happening, he shoves that blade right through her.
“No!” I roar, the force around me snapping like a rubberband, launching me toward them.
But Verrick vanishes in another flash of silver magic, and I fall to my knees at Westlyn’s side, the light fading from her eyes, her blood a ruby-red stain on the black rock beneath us.
Chapter Nineteen
DRAEGAN
The fire rages. The storm rages. My fuckingsoulrages, but all I can do is pace a groove into the old wooden floors of an abandoned cabin and wait.
And wait.
And fuckingwaitfor her to wake up, my heart about to beat out of my chest.
After Verrick’s attack, a brief pause in the storm gave me just the opportunity I needed to find warmer shelter—an abandoned, one-room hunting cabin nestled among a copse of dead trees not too far from the cave. As gently as I could manage, I carried her out of that dreadful darkness, bleeding and unconscious, never before so grateful for a wooden shack in the middle of nowhere.
I lit a fire in the hearth, heated water to bathe her in the small chamber off the main room. I cleaned and inspected the wound—a long, gaping gash between her arm and shoulder that had already begun to heal.
A miracle for which, ironically, we’ve got her Wintermoon fae blood to thank.
Then I wrapped her in a soft robe I found and tucked her into the small bed, dragging the whole thing close to the fire just as the storm kicked up again in earnest.
She’s been unconscious the entire time, and I’ve been pacing.
Fuck. From the moment we chased Verrick through the portal at the inn tonight, all my thoughts have been on Westlyn—on keeping her warm, on protecting her, on figuring out how to get her back to the inn. But now, in the deadly silence of this infernal waiting, my thoughts turn to him.
Verrick was supposed to be dead by now. Bymyhands. Instead, he lives to see another day. To hatch another plan against us. To continue to fuckingexist, while the woman I love remains wounded and unconscious, and all I can do is fucking crawl up the damnwallsof this place until—
“Draegan?”
The voice. The sound of my name. The warmth in it…
I rush to her and kneel at the bedside, clasping her small hands. When she finally blinks her eyes open and meets my gaze, it takes everything in me not to fall to the floor and weep.
Bloody hell, little mortal. You’re truly going to be the death of me.
Gingerly, she sits up and glances around the tiny cabin, taking in the scene—a single main room with a modest cooking area along one wall, some sort of animal-skinned rug tossed on a wood-planked floor before a small hearth, the bathing chamber off the back.
“I see we’ve upgraded our accommodations,” she says, her voice still weak, but her eyes bright. “What the hell happened?”
Outside, the storm continues to lash the walls and windows, snow slipping in through the chimney and making the fire hiss, but the cabin holds together.
Somehow, I manage to do the same.
“What do you remember, love?” I ask, tucking a lock of damp hair behind her ear.
“Verrick showed up, talking all that bullshit about the curse. I tried to get his sword, but…” She rubs her shoulder, shaking her head at the lack of pain. “I could’ve sworn he stabbed me. Like,reallybad.”
“He did.”
“Then why am I not dead?” She meets my gaze again, then shakes her head, a soft laugh escaping. “Oh, no.Pleasetell me you didn’t save me again. I’m seriously going to have to start marking it off on the calendar.”
I grin at her, if only to hide the sheer immensity of my relief that she’s not only alive, but still has her sense of humor. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold, Miss Avery. Thankfully, you’ve grown quite skilled at giving me ample opportunities to meet my quotas, so—”
“Groan. Goddess, Drae. You are literally theworsthero ever. You’re not supposed to brag about it!”
“Clearly, I need more training. Not that I’m suggesting you throw yourself into danger again anytime soon, mind you.” My smile fades, my thoughts drifting back to the cave. To her blood. So much blood… “Anyway, I brought you here and cleaned you up, but you mostly healed yourself. I’ve just been keeping watch.”
