“Kaelen,” Reiya’s voice cut through the haze. A cool hand cupped his cheek, keeping the oblivion at bay. “Listen to me. You need to trust me now.”
Her eyes locked onto his, fierce and unwavering, burning through the fog in his mind.
“Reiya, no,” he rasped, shaking his head weakly. “You need to run. I’ll distract them?—”
“No.” Her grip on his shoulder tightened, her voice a blade of certainty. “We’re getting out of here. Together.”
He wheezed. Every instinct screamed to shield her, to send her running while he protect her. But the fire in her gaze burned through his objections.
She wasn’t asking for his trust—she was demanding it.
His body betrayed him, too weak to argue. With a grim nod, he leaned into her, his weight heavy on her smaller frame. Shame gnawed at him, but she didn’t falter. She bore it, steady and unyielding, as if the entire world wasn’t crashing down around them.
“Hold on,” she whispered.
Then—gravity seized them.
The world tilted without warning. They plunged down the sandy slope, firelight and shadows blurring into chaos. Jodhar’s curse rang out above them, followed by the sharp hiss of arrows embedding into the sand where they’d stood moments before. The ground rushed to meet them, sand scraping against Kaelen’s skin, tearing at his senses. Reiya’s grip never wavered. He felt her arms steadying him, her body shielding his from the worst of the descent.
Each jarring impact sent painful shockwaves through his shoulder, the venom burning like molten iron in his veins, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the bitter edge of his failure. He should’ve protected her. He should’ve been the one leading them to safety.
Instead, he was the weight she had to carry—dragged, bruised, broken.
Reiya’s voice rang out, clear and commanding, slicing through the fog of pain. “We’re under attack! Warn everyone!”
The camp erupted into motion. Shadows darted, voices shouted, figures rushed toward them. He gritted his teeth, forcing his body to respond. Muscles trembling, he tried to rise, but the poison dragged him down. Bitter blood surged up his throat, and he coughed up the black liquid onto the sand.
“Stay down,” Reiya ordered, pressing her hands against his shoulders. Her touch was a contradiction—gentle enough to soothe, firm enough to command. He hated how much he needed it.
“I can fight,” he rasped.
Her gaze snapped to his, blazing with frustration and something deeper—fear. Not for herself, but forhim.
His chest ached with the pain that had nothing to do with the arrow.
“No, you won’t,” she bit out, voice shaking. “For once, Kaelen, just listen. Let me take care of you.”
The words struck deep, unravelling something in him. Her fierce resolve was both infuriating and comforting.
She wasn’t leaving him.
Not now. Not ever.
And for that alone, he wouldfight. For her, for this moment, for everything they had yet to become.
Chapter Thirty-Six
REIYANA
The chaos of the encampment roared around them—shouts, pounding footsteps, the clash of metal. Reiya knelt beside Kaelen, hands pressed against his chest, trying to keep him here; the rise and fall of his chest a battle he was losing. Each breath was a hiss, rasping through clenched teeth.
Blood seeped around the arrow lodged dangerously close to his heart, staining his clothing, pooling beneath her fingers. Her pulse thundered, but she pressed harder, desperate to stem the flow, stop the life from slipping through her hands.
A figure rushed toward them.
Alarik moved like a man in a dream—or a nightmare. His long strides ate the distance, but his usual steadiness was gone. The moment his gaze landed on Kaelen, he faltered, eyes locked on the arrow.
For the first time since she’d met him, he was frozen.
