Page 6 of The Dragon and the Dove

And then, at last, the tide of her magic gentled.

The making was done, though the taking continued.

She slumped forward, a moan seeping from her lips.

Ransom swore. ‘What the hell happened?’

Wrenching an eye open, Sera tried to sit up. The Cavern spun round and round, the world blurring to skull and stone, darkness and firelight – and Ransom, lunging.

He caught her before she hit the ground. Her cheek met the hard plane of his chest, the impact blunted by the warmth of his arms curling around her. He pulled her into his lap, lips soft against the shell of her ear. ‘It’s over now, spitfire. I’ve got you.’

Sera fisted her hands in his shirt and breathed him in, one laboured gasp at a time. He stroked her hair, waiting for her to come back to herself.

After what felt like an eternity, she found the strength to raise her head.

‘Theo,’ she managed. ‘Is he—’

‘Snoring like a mule.’ Anouk was kneeling over the Shadowsmith, checking the pulse in his neck. ‘He seems fine.’

‘Just leaving us all in suspense.’ Val pulled up his left eyelid. His eye rolled back in his head. ‘Still blue green. Aren’t they supposed to be all lizardy and gold now?’

Sera rubbed the spot between her brows. ‘It worked. I felt it.’ Not just the connection between them but the loss of power … There had been such a rush of weakness that for a moment it had felt as if her soul had been unspooled.

It had felt … different…

‘It might take him a bit to wake up,’ said Anouk. ‘Tiring stuff, getting made into a saint. I slept for eons after the storm struck me.’

‘At least he’s not dead.’ Val stuck her ear against his heart to be sure. ‘Should we make bets on what kind of saint he’s going to be?’

As they reeled through a raft of theories, Sera wriggled out of Ransom’s embrace. Legs trembling, she moved away from the others.

‘You’re pale,’ he said, getting to his feet. ‘Are you feeling all right?’

‘I’m fine.’ A paltry lie. Walking was like wading through soup. ‘Just … tired.’

More tired than she’d ever been.

His brows knitted. ‘Seraphine—’

‘I just… need a minute.’ She made for the north passage, the hot prickle of his gaze following her across the Cavern. A shadow hound misted and trotted alongside her.

‘Alone,’ she added, pointedly.

The beast drew back, chastened.

Out in the passage, Sera crashed into Tobias, who was crouched by the doorway. The younger Versini shared the same silver hair and bright aquamarine eyes as his cousin Theo. As well as his burning curiosity.

He bounced on the balls of his feet. ‘Is it over? Did it work?’

‘I thought we told you not to snoop,’ said Sera.

He threw his hands up. ‘Of course I was going to spy! Is Theo a saint now? What kind of power did he get?’

‘I don’t know yet. He’s sleeping.’

Tobias craned his neck, trying to see around her. ‘So wake him up. Blow in his face. Pour a glass of water over his—’

‘Go to bed, Tobias. You can see him in the morning.’