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Twenty-One
Callum
With a roar, I shifted and tore out of the cave.
I would not leave her.
The queen yelled after me, ordering me to stay, but I ignored it all.
I’m coming, Kelia. Hold on.
Running, I headed toward the core where I had left her, it was miles deep and would take time for me to reach her, longer if anything stopped me on the way, but nothing would. Pushing myself harder than I ever had, I sped through the dark, through tunnels and caverns, using my fae senses to guide me back to her.
Opening my senses, I focused on her scent, visualizing it until her aura became a tangible entity I could track. My paws slammed against the rock, and I howled as I accepted that Kelia meant more to me than my freedom. For years, I’d dreamed about the day I would be free. That reality seemed hazy without her in it.
Speeding down a deep incline, I ran, hating myself for leaving when I did. I could’ve tried to reach her, to port out together. Keeping her close to my thoughts, I focused on getting back to the life root, believing that my little sparrow would not die so easily.
Though my heart wanted to hope, logic told me there was no way.
Howling, I ran faster, not once stopping, panic setting in.
What if she was dead?
Pain raced through my heart, lancing out in every direction until my mind hazed over. She couldn’t be gone. She had to survive. She had to . . .
Sliding to a stop, I froze.
Rock and glass covered the ground, the cave-in had spread out into the cavern I came from where the entrance to the core used to be.
No.
Shifting, I climbed over the debris, ignoring the bits of rock that sliced into my feet. The darkthing was gone, the hive destroyed but the root still stood, glowing and unbreakable. She’d brought the ceiling down, knowing it would crush her along with everything else.
“Kelia?” I called out, digging through the rubble. “Kelia!”
Tears splashed my cheeks as I used my earth magic to shove rock away. “I’m here. Just tell me where you are!”
My vision blurred, one of my nails ripped off as I continued to dig through the rubble. My chest heaved, my breaths coming faster, and I yelled, the pain shredding me from the inside. Throwing rocks, I screamed in defiance, sobs breaking through my chest in a violent tornado.
My fingers grazed something soft, and blue light peeked through the wreckage.
On my knees, I dug deeper, easing the rock away carefully.
Three fingers, then a hand, her arm . . . bit by bit, I removed the debris until I could wrap my hands around her and pull her out.
She lay limp in my arms, her body still warm. I held her close to my chest, the tears falling against her face. With shaking hands, I adjusted her so I could press my ear against her chest.
Thump . . . thump . . . thump.
Gripping her tight, I sighed. She was alive.
I knew it.
I laughed, my voice cracking with emotion. Wiping the dirt off her face, I kissed her forehead. “You’re too stubborn to die, and I’ve never been more grateful.”
Gathering her in my arms, I stood, kissing her cheek, and inhaling her scent. “I’ll get you out of here. Hold on.”
With her passed out, I couldn’t put her on my back and shift into my wolf form which meant I was about to walk through the Underground, naked, carrying a sleeping human. Walking would take much longer to return, but I was ready for whatever lay ahead. She was alive, and that’s all that mattered.
