AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With a population of at least one-and-a-half million people—twenty percent of whom, according to Sariel, were supernatural—there was no way we could fly into the city without being seen or sensed. For that reason, Sariel landed a few miles on the city's outskirts in an abandoned parking lot, just before sunrise.
I watched with rapt attention as his wings seemed to dissolve. I hadn’t touched them, so I couldn’t say for sure that they were real, no matter how convincing they looked.
I didn’t know how he could still feel his legs, but I struggled to keep up, a zombie on my feet, still barefoot and even more tired than I had been yesterday. My wolf had retreated entirely—or maybe I was too tired to feel her—and I wished she’d give me some energy.
“Hey,” Sariel said, stopping. He tugged me into him using his hold on my hand. His hands cupped my face, and I turned it up to his. “Are you okay?”
I blinked stupidly at him. I couldn’t even form words around my suddenly heavy tongue, nor could I swallow around my parched throat, nor could I concentrate because my legs, feet, arms, and head were throbbing.
Stopping was the worst thing he could have done for us. My knees buckled, and Sariel swore.
He scooped me up like I weighed nothing, his hands supporting beneath my knees and shoulders.
“Don’t close your eyes,” he snapped, and I blinked rapidly. I hadn’t even realized I’d closed them. “Why didn’t you say you were dehydrated?”
My head lolled on my shoulders while I looked up at him. My mouth worked, but no words escaped it.
“Just stay awake, pup.”
I tried. I really did. But with every hurried step he took, my body grew weaker.
“Aria?” Sariel said. His voice began to fade. “Shit, please, just stay awake a little longer.”
He sounded desperate. I wished I could listen to him. I could feel my wolf struggling to keep me awake, trying to send energy down our bond, then panicking as I began to slip. She made a last-ditch effort to take control, but I was already halfway to unconsciousness.
The last thing I heard was a ragged ‘Fuck it,’ before darkness swallowed me whole.
“She might have a concussion,” an unfamiliar voice said when I began to regain consciousness.
“That’s impossible. She was in her wolf form after the accident; she was completely unharmed,” Sariel told whoever was speaking. “Before I passed out, her wolf seemed to be in perfect condition. There wasn’t a speck of blood on her. She was even friendly; she nuzzled me and lapped at my wounds. I’malmost a hundred-percent positive she’s why I feel good at all right now.”
“Ah,” the voice was feminine. “So, she’s experiencing exhaustion from healing you.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. I just panicked.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the woman answered with a laugh. “I know how you get, angel boy.”
“Thanks, Dessi.”
So, we’d made it to Dessi’s after all.
“Call me when she wakes up,” Dessi said. “I must ensure that our neighbors think you were a figment of their imagination.”
“Sorry about that,” he sighed. “I was in a hurry.”
“Sariel, you brought one of the rarest beings in existence to my doorstep. You’re absolutely forgiven,” Dessi said, a little giggle in her voice as her footsteps retreated.
A door clicked shut. Sariel released a huge breath.
“I know you’re awake,” he said.
I cracked one eye open slowly. I was grateful that they’d pulled the drapes across the windows, blocking the light from outside.
I turned my head to look at him. He’d showered at some point and now wore a plain black t-shirt and sweats. He was leaning against the headboard, much like he’d done the night I’d asked him to stay until I fell asleep.
“Water,” I croaked out. I drank greedily when he brought a glass of water from the side table to my mouth.
“Easy,” he urged, gently easing the glass from my mouth. “You scared me,” he admitted, putting the glass back to level me with his hazel gaze. His cheeks were unmarred by the freckles that had glowed on them the night before—
