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Gray knew the momentSienna lost consciousness. That it was close to an hour to the river by foot left him beyond anxious and desperate enough to do anything to get her there faster.
He didn’t break stride when he spotted an old windmill, its blades lazily turning. It was tall enough that he’d likely glide all the way to the river, especially with the downhill gradient of the land.
Wrapping his wings around her, he began to climb the rickety ladder, thankful for his leathery appendages that allowed him to use his hands to ascend the windmill fast. Sienna’s blood loss meant he didn’t have time to be cautious. He needed to get her to the river stat.
Mindful of the blades above him, he leapt off the ladder and into the air, his arms curling around Sienna as his wings snapped out behind him. The ground zoomed a little too close, then the wind picked up beneath his wings and the terrain beneath sloped away.
He closed his eyes for just a moment, his pulse skittering. It’d been a risk using the windmill as a launching pad, but Sienna wouldn’t have made it to the river if he’d gone by foot, or even if he’d forced someone to drive them. Flying would take minutes in comparison.
He glanced down at Sienna’s alabaster-white face, cold fingers of dread clutching at his chest while his stomach rolled. That she loved him was a revelation he could scarcely comprehend. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever!
The river glinted like a mirage in the distance, twisting like a snake along the ground. He lifted one wing a little to gain access to the river’s closest bend. Even shaving off a handful of seconds could save Sienna’s life.
He drew his wings up at the last minute, slowing descent before he splashed into the river itself, the water giving him some cushioning at the near freefall he’d deployed to save time.
He held the still unconscious Sienna close as his wings propelled them back up to the surface of the water, and for the first time he noticed she still grasped the toy water gun in her hand, her fingers locked around its handle. Even while unconscious she knew not to lose the one tool needed for this mission.
Yet he’d dropped both water guns in an attempt to save her. He hadn’t given a thought to them since.
All he’d cared about was Sienna.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sienna’s eyes flewopen as she inhaled sharply, the river shocking her back into consciousness. She looked up into Gray’s face as he swam until he could stand and then waded through the water, stopping at chest height to keep her body submerged and her face clear.
He looked down at her, his laugh shaky. “We made it.”
Her stomach fluttered along with her too-weak pulse. As much as she wanted to sing his praises and reinforce her love for him, there wasn’t any time. Instead she closed her eyes and focused what little strength she’d regained—thanks to the river—and forcibly began her shift.
Her skin stretched and reformed, and she cried out as the damaged flesh and tissues in her calf closed up, along with the deep wound in her shoulder. Her scales emerged next along with her webbing, her gills then forming while her muscles and bones protested as they lengthened and stretched, a fin pushing free from her spine as her green skin and talk-stone shone brightly.
The intense pain left her weaker than ever and yet she’d never been happier.
She’d made it! She might take days now to recover, but the river would assist her as would her love for Gray.
He smiled down at her with so much warmth it made her heart glow. He brushed his hands down her face, then bent to claim her mouth with his in a slow, tender kiss that was intoxicating. When he pulled back, he admitted softly, “I’ve never been so scared in my life. I thought I was going to lose you.”
