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“Not without you,” I said, pressing my lips to his. “We’ll figure it out.” Or so I hoped.
We’d failed to figure it out for the past thousand years.
“Do you agree to the bargain or not, life-giver?”
“I do.”
“Then begone. Though I’m sure I will see you both again before time is done.”
Cole and I werereleased to the land of the living in a heap.
“Avery! You—you got him!”
Daphne rushed to my side, and the violent air coming from the crystal momentarily ceased. I clutched Cole closer to me, even as she fell over my body in relief.
“You saved me,” he rasped, looking up at me. He tried to lift his hand to cup my face. I bent my cheek, feeling the rough skin on my own. His own scent was muddied with blood, but I drank it in all the same.
“My liege.” Hector knelt before Cole.
“It’s all true,” Xander murmured. The Wind-Blood Heir drew close, taking us in. His eyes were wide with shock. Though he’d obeyedthe words of his elders, he had doubted like any living creature would.
Scratch that, every single creature had doubted us. Doubted that I could get him back.
But he was here. I hadn’t failed. Cole was here, in my arms. So drained he was barely able to keep his eyes open, but he fought to do so, just to keep that amber gaze on me. I drank their depths in, memorizing every part of him, still whispering assurances in soft words.
I was so focused on him I didn’t even notice the sudden presence of cloves in the air.
“Isn’t this a pretty picture?”
My head snapped up as Phaidros stepped from the shadows, a portal shutting behind him.
I moved in front of Cole on instinct, even as he tried to shield me. My magic was back, but I was utterly drained. I barely had enough juice to do a show of sparks.
“I should kill you,” I snarled. “You set me up.”
“You made that deal of your own accord, darling.” A careless shrug of his shoulders. “Not my fault you’re so easy to manipulate.”
A growl rose. Not from me, but from the shifter behind me. Daphne.
His attention flickered to her and then stayed, a slow, sensual perusal. “Hello again, love. As much as I love to see my mortal enemies brought low, I didn’t come here to chat.”
“Then why are you here?” I was stalling, trying to rouse my magic, but what precious little I had, I needed to conserve to heal Cole and get us back to Hell.
“A warning, darling.” He swayed forward, as if to take a step, then smirked as we all readied ourselves without somuch as moving. “So jumpy.”
“Spit it out,” I demanded.
His attention shifted to Xander, lifting his empty wrist as if checking an invisible watch. “Your pack is being attacked, in, oh… three, two… five minutes ago.”
Xander jolted.
“Why warn us?” I snapped. “You’re not on our side.”
He snorted. “Maybe I’m not on that moronic Moon-Blood Alpha’s side either.”
“Thanks,” I grumbled.
“I still didn’t say I was on your side, either,” he purred.
