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A grunt registers. Pain charging down the bond like a tsunami of flames, whooshing the breath from my lungs. Warmth seeps through the glove on my hand. I turn my head away from Whiro, paling as all the blood drains from my face.
Finding bright silver eyes staring blankly at mine.
PART III
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Emma
The world stops turning and the ground shifts beneath my feet, choking back the sob threatening to break free. His eyes blow wide, mouth agape, and his breath is getting caught in his lungs as he hunches forward.
My hand is shaking uncontrollably, but Whiro grabs my wrist, pulling the blade out in one quick movement. The dagger slides out too easily, slick with blood. My legs give out, falling to my knees before him.
Rivers of red spill from his stomach, seeping into his shirt. I can’t take a full breath in; my lungs are constricting as I watch his body jerk, and his chest shake. He coughs, blood spewing from his mouth. Every ripple of agony coursing through his body flows into mine. First, it burned, scorching and blinding. Now…my head is light, a cold sweat replacing the heat.
A crystal drop drips from the corner of my eyes, tracking down my cheek. The pain in our bond vanishes, making my eyes go wide. Draven’s skin is still pale, clammy. It’s then I realize he put up a barrier in our bond. Blocking me from his suffering.
“It seems I had to make the choice for you,” Whiro’s deep voice penetrates through the rushing of blood pounding in my ears. Everything blurs, darkness creeping on the edges of my vision, as I sway on my knees. I can’t tear my eyes away. Draven continues to bleed, painting the ground in a pool of crimson. Why is he not starting to heal?
Whiro’s hand grabs my shoulder, and the icy touch of it burns through my clothing. “I may despise the Fae, but they did one thing right.”
My eyes drag away from Draven, staring down at the now-red dagger in my shaking hand.
Whiro’s hand gives a bruising squeeze. “They created a weapon specifically to kill his kind, to help rectify my miscalculations.”
My heart drops to my stomach, and the air freezes in my lungs. I don’t even realize my head is shaking in disbelief as the pad of my thumb swipes away some of the blood coating the end of the blade. A hiccuped cry escapes me the closer I look at it, and the realization has me slamming my eyes shut. Instantly, the blood in my veins heats, searing the chill of darkness inside me.
“Wyvern iron,” I seethe between clenched teeth.
The echo of a slow clap mocks me. “Smart girl,” Whiro chuckles with devilish amusement.
Draven’s pain sears down the bond again like an arrow on fire. But it's gone just as quickly, as if he’s struggling to keep the barrier up.
So much blood. So much fucking blood continues to leave his body. I see double as I glance up at Kye, Cora, and Fynn. Their bodies sway in two different directions, but their silence hangs heavy in the air. The shocked grief in their eyes is like a punch to the chest.
Fisting the hilt, trembling from the force of my grip, my gaze drops back to the wetness coating my hand and to the male I love.
Then, I break.
The silence I’ve trained myself to hone rips away as I scream.
I scream until my lungs burn. Until my throat feels like it’s on fire. Until the water vibrates and the stone shakes, causing the ghouls to cower with their clawed hands covering their ears. My shadows rage around me in a flurry of utter chaos.
In the next breath, I spin on my knee and slam the bloody dagger into Whiro’s side. He roars. His power blasting out around him sends me flying back. I tuck my body, but my head slams into the side of the mountain, causing stars to dance before my vision. Shaking my head to clear my sight, I watch in horror as Draven slams into the bottom of the steps, leaving a trail of red in his wake. But he still tries to push up on his elbows with a raspy cough.
He’s with the others, and they take full advantage of the momentary distraction of the ghouls hindered from my scream.
I push to my feet, ignoring the throbbing in my skull. I throw out a wave of my shadows to slam the ghouls farther away from them, hoping to hold them back.
“Emma!”
My head snaps up as I see Kye sliding a sword to me, scraping across the ground. Without hesitation, I snatch it up, forcing my power to surge in dark and light around me.
Keeping my eyes on Whiro, who is baring his teeth at me, I shout to the others, “Take him back! I’ll get myself out of here.”
“No,” Draven demands roughly through the bond, gripping my heart with one word alone. Opening a plethora of agony that rips my insides in half. But I can’t watch him die. I must protect him.
Kye’s shout cuts through my thoughts. “Not without you!”
