AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart stills when I drop my gaze to his feet. Cora. She’s alive but curling in on herself as she holds her hands to her shoulder.
Fynn drops to his knees as he pulls her into his lap, brushing her matted hair out of her face. I don’t think. I take off, my boots pounding into the sodden ground, with Draven right on my tail.
Fynn grunts and it sounds strained, dirt and blood staining his skin with beads of sweat trailing down his face. “She was bitten,” he grinds out.
My own knees slam to the ground as I try to catch my breath. Gently moving Cora’s hand, I look at the wound and there are black veins tracking to her heart. My eyes start to well as I shake my head, the world doubling as I do. But I notice it’s not spreading, and the blue hue of her eyes start to brighten.
“Em—” Her voice is raw as it scratches up her throat.
“Shh. You’re going to be okay.” I wipe the lone tear tracking down her cheek as a small smile pulls at my lips. She was hurt last time for my sake, and I could do nothing to help. I sniffle, knowing this time she is going to be okay. She won’t suffer by turning into a vessel of darkness.
“She’s healing,” Fynn says in a hushed tone.
The tip of my finger traces the black veins that are receding, dying away as if they never existed. I wasn’t sure what would happen to the Corrupted by trapping Whiro, but it seems his curse cannot surpass the light that conceals him.
I smile wide then, my lips trembling. I unsteadily stand, my legs shaking, but I have to see. I have to see it with my own eyes, because I didn’t pay attention before, not truly. My main focus was making sure my friends were okay.
Numerous Fae stand in torn clothing, frozen still as they watch us while looking back down at their bodies. Their cured bodies. Every single one of them. Draven’s warmth brushes my side, his hand stroking my back as I look around in awe.
Such a warring feeling, the ripples of pain that grow and the swell of my heart from knowing so many lives were saved this day.
Draven’s hand stops rubbing my back, his voice sounding faint to the fog filling my head. “Emma, what's wrong?”
Darkness creeps on the edge of my vision as I go to open my mouth to speak. But my body suddenly becomes weightless, feeling as if I’m floating. The next thing I feel is strong arms wrapping around me as my body collapses and everything goes black.
“Emma,” a faint, soft voice calls to me in this dark void I’m sucked into, and I follow it. “Emma, please wake up.” This time, the voice sounds shaky, but awareness finally reaches my mind as I let myself come back into the present.
Slowly, my eyes flutter open, feeling heavy with the effort.
Bright blue eyes look down at me, wide and hopeful. And as soon as my eyes fully open, a toothy smile stretches on Cora’s face as she drops herself on top of me and hugs me tightly.
“Stop scaring me, Em,” she cries happily into my neck.
“What happened?” I croak out, my voice sounding rough to my own ears.
“You fainted from using too much power, draining your energy,” Fynn adds from the foot of the bed.
“Is everyone—”
“All are saved, little demon.” My head turns sharply at the sound of Draven’s voice, letting my eye scan every inch of him to make sure he’s not injured. But he looks freshly washed, as if we didn’t just come out of a gruesome battle and destroy an entire realm.
“Even me,” Cora’s voice pulls me back to her and it’s then I notice she, too, looks clean and rested. Confusion furrows my brows as I look to Fynn, knowing he was covered in filth from battle the last time I saw him. But I don’t find a speck of dirt or blood on his skin.
“How long have I been out?”
“Two days,” Draven says gently.
I stare off in shock, trying to wrap my head around the fact I’ve been asleep for a solid two days. Immediately, my breathing becomes shallow as I fist the sheets. My gaze locks on Draven again as a million questions fly through my mind.
“Where are all those who were Corrupted?” I rasp, desperate to know what I missed.
The mattress dips and Draven presses those lush lips of his to my forehead before breathing in deeply. “Home.” Pulling back, his crystal eyes probe mine. “They all went back home, little demon.”
I close my gaping mouth as I ask, “What about the Scavengers? They can create more—”
“They are gone.” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind the shell of my ear. “Their bodies disintegrated into thin air.” Grabbing both my cheeks in the palms of his hands, he presses his nose to mine, looking deeply into my eyes. “We won because of you. It’s all over.”
Reaching up to press my hands to his cheeks, I hold him to me, giving my head a small shake. “Not because of me. We won because of all of us.”
