I’ll be back. Don’t you worry, Alfemir.
KIERAN
The shouts grew louder from the soldiers as they neared our location. I didn’t have time to think about the what ifs anymore. Time was a luxury we weren’t afforded, and if today showed me anything, it was that everything could change in a heartbeat.
An hour ago I thought I’d be going on this journey alone, at least until I found Gabe after I fell. Never in a million years would I have assumed I’d be taking this emotional and physical jump with Ronan—a man who was giving up so much to follow me into the unknown without the promise of anything in return.
Ireallywouldn’t have expected to be holding hands with a certifiably insane prisoner, who in good measure was equally attractive and lethally powerful. His split dyed hair was unusual, but somehow it just fit him. His pale skin contrasted the colors well, and his eyes oozed with confidence. In general, he just had this bad boy energy around him. He scared the shit out of me with how immense his powers were, and I was sure what I saw was just the tip of the iceberg. However, I wouldn’t lie that something about him drew me in like a moth to a flame, despite his peculiar changes in behavior and appearance.
I forced myself to take a deep breath as I stared down the destiny awaiting us on the other side of this portal and took a step forward.
All that mattered for now was the way our bodies were propelled through the lavender mist as it swept around us in a tornado-like spiral. Niz released a sound from his tiny chest, one that seemed to echo ten times louder in the space, and I fought a panicked urge to let go of the guys’ hands to pull the wyvern against my chest protectively. I hoped like hell that Ronan had a tight hold on him with his other hand, similarly to how I was grasping onto both of the guys’ hands.
The world around us seemed to momentarily hesitate, complete silence following the noise. As my brows dipped, wondering if the portal was working, we suddenly dropped. It felt like plummeting forty stories at once, and my breath caught in my throat. The pressure weighing down on me was all encompassing, and I struggled to keep my grip on their hands.
It felt like a vacuum was suddenly sucking us downward in a hard, demanding pull. My jaw clenched from the force before a panicked noise escaped me. My chest squeezed as adrenaline coursed through me, and I fought to remember what the heck I was supposed to be doing right now.
Gabe.
I knew our connection was strong, if not incredibly confusing considering the intense nature of it, but it wasn’t until that moment I realized the depths of it. The mere thought of his name made my chest settle as an exhale whooshed out of me. Relief and peace flowed through me as I remembered his instructions.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled forth his memory as strong and as fast as I could, willing the universe to bring me to him. I thought about his smile. His words about being welcomed and accepted with the Rebellion. His hot, yet comforting touch.The feel of his wings wrapping protectively around me as the glass shards rained down on us.
My heartbeat grew loud in my ears, but suddenly the vacuum of space around us felt like it gainedpurpose.That was the only possible word for it, as the once void-like environment seemed to tighten around us and drive us forward with one hard push to my back. My spine tingled as if my wings were going to pop out, a wave of magic seeming to brush over and through each feather individually, making me shiver. A change was coming over me, but I couldn’t focus on it when my body tensed as if knowing we were reaching the end of our journey.
The four of us were suddenly thrown forward and spit out violently onto the rough, hard, concrete ground.
“Fuck,” I groaned, unable to hold back the curse as pain seeped into my body. All of my senses came roaring back to life.
I distinctly heard the clanking of equipment, instantly reminding me of the training centers back home. I couldn’t focus on placing our surroundings. Instead, I did a mental catalog of my body to make sure nothing was damaged past the surface level wounds I felt.
My hands and knees had definitely taken the brunt of the landing, saving the rest of my body. The weight of Niz landing on my shoulder and his tongue darting out in a kiss of sorts to my cheek was sweet and comforting.
I looked up at Ronan, finding his gaze filled with concern as he pushed to his full height a few feet away. “Are you okay? I had no idea we would land so hard, I should have tried to take the brunt of the impact.”
Without looking down, I could tell from the burning and pulsating pain through my palms and knees that I was bleeding in a couple places, but it was nothing that needed to be focused on right now. I’d live.
Smiling at his concerned rambling, I offered a small head shake as I answered, “I’ll be fine, Ronan—I promise. It’s just a few scrapes, you big softie.” His eyes flared with what I recognized as a bit of frustration and amusement, drawing a smile to my face in return.
It was endearing to see the side of him that doted on me compared to the almost drill sergeant mentally he’d had in all that time he trained me in school. And they said you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks.
“Darling, as much as I love the word fuck coming from your mouth, this isn’t the situation I prefer to hear it used in,” Bastian mused, appearing next to me suddenly. He offered an arched brow as he grasped my arm to help me up, far more gently than I would have expected. He eyed my elbow. “You should be a bit more careful to not shed such precious liquid for no purpose. It really is a waste.”
My brow pinched.Precious liquid?
“What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion while I brushed off the dirt from my clothes.
I offered him a bewildered look as he ran a finger over the tender skin of my palm, closest to his hand. I winced in pain. I couldn’t help but instinctively jerk my arms away from him as I spat, “Could you maybenottouch my wounds and cause me further pain?”
He lifted a red droplet in the air to show it to me, eyeing it with fascination and completely unfazed by my annoyance. I couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes seemed to shimmer a vibrant crimson suddenly, the tips of his hair doing much the same and distracting me momentarily. It was eerie the way his appearance could just change on a dime.
“This precious liquid,” he explained before he sucked on his finger, tasting my blood and letting out a deep groan of satisfaction. “Exquisite.”
My eyes widened in disbelief. He really just sucked my blood from his finger.
The man literally dropped onto the ground and stretched out after that. Closing his eyes, a faint smile coasted to his lips that were stained with a tinge of my blood, leaving me speechless. I looked up at Ronan, who was glaring at Bastian, before looking back toward the unhinged Caster who was seriously making me question my decision to bring him with us.
A long exhale left my lips as I shook my head. No, I’d done the right thing. He’d been through enough in Alfemir…I couldn’t have left him there.
