Somewhere in the back of my mind, it registered that Gall roared, and Diadre’s screams hadn’t stopped. The room was in chaos—except for the frozen Jann, and Lucifer’s quivering delight.
Then, without warning, a small, warm hand landed on my shoulder, where I sobbed on Melek’s chest, and urged me to straighten, and a quiet voice murmured, “I can help.”
I flinched, turned, to find Istral—very pale and eyes wide, her hands shaking, settling to her knees next to me.
Her pale throat jumped over and over, like she swallowed nausea, but after meeting my stunned eyes, she reached for my hands and moved them aside, then placed her soft, sweet palms over Melek’s wound.
“Istral… he’s dying,” I croaked.
She nodded, but licked her lips.
I couldn’t let myself hope. “Can you… is it… but if it’s Lucifer’s power, Melek wouldn’t want—”
Istral shook her head and looked down at Melek’s face, her worried expression meaning she didn’t have words.
She glanced at me, and I felt Melek draining away. New tears blurred my vision and I covered my mouth, weeping. “If you can… Istral...Please!”
My sister swallowed again and nodded, but she didn’t speak. Instead, hands still braced on Melek’s chest, she leaned over and began to murmur in his ear.
I couldn’t hear her whispers over the shouts and wails behind me. I wanted toscreamat them toshut up!
Then Melek convulsed. Heels drumming, his hands flailed.
I gasped and grabbed for him, sparking with hope—but then my mate dropped to stillness. When I grabbed his hand, it wasdeathlycold.
No.
No.
Please. You have to save him,I prayed.Please!
Istral didn’t move, her hands remaining flat on his chest, she continued to whisper in his ear. I clung to Melek’s hand, and pleaded with God for his life, but I was already half-convinced he was dead. The warmth in that space in my chest thatwashim, slowly began to cool, and shrink…
For seconds, nothing changed, and my heart sank.
Suddenly, just as my sobs threatened to overwhelm me, I felt it.
A warm seeping. A flare of heat. Then cool washing through the bond—and in my chest, too.
I froze. “Melek?” I breathed. He couldn’t have heard me over Gall’s roaring, but Istral kept whispering, too.
Then his hand twitched in mine.
I swallowed a cry, and grabbed for him as the milling chaos around us faded. I closed my eyes, and dropped my forehead to his stomach, gripping that hand, and reached for him in the bond—pleading with him not to leave me. Not to leaveany of us.
Melek twitched again, and I barely dared hope. There was a new flare of heat in the bond—something in him searching for life—and a rush of something… adrenaline? Some warmth returned to his palm. Then his stomach moved and he gave a great, gasping choke.
I froze, hugging his body, afraid to even—
‘I love you, Yilan.’
With a cry of sheer release, I broke down. I buried my face in his belly and held him, my arms not even reaching around him. His hand, fumbling and trembling, came to rest on the back of my shoulder, as I pleaded with him in the bond tolive,and begged God to keep him here.
Istral hadn’t moved. She continued whispering.
A final flare of heat… then the coolness in the bond… then nothing.
Panicking again, I pushed up to look at him, but Istral sat back, her eyes red and her cheeks crimson, despite the rest of her seeming so pale she was almost blue.
