Auriel scoffed. “I know for a fact that you’re a better warrior than that.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure. Just like I know you, I know this.” His jaw muscles flexed as he reached for the shelf above my seat, hauling down one of the first aid kits always kept on board. He pulled out a cloth to tie around my arm and staunch the wound. “We’re going to have a little discussion later about your survival skills.”
“Maybe not while we’re being chased through the sky by a wolf legion.”
“Maybe.” He tightened the cloth, and pressed his hand to the wound, applying more pressure. I gasped at the pain, biting back a scream, as he pressed. “But we’re definitely having a talk. And the next time you think about letting one of those bastards get in a hit on you just so you can exact your revenge, or whatever the fuck that was back there, think of Rhyan. Do you think he’d want you acting recklessly on his behalf? That he’d want to see you hurt?”
My chest tightened. Because I had thought of Rhyan. And somehow, that had almost made it worse.
“Hold this right here for me,” Auriel said, replacing his hand with mine. “Tight! And don’t move! It’s deep. I’ll need to take a closer look once we land.” He stuck his head out of the window, calling orders to the seraphim, urging it to calm down, while simultaneously telling it to fly faster.
The wind gusted in thick howling waves through the carriage, the walls rattling as we picked up speed.
“By all the damned fucking realms,” Auriel yelled.
“What?” I asked, already standing and heading for a window. “What happened?”
“I said don’t move!” He crossed the cabin, running to another window, sticking his head out. “Oh! Fuck!” Then he screamed at the seraphim, “Dorscha! Dorscha !”
“What? Auriel, no! Why are you telling it to go down?” I yelled. By the looks of the landscape beneath us, we were just barely on the easternmost edge of Urtavia. Nowhere near Elyria, or anywhere remotely free of soturi. But we were already starting our descent.
“Because,” Auriel yelled, then his eyes widened. “Shit!” He shot back over to me, wrapping me in his arms, until my entire body pressed against his, my face buried in the crook of his neck.
“What—” I started, and the carriage jolted.
An awful wailing sound screeched across my ears. My stomach lodged itself in my throat and Auriel tightened his arms, pulling me even closer. Realization settled over me with a kind of silent finality. We were no longer descending.
We were falling. The wolves had struck down our seraphim.
“We’re going to die,” I whispered.
“We’re not,” Auriel hissed. “We’re not!” He took a large gulp of air. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Good enough.”
We were hurtling toward the ground now. My entire body seized up, my stomach pinching in painfully.
Auriel lifted me against him, taking on all of my body weight. I squeezed my eyes shut, as fear wrapped around me.
“Hold onto me,” he commanded, his hand sliding down my back, urging my legs to wrap around him. “Don’t let go.”
“AURIEL!” I screamed, as he leapt through the window with me. For a second we were airborne. My arms tightened around him, my heart stopping. And then we were falling, just as fast as before.
“Hold on,” Auriel gasped, stretching his body until we turned midair, his back facing the ground. “I’ve got you—I’ve got you?—”
There was a quick burst of something that felt like magic, like a cloud that stilled our bodies, but then there was a sickening thud and all the air whooshed out of me.
“Lyriana?” Auriel gasped, breathless.
Slowly, still filled with terror, I opened my eyes. I was sprawled across Auriel’s body, our limbs entangled. I barely dared to breathe. My body still felt like it was falling, my stomach still dropping. My arm screamed where I’d been stabbed. But we weren’t moving anymore. We’d hit the ground. Auriel had taken the brunt of the fall, absorbing the worst of the impact.
“Auriel?” I asked. “Auriel!”
His eyes were open, green and blazing, and staring up at me. “Lyriana,” he croaked.
