“Merrick!” Raine slapped the silver-haired Fae’s back when he stumbled again, and Frelina’s soul froze to ice when Merrick didn’t respond. When his head lolled and Raine slipped his arms under his shoulders…
She knew something was really wrong.
Especially since Frelina was certain that Merrick would never have accepted that Elessia was being cradled in the arms of another. Friend or not, Kerym wouldn’t be standing where he was if Merrick wasn’t near death.
“Merrick! What the fuck is happening?” Kerym demanded.
The silver-haired Fae finally shook his head, although his dark eyes were worryingly glossy as he lifted his face from where it had hung limp between his shoulders.
“Fuck,” Merrick rasped as he swayed, kept upright only by Raine’s strong arms, water splashing from the puddles lining the path as the shuffling of feet upset it. “What was that?”
Elessia groaned in Kerym’s arms. “I feel like I need to sleep for days.”
The sound of her shaky voice seemed to instill some energy in the Death Whisperer, but even as he shook off Raine’s hand, snapping at him when he stumbled to reach Kerym and Raine tried to catch him again, Merrick didn’t try to pull Elessia back into his arms.
Frelina’s skin tingled as she watched Merrick instead lift a hand to his face.
It came back red when he wiped his nose. And when he cautiously reached out to do the same to Elessia and her blood mingled with his own before the rain washed it away, the iciness feathering across Frelina’s entire body caused every inch of her skin to pebble.
That’s not good, is it?
She hadn’t spoken to Raine much the past week—she’d seen how conflicted he was, and while it annoyed her, especially when she could see the idiot cared for her, she’d left him alone because whatever he needed to work out in his mind wasn’t something Frelina could help him with.
But now? When every face around her darkened with worry?
When Amalise stepped up beside her, her sharp inhale betraying her fear?
When the witch sisters, whom Frelina had spent most of the time with the past week, whispered urgently to each other, and shot looks at her sister that Frelina found most unsettling?
She needed her friend. She needed who Raine had been to her before they’d gotten tangled in this mess of emotions and feelings and guilt and worry.
Frelina didn’t bother hiding her thoughts, and she knew the wince pulling at Raine’s features came from shame, but his eyes softened when they found hers.
No. No, I don’t think that’s very good.
She nodded, but as she was about to take a step toward her sister, Merrick nearly collapsed again, and Frelina froze as he finally let Raine catch him. The latter began to drag Merrick toward the cabin while the Death Whisperer stumbled by his side.
We need to get them inside. Now. Something is really wrong.
The fear resounding in Raine’s mind was mirrored in Kerym’s eyes as he followed, and Frelina rushed her steps to sidle up with the raven-haired Fae, her hand brushing over Elessia’s forehead as they slowly made their way down the final path to their house.
It wasn’t only raindrops that dampened her sister’s skin, and Frelina fought a swallow when Elessia’s eyes didn’t open, the body only curling against Kerym as if… as if she needed warmth?
“It’ll be all right, Golden Eyes.” Kerym repeated the words as Elessia whimpered, and a gust of wind caught them, causing the entire group to sway. “You’ll be warm soon.”
“Merrick,” her sister whispered, her mouth rounding into a mixture of yawn and grimace.
“He’s right here,” Kerym responded, throwing Frelina a look that had her add, “Yes. He’s just about to get into the warmth. He’s fine, Elessia. You’ll both be fine.”
Elessia didn’t say anything else, and Frelina held her breath until they finally stepped over the threshold of the cabin, leaving the storm behind. However, its roar still echoed around them, slamming against the windows that still had glass and whistling between the boards of the other ones.
Merrick was already seated on the couch, his facewhiter than it had been even after Elessia had died, but his eyes still tracked her sister as if she were the only thing that mattered in the world. When Kerym gently set Elessia down beside Merrick and the latter was able to wrap an arm around her, it was as if all air left Merrick—a soft wave rolling through him, his tired eyes still shining with love.
Frelina smiled weakly.
Elessiawasthe only thing in the world that mattered to Merrick. Everyone had found that out when he’d unleashed his magic that day, when it had felt as if the entire realm was caving in on them.
She knew many people placed whispered blame on him, even some in this room—she’d heard Kerym and Ardow speak of it a few days ago—but she couldn’t do it. Not when he looked at Elessia like that.
