I stroke her brow. “You aren’t leaving me, yet,keeshla.”
Piper tries to smile, but the effort is clearly too much. “I…am.”
“We still have not crossed all the tasks off of your list.” I shake my head. “Jodah has been hard at work crafting the design for your mating marks tattoo. Once you are well, Wakiel says he would be honored to do this thing for you.”
A tear forms in her eye and slides from the corner of it. “Tell him…I wish I…could have…seen it.”
She wheezes and the crackling sounds in her chest grows louder. I place my finger over her lips.
“Rest, Piper. Close your eyes and rest.”
Her mouth moves beneath my fingertip, but no words pass. Instead, she does as I say and her eyes slowly drift shut. Still, I remain at her side.
“Eloise says the Bohnari will be here the next turn,” Kyler says quietly.
I do not lift my head from my mate’s bedside. All I do is hold her hand and give her whatever strength I am able. Two more turns have passed since she last woke and spoke to me. Every breath Piper takes is shallower than the last. She can no longer swallow the burim root water. “As much as I have prayed to Deeka, I do not think it matters. Mykeeshlawill not make it until they arrive.”
“Only the goddess knows when your mate’s time has come. You cannot give up, Katem.”
I say nothing, because there is nothing to say. The only thing I can do is wait.
“Since when did you become someone who gave up?” A voice that isn’t Kyler’s says.
I open my eyes to find Jodah standing at the foot of Piper’s bed. He glares at me.
“The Katem I have known since we were kits has never given up on anything that is important to him. Never.” He slashes his hand through the air. “What is more important than yourkeeshla?”
“She is dying.”
“Perhaps, but she is not dead yet. How do you expect her to fight if you do not fight with her?” he asks. “Do you speak with her or do you just lie there and wallow in grief?”
“She sleeps the sleep of death. The same way you did when you were injured.”
Jodah throws his arms out to his sides. “And yet, I am here. I am here, because my Sage fought. She demanded. She would not let me go. Although I slept as if I had passed onto the lands of the goddess, it was mykeeshla’svoice that always kept me grounded. She spoke to me until she lost her voice and then she would speak more. Her words and her will are why I still walk amongst us. You must fight for your Piper, Katem. You do not give up. You speak to her until she has no choice but to follow your voice and return to you. Do you understand?”
Slowly, I raise my head and turn to gaze upon mykeeshla. My mate. My Piper. Despite her death sleep, she lives. I must do whatever I can to make sure she continues doing so. My mouth opens, and I begin to speak.
Chapter 21
Piper
A warm glow surrounds me. I thought dying would hurt a lot more, but there’s no pain. Just this sense of floating. I’m pretty sure my eyes are closed, and yet I can see all around me. It’s weird though because there aren’t really any shapes or colors, but everything is crystal clear. There’s a gentle breeze that blows behind me bringing with it familiar scents and yet I struggle to name them or remember how I know them.
The wind caresses my face. I lean into the touch, because it’s the most wonderful sensation I’ve ever experienced. A gentle, quiet voice whispers in my ear. I don’t recognize who it belongs to or the words being said—although something tells me I should—but it’s definitely male. The cadence of it soothes me and brings a smile to my face.
Nothing exists in whatever place I’m in. The only thing I know is real is that voice, wherever it comes from. It almost never stops. There are a few short breaks and it often grows so quiet that I think it’s gone, but then it’s back. The darkness comes whenthe voice disappears, but it’s replaced by the warm glow when it returns. I wish I could listen to it forever.
Every so often a strange blue light travels the length of my face starting at my head and moving down to my chin. Minutes—or hours—later it passes over again but this time from my chin up to the top of my head. Along with it is the man’s voice.
I blink when the floating sensation changes. Whereas before it was as if I were weightless, there is now a heaviness in my torso. Like a string’s been tied around it and something is pulling it downward. The same thing begins to happen to my arms. Followed by my legs. My head is last until I’m completely weighted down. It’s not painful. It’s just not the light, floating I’ve sort of grown used to.
The blue light travels over my face again, but this time there’s an accompanying beep and a strange hissing sound. Slowly, I crack one eye open. Then the other. I’m lying down. That’s one of the first things I notice. The second is the smell. It’s a combination of odors; a sweet floral, eucalyptus, the forest, and a hint of chocolate.
I raise my arm, or at least try to, but it’s trapped.I’mtrapped. I glance around, only to discover I’m enclosed within some type of oblong shaped vessel. There’s a small window and through it is a dark gray metal. My breaths grow faster and just as I try to reach up again to punch or claw my way out of whatever this thing is, the lid shifts and rises.
“Peace, Piper. All is well,keeshla. Breathe for me.”
That voice. I know that voice.
