My lungs burn and multicolor spots dance in my vision. I need more air, but I can’t bring myself to give up. Just a couple more seconds. The urge to suck in water is overwhelming, and I glide my arms down, sending my body upward. My fingers brush against something soft, and I stop. I grip the unseen item and pull it to me. Hair grazes my cheek, and my palm comes in contact with skin. The need to laugh is strong, but I stifle it andkick with such force that it sends Raelle and me racing for the surface.
My mouth breaks free of the water, and I gulp down the air. Raelle remains lifeless in my arms, her lips blue and body cold. I hold her head as far as I can above the water, my body sinking underneath with the effort.
I kick with all my might, and as soon as I can breathe, I scream, “Help!”
A slender freckled arm reaches down and grasps Raelle, just as a stronger one yanks on the back of my tunic. Ulric and Greer drag us into their boat. I scurry over to my parah and tear my leather jacket open, revealing her unmoving chest. My mouth covers hers, and I blow two big breaths into her. When nothing happens, I press my palm between her breasts and push down. I repeat the process until she coughs and spits up water. I fall to my ass, pulling her between my legs. Cradling her, we rock back and forth.
Safe.
We’re safe.
I’m no stranger to loss. It has plagued me for as long as I can remember. I learned to roll with the devastation, to rise above it and become stronger. But what I almost lost tonight, that would have been my breaking point. To have Raelle in my arms, just to lose her again, I won’t let it happen. Take away the crown, the titles, take away my kingdom, but nothing will separate me from her again.
Twelve
RAELLE
The ache in my body is bone deep. Every joint and muscle screams in agony, sending my equilibrium spinning. I stretch out the kinks, slowly breathing past the pain. Sleep glues my eyes shut, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I swear I haven’t moved in decades, and maybe I haven’t. My last memory was plummeting into the sea, my skirt wrapped around my legs, making it impossible to swim to the surface. I had to breathe to stop my lungs from burning. Panic set in and all I remember thinking was, this is it—this is how I die, swallowed by the ocean. My body forever lost at sea. Kyron would blame himself for not spotting Zek before he grabbed me. And I would never get to say goodbye to everyone I loved. As I surrendered to my fate and floated into the abyss, I smiled when a final thought entered my head. At least I made it out of the trees and off the damn island.
Thankfully, those were not my last thoughts.
I pull the soft, worn blankets tucked around me to my face, rubbing away the sleep. Harsh rays attack my sensitive eyes, andit takes me a moment to see the sun blazing through a small round window. The scent of sea salt and weathered wood fills my lungs. A small desk sits in the far corner, piled with yellow-tinted maps and books. The wardrobe across from the foot of the bed is a simple but functional design, with one door swinging open and closed. Nothing about the space is familiar until I lay eyes on the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.
Kyron rests in a plush leather chair next to the bed. His elbow is propped on the arm, and his chin is cradled in his palm. With every slight movement of his closed eyes, his long lashes fan against his naturally golden skin. I ease my naked body onto my side and pull the blankets snugly around me. I absorb every inch of him from his outstretched legs, crossed at the ankles, to the three rogue strands of ebony hair that brush his forehead. It’s hard to believe we’re in the same room, sharing the same air.
Kyron shifts and his eyes flutter open. My breath hitches at the sight. The color of his irises always reminds me of a solar eclipse—golden rays of sunlight, blazing behind the darkened moon. I dreamed of those eyes every night. My memory didn’t do them justice at all.
“Hello,” I whisper.
“Hi,” he says, his voice a groggy rumble.
Statera help me. How can a single word make my insides feel like they’re melting into a gooey mess? It’s an impossible question to answer. Confusion, hatred, lust, or love, Kyron LeFur has always had a powerful effect on me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
He leans forward in his chair and brushes a strand of hair away from my cheek. I lean into the touch, basking in the warmth of his skin on mine, but something is different. I don’t feel the thrumming of his gifts like I once did. Shadows don’t slither around my limbs and heat doesn’t spread through my veins. The urge to control his power is gone, but the need to havehim close is alive and well. I recognize that desire immediately and release a long breath. My transgressions against the Statera doesn’t seem to have cost us the parah bond.
The loss of the sensations I felt because of the Eporri causes a tiny pang of pain in my chest. I was so comfortable with the way things were. His gifts felt like an extension of me and now that’s missing. Yet I can’t be entirely saddened by that loss. For the first time since we met, I feel our connection in its purest form, the way every other parah feels a connection to their match.
He moves to sit back again, but I stop him by entwining our fingers. When I press the back of his hand to my heart, one side of his mouth pulls up. His expression is tight, almost like he has forgotten how to smile. I can understand if happiness feels foreign to him. Our time apart was like years instead of weeks, and I didn’t know true happiness when I was away from him.
“Can I get you anything?” he asks.
“A glass of water.”
He goes to the desk where a wooden pitcher sits with two cups. His black tunic is wrinkled like he has slept in it for days, and dirt streaks his leather breeches. It makes me wonder if he’s wearing the same clothes he wore during the battle. I don’t doubt it. Caring for himself would have been the last thing on his mind. The well-being of me and the others on this ship would come before his own. I’m sure he hasn’t left my side unless he was called away to deal with a pressing matter.
“Did everyone make it off the island?” I ask.
“No. Greer reported about two dozen missing.” The sorrow in his voice sends an ache to the center of my chest.
“What about Ulric and Ashavee?”
“He’s resting and the big cat switches between laying outside your door and guarding him at his bedside. She refuses to shift out of her animal form. It’s a little jarring for everyone on boardafter what we’ve been through. I’m sure she feels more secure as a predator.”
I give a weak smile and ask, “How long before we reach the Pliris port?”
Kyron returns to the bed with a full glass of water. “We should be there by tomorrow afternoon.”
Little delighted bubbles pop inside my stomach. Home is so close, yet I can’t get there soon enough. I miss my family so much. But the giddy feeling isn’t enough to drown out the pain. I sit up with a groan and hold the blankets to my chest. My hand shakes as I take the cup from him and bring the rim to my lips. Once the cool water hits my dry mouth, I can’t stop. I swallow it in huge gulps until nothing is left.
