As I draw in a shallow, rattling breath, I feel the faintest breeze whisper across my battered skin. It’s so subtle, like a dream slipping through the cracks of my reality, and on that breeze is the unmistakable sweet scent of roses. My mind clings to it, desperate for a lifeline in this hell. Everly.
A smile stretches across my face as I close my eyes, the pain receding for just a moment. Her golden, silk-spun hair fills my vision, shimmering like sunlight caught in a web. Those sparkling green eyes, so full of innocence and sweetness, seem to pierce through the darkness, grounding me even though she’s not here—can’t be here.
The breeze shifts, carrying with it a ripple of change, and my instincts flare. A sense of movement draws my attention to the cavern entrance.
My eyes snap open.
She is here.
A bright, white light breaks through the darkness outside the cavern, and the massive form of a luxaryn steps into the light. Its entire form shimmers in the dark, lighting its way. The otherworldly creature spreads its white-feathered wings as it lowers its enormous head. With a guttural roar, the beast shakes the air itself, the deafening sound reverberating through the chamber. The walls tremble, and rocks and debris cascade from above in response to its fury.
And then she appears.
Everly.
She slips off the luxaryn’s back with the grace of a whisper, landing softly beside the towering beast. Her presence is ethereal, her every movement deliberate and unshaken. The fire and determination in her eyes radiates like a beacon, and for a moment, I forget the pain, forget the hook, forget the blood dripping from my face.
All I see is her.
My mate.
My soul.
My queen.
The ogres reel from the luxaryn’s roar, stumbling back in stunned confusion. Their eyes dart between the beast and the golden-haired woman who now stands before them. When they finally regain their composure, one of them steps forward with a growl, his voice dripping with suspicion and malice. “Who the fuck are you?”
I can’t help but grin through the pain, wiping the blood from my chin with a flick of my shoulder.
“That”—my voice is hoarse, but filled with pride—“would be my mate.”
The ogre sneers, his brows furrowing. “The one the Master is after?”
“The one and only.”
My smile widens, and I spit another mouthful of blood onto the cavern floor.
Chapter seventy
Everly
The steady drumbeat of adrenaline and anger pounds through my body. Every part of me is trembling, but I slip smoothly from Aetheris’s back, my boots landing on the ground, and face the two ogres, their ugly sneers sending my hackles up.
Aetheris let out a deafening roar, the sound splitting the air like a crack of thunder. The force of it sends the ogres stumbling into each other.I rest my hand on her side, my eyes going to Maxon, who is chained to the ceiling. A cold wind hits the length of my spine, but it’s nothing compared to the anger I’m feeling.
How dare they hurt my mate!
My magic pulses in response to my emotions.The air around me crackles, thick with energy and raw emotion. Golden light flickers at my fingertips, barely contained, and the ground trembles beneath my feet as if the very world can feel my wrath building. My vision narrows, not from fear but frompurpose.
“Who the fuck are you?” one ogre sneers, and I’m actually surprised, because this is the first time I’ve heard one speak.
Maxon answers before I can. His voice is rough, but the smirk on his face has my heart leaping in my chest.
“That”—pride lights his eyes—“would be my mate.”
The ogre doesn’t look convinced, his brows furrowing. “The one the Master is after?”
“The one and only,” Maxon confirms, his smile widening.
