She yells, her grip falling away as I drop to the floor. Vander is on his feet before I hit my knees, and then Sela screams again. This time it’s guttural, agonized.
I look over my shoulder and see Vander’s fist through her chest, her poison blood flowing along his arm and sizzling on the rotten carpet beneath us. With his other hand, he rips the emerald circlet from her head. Then, yanking his arm back, he shows Sela her own putrid heart. Her eyes go wide and slitted, the dragon trying to surface. Vander squeezes, the organ exploding in a rain of venomous blood as Sela falls to the floor dead.
“Larellin!” He spins to me and lifts me in his good arm.
“I’m okay,” I lie weakly.
He carries me from the bedchamber and into the hallway, laying me down in front of the sunny windows as the battle still rages outside. “I’ll be okay.”
“No.” He looks at the wounds on my stomach.
I don’t bother inspecting them. I can feel them. They are death.
“No, my treasure. No.” He strokes my cheek, then leans back and lets out a rattling roar. “Brin, brothers, to me!”
He returns his gaze to me, his features gentling as he presses his palm to my stomach.
I wince.
“You’ll be all right. You’re going to be all right, my treasure.”
“You saved me.” I smile at him and wish I could take his hand in mine. I’m too weak to move. “You changed your fate. You triumphed.”
“You are my fate. You are my triumph.” He leans down and kisses my forehead as Brin runs up, his clothes in tatters.
“Gods.” Brin drops to his knees, his eyes still glowing with wolven brightness. “Sela?” he asks.
“Dead.” Vander gnashes his teeth.
“But her venom lives on.” Brin lifts Vander’s hand and frowns as he inspects my wound.
“Help her.” Vander’s eyes water, his voice breaking. “Save her.”
Gods, seeing him in pain like this is another wound, one that cuts just as deeply as Sela’s claws.
“I’ll be all right.” But I realize I didn’t say the words. I can’t speak. I don’t have the energy. Instead, I use the bond. “I love you.”
Vander strokes my cheek, his beautiful green eyes focused on me and me alone. “I won’t let you go to the eternal, Larellin. I refuse. Do you hear me?”
“I don’t think the eternal takes requests.” I close my eyes. “Or orders.”
“Stay with me.” He presses his warm lips to my forehead. “Stay, Larellin.”
“Oh, shit.” Fyan’s voice. Then Faraday’s, “Brin, what do we do?”
“The poison has gone too deep.” Brin sounds tired, sad.
I try to open my eyes, to reassure all of them. But I can’t.
“You are mine, and I am yours,” Vander whispers against my lips. “We are one, my treasure. We are forever.”
“Brin!” Faraday barks.
“I’m thinking!” the wolven roars, but I barely hear it. He sounds so far away. They all do.
“Think fucking faster!” Fyan cries.
“Stay,” Vander’s tone turns demanding. “You will stay with me, Larellin.I am the king of the DragonLands, and Icommandyou to stay.”
