“Raea,” Ciara’s voice echoes faintly from far away.
“We need to leave now,” Kellan warns. “I’ll carry Ryker. You carry Rae.” His choice to lift Ryker instead of me surprises me momentarily, but then again, I don’t care. Not when I feel so warm, so safe, like I can just forget.
My quiet vision of warm waters lapping gently at a starlit shore is violently shattered when unfamiliar hands seize me, yanking me away from Anders’. Something inside me snaps, a fraying thread of composure giving way to raw desperation.
A primal instinct surges within me, compelling me to claw and scream, to fight back.Not helpless.I must get back. Back to Anders, back to that feeling of safety I so desperately need.
Panic grips me like a vice as the arms around me tighten. Trysten’s voice cuts through the confusion, barking insistently for me to calm down, but I fight with every ounce of strength I have, recalling that time I was cornered and how that felt. I refuse to be taken against my will again.
I will not be weak.
My sole focus narrows to getting back to Anders.
“Raea,” Kellan admonishes, his voice strained with exasperation.
My vision blurs, the harsh light around me colliding with the throbbing headache that pounds in my temples. In a desperate attempt to escape the brightness, I slam my eyes shut.
My screams pierce the air as I throw my elbow backward wildly, feeling more hands restraining me. “Let me go!” I shriek, kicking and clawing, desperate to escape.
Phantom claws pierce me as chains wrap around me, restraining me in the depths of hell. A sob breaks free from my lips, a plea escaping as I thrash beneath the weight of outstretched arms.
Distantly, logically, I know it’s not the shadows, but my body and mind have been so thoroughly wrecked that I can’t make it all make sense. Suddenly, the grip holding me falters, and before I fully comprehend, a pair of strong, comforting arms envelop me.
The familiar scent of warm ocean water and a hint of citrus envelope me like a tether in the frenzy. I stop fighting, surrendering to the warmth radiating from him as he lifts me effortlessly, cradling me against him. Sobs wrack my body as he whispers over and over that I’m safe, calming the fire of panic. I breathe in his scent, relaxing into him.
Safe.
Safe.
Safe.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers softly.
As the last bit of my energy slips away like sand through fingers, I surrender once more, drifting back into a peaceful sleep among the midnight waves and the glow of the endless stars above.
thirty
. . .
ryker
“What the hell is going on?”Kellan barks, stepping closer as if he might leap forward to snatch Raea from my arms.
I dare him to try.
Whatever he sees on my face has him reconsidering as he takes a half-step back, palms raised despite his accusatory glare. Trysten, Tate, and Ciara stand a few feet away, their eyes wide with confusion, searching my face for answers I don’t have. I feel the weight of their stares, the burden of their expectation pressing down on me. Exhaustion clings to my bones, yet the adrenaline coursing through my veins drives me to move as quickly as possible. I have to get us all off this gods-forsaken planet.
I glance down, my heart rate gradually stabilizing as I absorb the sight of Raea nestled against me, peacefully asleep despite the shitstorm around us. Her pale skin is mottled with cuts and bruises, and her shirt is ragged, too short, torn in several spots, and revealing enough that I can’t keep my eyes from drifting to the black ink-like claw marks that trail down her thighs. Fury at whoever—or whatever—hurt her has me working my jaw. A vicious protectiveness wells up within me. One hand is clenched in my shirt, her nails bloodied and caked in mud. Despite being trapped on this planet and the tormentshe has just endured, her delicate scent wafts on an invisible breeze, settling something deep within me. A dewy forest mixed with fresh blooms—her.
I tighten my hold on her gently, mindful of her injuries, and shift my gaze back to Kellan. “I can explain everything once we’re away from here.” My voice is steady despite my uneasiness. “But we need to move now; if we don’t, we could be trapped here for good.” The shadows and the mist are already here, and based on her injuries, it’s come prepared to attack.
I feel the shadows creeping around us, dark tendrils slithering through the underbrush, watching and waiting, eager to snatch her. Why they want her, I have no godsdamn clue. Witnessing her entangled in those shadows and shrouded in that mist, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly golden hue, nearly shattered me. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Her magic was trying to protect her. But mine…it responded to her. It’s the only explanation for why I could draw the raw energy coursing through her and channel it back into Sgya. She had been pulling it from the veil. The intensity of the energy was almost unbearable; how she managed to contain it is beyond me. But when I wrapped my hands around her, it was as if a hole opened up—the energy surged through one arm, a deluge of raw power that flowed from her and through me, finding its way back to where it belonged.
As I glance around, anxiety claws at my chest. We’ve been here much longer than I intended. “Run, now!” I command. “Get back to the transport!”
Kellan grits his teeth, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face before he sprints ahead. He knows the way, having helped me locate our clearing in the first place.
