‘Come again?’ The voice, hoarse but unmistakably wry, froze him in place.
His eyes snapped open to find hers already watching him, wide and shimmering with something he hadn’t expected.
Wonder.
And, gods help him, amusement.
‘Kai Blackburn, praying over little old me,’ she murmured, a breathless laugh on her lips as his arms fell from around her. ‘Now I’ve seen everything.’
‘You’re testing my patience,’ he snapped, the words a growl as he rose to his feet and took a step back, putting space between them as though distance might steady him. Yet the moment she winced, her face creasing with pain as she shifted, he dropped to a crouch beside her once more.
‘Let me see your leg.’
‘It’s broken,’ she replied flatly.
‘I can seethat,’ he muttered, already reaching towards it. But as he tried to inspect the injury, she recoiled instinctively, stubbornly, and the movement wrenched a scream from her throat. ‘Stop moving. I’ll have to carry you back.’
‘No.’
His brow furrowed. ‘No what?’
‘No, I’m not going anywhere with you.’
Kai exhaled heavily, the sound half sigh, half surrender. Rather than argue, he simply settled down beside her, shoulder brushing hers as they both leaned back against the warm stone wall. Across from them, the phoenix observed in regal silence, its great red-golden wings shifting slightly, sparks trailing from the tips of each feather with an almost mesmerising grace.
‘Did you ride that?’ Dawn asked, her voice tight, a bead of sweat slipping down her temple. The pain etched into herfeatures twisted something sharp in his chest. He glanced at her leg again, worry gnawing at him. If they delayed too long, the injury might worsen.
Still, he said nothing. He would not force her.
‘I’d have ridden the back of a demon if it meant finding you,’ he said instead.
A long silence followed, heavy as dusk.
Kai cleared his throat awkwardly and added, ‘Getting the dragons was your idea. I need your help. That’s all I meant. I said I’d come after you, no matter what. We’re in this together. Remember?’ He kept his gaze fixed ahead, not daring to look at her, but he could feel the weight of her stare, those purple eyes watching him with quiet intensity.
‘She knows,’ Dawn whispered, her voice barely more than a breath, tinged with something fragile, almost childlike. ‘Alina knows it’s me.’
‘I know,’ Kai said softly, unflinching.
Dawn’s breath caught, a quiet gasp escaping her lips.
‘I spoke with her,’ he added. ‘It’s all right.’
‘No, it’s not.’ Her voice cracked. ‘I hurt her. I know I did, but…’
‘But she hurt you too,’ Kai said gently, giving voice to the words she couldn’t seem to speak herself. He turned to her, truly turned, his gaze catching hers. Her eyes widened, as though startled by the notion that someone, anyone, might understand her grief. ‘She was your friend, and you believed that when you finally showed her your true face, she’d forgive you.’
The tears came swiftly, unbidden and unrelenting. They welled and spilt, tracing silver tracks down Dawn’s cheeks as she sobbed.
‘It was real to me,’ she managed, broken and raw. ‘I loved them. I truly did. But they didn’t love me back. Not once theysaw my eyes.’
‘No, Dawn,’ Kai said, shaking his head, firm and quiet. ‘It wasn’t because of your eyes, and deep down, you know that.’ He held her gaze, unwavering. ‘They’re just eyes, Dawn. Just eyes. Nothing more.’
She looked at him, hollowed out by anguish. ‘But you hate me,’ she said, her voice a trembling thing. ‘Because of what they represent.’
Her words stole the breath from his lungs. He stilled, absorbing the pain behind them, the truth she believed.
There was a time when he might’ve said yes. A time when all he could see in her stare was the death of his sister, of Haven. But not now. Not after everything. Those eyes no longer haunted him. His sister, Mal, bore that same violet glare. He had loved and protected eyes like hers for most of his life.
