The side of my neck near the crook of my shoulder feels… weird. There's a strange, tingling energy blanketing it, and beneath that, it's cold and numb. Like a cut from a too-sharp knife that doesn't hurt, but you know it should, and that makes it feel worse somehow.
"I don't feel good," I manage to say.
He makes a sound—not quite a growl—and crushes me against him. Not painful, but secure. Unbreakable. Like he's trying to fuse us together through sheer force of will.
I bury my face in the crook of his neck, breathing in a scent I can almost taste. Clean and sharp and right, like a winter storm. The kind that keeps you from leaving your house so you huddle up by the fire with hot chocolate and warm blankets, safe from the howling wind outside.
I could stay right here in this alpha's arms forever.
But everything's going red around the edges. Not scary red. Just... distant. Like the world's slowly being painted over with watercolor, bleeding from silver to crimson in gentle gradations. The white flowers beneath us begin to darken, petals curling inward.
He holds me tighter.
Tighter.
So tight I can feel his heartbeat against my ribs, strong and steady and alive.
I should be afraid. Should be fighting this slide into darkness. But wrapped in these arms, held against this chest, fear can't quite take root.
If I'm dying, at least I'm dying somewhere that feels like home.
The red deepens.
His grip becomes desperate, crushing, like he's trying to physically anchor me to existence through contact alone.
"Don't leave," he rumbles softly into my hair. Not a command. A plea. "Please don't leave me."
I want to tell him I'm not going anywhere. Want to promise I'll stay. But words won't form anymore, slipping away like water through my fingers.
The world goes completely red.
Chapter 48
RAVEN
My boots poundagainst palace stone as I chase after Knight's retreating form. The massive alpha moves with impossible speed up stairwells and through hidden corridors like he built them, despite the sedative still clouding his system, despite the blood dripping from his wounds, despite carrying Cosima's limp body cradled against his chest like his entire world will end if he lets her go.
Except if he doesn't, itwill.
My lungs burn. My muscles scream. I push harder anyway.
Behind me, I hear Nikolai and Azarel's footsteps, heavy and desperate. Geo's limping run, his fucked knee barely supporting him but refusing to slow down even though he's dazed from the hit he took. We're a pack of wounded predators pursuing one of our own.
Knight crashes through a door that leads to the palace rooftop, wood exploding from the strike from his metal fist. I'm throughit three seconds later, bursting into cold desert night air that tastes like snow.
The rooftop spreads out before us, flat stone punctuated by decorative columns and elaborate statues of ibises frozen in flight. The moon hangs full and bright overhead, painting everything in silvery light that makes Cosima's hair glow where it isn't drenched in blood, the long strands draped over Knight's arm.
She's so still.
Toostill.
Knight staggers to a stop near the edge of the roof, far enough from the precipice that I don't think he's going to fall or planning to jump, but close enough to make my stomach drop anyway. He turns slowly to face us, his frame hunched protectively over Cosima, and the moonlight illuminates his scarred face, burning blue eyes tracking our approach with feral wariness.
"Knight." I hold up both hands, showing I'm unarmed. Showing I'm not a threat. "Please. We're not trying to take her from you."
His response is a low, rumbling growl that vibrates through the air. A clear warning.
Stay the fuck back.
