Strangled cries forced their way out of her throat. Over and over, memories of her sister being dragged away from her flashed through her mind. There was no end to this fear, as she relived that horrible moment of what must have been her sister’s death.
Savine caressed her face and stroked her hair. Other voices murmured near her, but she latched onto Savine’s soft eyes, once again blue, and his soothing words. “Hush, my flower. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Tears soaked her face, and she couldn’t register the surrounding battle. She leaned her body into Savine’s, breathing in his scent to dull out the scent of blood and gore from the battlefield. Before she understood what was happening, she was on Jari, and they were racing up the mountainside.
She gave in to the warmth of his body and shook in relief.
Savine had her. He wouldn’t let anything harm her.
Avery looked up with disbelief at the grove of trees that bounded alongside Jari, encircling them as they made quick progress across the battlefield and back up the steep slope of the mountain.
Savine dismounted Jari and helped Avery down. Her legs felt wobbly, but she was in one piece. The pounding in her head made her gasp in pain. Through the throbbing ache, Avery saw Rue and Weston beside her and Savine. At least two dozen trees circled them, and a herd of elk stood nearby.
Savine was talking to Rue and Weston. Vaguely, she realized that Savine was going to leave her. Despite everything he said, he was notgoing to stay. It hurt already, knowing that he would leave her when she felt so vulnerable.
“Don’t let any harm come to Avery. Goddess damn me, I shouldn’t leave her now, but our warriors need me. The trees and elk will work as sentinels. If there is any danger, send an elk to me immediately.”
The pounding in Avery’s head made her drop to the ground with a thud. Savine caught her before she fully collapsed and helped her lie down.
“Ave, I let you burn out. I fucking caused this by taking too much from you. Rest here, and I will be back soon to make it up to you.” Savine took the iron axe, wrapped in a cloth, from Jari’s saddle and placed it near her. “Keep this close.”
Avery nodded as Savine pressed his lips to her sweat-soaked forehead. Tears threatened to burn a trail down her face as she looked up at Savine, turning his back on her.
Before she could respond, Rue replaced him by her side. She hardly saw his back as he charged down the mountainside on Jari.
As Savine rode away, Avery felt that part of her was being torn from him. The connection she felt on such a tangible level stretched taut and burned through her whole body. Her parched throat let out a raspy gasp as she tried to cry out to him, but no words came out.
Chapter thirty-nine
Savine
Every nerve in Savine’s body fired in protest as he rode away from Avery. This was a terrible mistake. Although he no longer saw the tethers of their soulmate bond, they pulled and stretched as he rode farther and farther from his mate. It was as if the connection between them had taken on a mind of its own and was fighting his decision to leave her side.
He had to trust that Rue and Weston would keep her safe. He had to believe that getting her away from the danger of the battle and letting her rest would be the best way to keep her safe. This was the best option for her.
Dwelling on the threat of her being attacked wouldn’t help him finish the job before him.
No, Savine’s people needed him on the battlefield. Even without the strange, pure magic that Avery had pumped into him, he was still the rightful King of Latiah. The trees and animals still acknowledged him as the leader of Latiah, and he would be damned if he let this opportunity slip from his grasp to finally defeat his enemies. Instinctively, he touched the gilded crown on his head. Althea had done this. She saw favor on him. Blessed him with the boughs.
The Hylax numbers were immense. This was a well-planned attack. Jasper had lured him out, knowing that Savine would take the bait of hearing about the attack on the trees. But these new allieswere weak. The Hylaxes, while ruthless, were not a polished and cohesive force. In fact, they fought against the skilled Latians like a sloppy, untested band of thieves.
Overhead, Savine saw members of the Latian aerial force fighting in wing to hand combat against the Hylax attackers. Massive eagles with razor sharp talons gutted the Hylax attackers, sending them down in shreds. Smaller shifter birds worked in groups to assault the Hylaxes to the ground. Once down, the Hylaxes were no match for Garnel’s warriors. Using a blade and essence, they cut the enemy down to the ground.
The weakened loyalists continued their retreat toward the pass. What they did not realize was that the trees encircling their path would never let them survive. Not after what the loyalists had done to them. Not now that Savine had awakened the trees, and they acknowledged him as the King of Latiah.
Savine rode to Kyla’s side, taking out Hylaxes from the sky with strangling vines as Jari careened down the mountainside.
“Is Avery safe?” Kyla asked as she lifted her hands to the sky and unleashed her essence against the world. Her essence flowed and twisted as she poured her magic out of her body. The screams that filled the air when Kyla invaded their emotions sent a chill down Savine’s spine. What emotion was she pumping into them to create such a reaction?
As the Hylaxes hit the ground, Savine wrapped the enemy in thick tendrils of thorns. The screams of the Hylaxes who survived the fall were muffled as the thorns pierced through the enemies’ skin.
Savine finally replied to Kyla’s question. “She’s burned out and exhausted. I pray to the Goddess that she’s safe with Rue, Weston, and the sentinels I sent with them.”
To their right, Garnel and a pack of shifters tore into the flesh of the fallen Hylaxes. Black blood oozed from their maw.
Kyla nodded. “Her terror when she witnessed Garnel in his shifted form drowned out any other emotion on the battlefield. I’m so sorry he caused her more pain.”
Savine grimaced. He’d nearly lost her in the recesses of her own mind. He’d even felt her spine tingling with fear through the small tendrils of their growing bond. And yet, he’d left her only minutes later. The selfish bastard that he was, he’d done exactly what he never planned to do — leave Avery. All for the sake of ending this damn battle.
