I howled in pain, letting my fingers fumble over the handle of the cold dagger buried deep into our flesh from the back. I curled them around the handle, and with a violent jerk, I wrenched it free.
Fawn’s expression contorted in pain as blood spilled from our wounds and onto our naked bodies.
“Bastian, behind you!” Fawn hissed in pain.
A surge of adrenaline fueled my instincts, propelling me into action. Every muscle in my body coiled with tension as I whirled around.
A hooded figureemerged from the shadows. Their eyes glinted with malicious glee, a twisted amusement that danced in the depths of their gaze. “Wasn’t expecting to find you in such a predicament, but it’s the best time to complete an assassination.”
I blinked at him, and my vision blurred. “I guess Matthieu sent you?” My nostrils flared with anger and adrenaline as my shoulder throbbed.
Fawn clambered off of the countertop and pushed herself in front of me. “Of course he did.”
The assassin took a hesitant step back as the air around us began to shimmer and swirl with Fawn’s fire magic.
With a surge of power, a whirlwind of fire magic spiraled into existence. A torrent of flames erupted forth, sending searing fury that cascaded toward the assailant like an infernal tide.
The assassin staggered back, their confidence faltering in the face of Fawn’s elemental onslaught. The fire enveloped their form in a merciless embrace, their clothes igniting in a symphony of blues and reds. Agonized screams pierced the air, mingling with the stench of charred flesh as the arcane flames consumed their form.
I didn’t flinch from the fire, and my heart swelled with how much I trusted her with the element I’d loathed for so long. Instead, I marveled at Fawn's power. The inferno she conjured was an embodiment of her unwavering determination. The raw intensity of her magic was a tempest that consumed all in its path, and she left an indelible mark upon my soul.
The assailant's agonizing cries faded into silence, leaving only an ashen residue at our feet, but the dagger he’d used was already missing.
“Well, that was anticlimactic,” she muttered in exhaustion, holding her bleeding shoulder. Her words held a hint of wry humor, but I could see the strain etched into her features and the anxiety in our bond.
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her temple, wincing from the wound of the dagger. “We need to take a healing potion, but…”
“The dagger was the bone one,” she finished. “I know.”
“Healing potion and then dressing the wounds then,” I told her as the door to the potion room opened, and Aimon strode in with Silas and the twins in tow.
Silas rushed over to us, already prepping two healing potions he’d snagged from his robe. Jasper, Casper, and Aimon wore varying expressions of anger.
“Another attempt?” Silas asked as he handed us both a small vial of healing potion. "This should help even if they used that damn dagger.”
“They did,” she mumbled.
I downed the potion along with Fawn, but the potion only helped ease the pain slightly.
“I’ve got you, goddess,” Jasper murmured, gently guiding Fawn to a seat. “Casper, grab what we need.”
Casper had already begun rummaging through the cabinets to find supplies to dress her wound.
Silas ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll clean and dress yours.” He went to the same cabinet Casper was in to grab supplies for my wound.
I leaned against the counter, clutching the throbbing hole in my shoulder. “Thanks.”
Silas returned after Casper went over to his twin and Fawn.
He set everything on the counter and washed the wound with warm water he’d summoned. Then he thoroughly disinfected it before dressing the area with fresh bandages.
Meanwhile, Jasper and Casper tended to Fawn's wound with Aimon standing over them. He cleaned it similarly to how Silas had done for me—except he used a combination of healing herbs and salves that would help reduce scarring instead of just regular disinfectants. Not that she would need it with her powers.
Once our wounds were wrapped tightly with bandages, ensuring they would heal properly, Fawn and I got dressed again.
“Glad you two finally got a break,” Jasper told her in a teasing tone.
She let out a shaky sigh as her sad gaze met mine. “We did, but at what cost? We were almost killed.”
