She crumbles.
“No, no, no, no—”I barely catch her before she hits the ground. Her skin is burning, and her body is too still. But she is breathing. She isalive.
…But she won’t wake up.
“Serenya,” I whisper, carefully cradling her with shaking hands. “Please. Please, I didn’t mean to...I—I didn’t know...”
She doesn’t even stir.
“I’m sorry.” My voice cracks. “I’m so sorry. Please wake up, little shadow.Please…”
Her shadows curl faintly around her, some coming to curl around me as if they are trying to comfort me, too. Still, she doesn’t move.
I am still smoldering with the weight of this power that I don’t understand, but I hold her tighter, terrified I have already broken the only thing that I’ve ever truly cared about. I hold her like she might slip away if I loosen my grip even a fraction.
I barely register Dimitri until the vampire silently kneels beside me in the ash and ruin of the battlefield. The sound of fabric shifting makes me tense, my protective instincts flaring. It isn’t a weapon, though, just his cloak. He wraps it gently around her burned shoulders, covering her exposed skin. He’s careful not to press the blisters.
When he reaches out to lift her, I recoil, tightening my arms. “Don’t.”
He doesn’t move. “We need to get her somewhere safe. Her burns—”
“I’ll carry her.”
“You can’t even stand.”
I try, and my knees buckle. A guttural sound rips from my throat as I crumple back to the ground. My body isn't working. My magic drainedeverything.
Still, I curl protectively around her, as if the vampire might still try to take her away.
Dimitri sighs, surprisingly patient. “Koen, if we don’t move, something else will find us. And judging by that sound—” He tilts his head toward the distant, echoing howl. “It’s already looking.”
My jaw clenches. I hate this. Hate that I’m weak. Hate the way Dimitri’s eyes soften when they land on Serenya, as ifhehas the right to feel anything for her.
But more than that, I hate the thought of losing her.
My arms loosen, just slightly. He moves carefully, prying her from my hold as if he knows I would snatch her back at the slightest misstep. Once she is in his arms, cloaked and still unconscious, I force myself to my feet. Slowly. My vision swims and my bones scream, but I don’tfall this time.
Iwon’t.Not while she needs me.
I take a slow step towardhim on shaking legs. I may not be strong enough to carry her right now, but the cloak?
Carefully easing the vampire's black cloak from her shoulders, I replace it with my own—thicker, warmer, carryingmyscent. My fingers brush against her neck, lingering just a moment longer before I step back.
Dimitri’s gaze meets mine, one brow lifting in surprise. Then his mouth curves, just a little. Not quite mockery. But as ifhe’s decided to let me have this small victory.
Together, we start walking in silence. Just the sound of water beneath our feet, the thud of my heartbeat in my ears, and the weight of too many things knotting in my chest.
The shelter we find is yet another crumbling ruin, half-swallowed by moss and cracked stone. It looks like it had once been a shrine for a god I don’t recognize, now forgotten and broken. Only one wall still stands, but it will be enough.
I collapse against the stone with a groan, finally letting the weight of my body rest. Dimitri moves smoothly, carrying Serenya in his arms as if she weighs nothing. He kneels beside me and lays her down carefully on a dry patch of earth.
The vampire doesn’t speak at first. He just works.
Serenya’s satchel had survived the battle, burnt along the edges, but intact. He opens it and begins tending her wounds with surprisingly deft hands.
The whole time I watch in silence, jaw locked, hands trembling in my lap.
Her skin is too red. Burns trace her shoulders and arms, peeling and raw, but she doesn’t even flinch. And still, she doesn’t wake.
