“Kalen.” I choked out his name as we continued to race through the night.
“I know,” he murmured. “I know.”
“What do we do?”
His hand tensed around mine. “Boudica has been in the skies above us. She saw everything, and she’s flown ahead to warn Toryn. He’s the only one who can understand her like I can. The city will know what’s coming, and we’ll do whatever it takes to give them time to prepare.”
My heart rattled. “We won’t scale the cliff and lead the beasts to the city.”
“No. When we reach the mountain, I will turn and face the enemy. I will fight. For Dubnos.”
Fight and die.
There were too many, even for Kalen. He knew that, and so did I. And yet we could not climb. They’d only catch us and kill us, and then they’d set their sights on the castle above. A horrible understanding turned my stomach into a pit of writhing snakes. This was the end for us. There was no way out.
Through the trees, I spotted the wall of rock. The base of the mountain.
I turned my gaze to Kalen’s tight face. “Your power. I felt it through the bond. It’s awake, it’s alive. You could use it against them.”
“I tried,” he said, his voice so tense it seemed as though he had to scrape the words out of his throat. “They’re still muting it somehow.”
I shook my head. But if I could feel it, if I could call upon it, then it had to be in there somewhere. Maybe with the bond I could unlock it somehow, just enough for him to blast through the shadowfiends that chased us.
Sucking in a breath, I turned my focus inward to the bond tethering his soul to mine. I reached out and searched for that all-consuming power. And there it was in a brilliant shade of sapphire—so vibrant and alive, glowing with the light of a star.
“What are you doing?” Kalen slowed to a stop.
“Just…trying something.”
I held onto that thread of power and I pulled.
Pain exploded through my back. With a cry, I wrenched free of Kalen’s hand and slammed into the ground, but I barely felt the impact. It was my back—burning, ripping, roaring, tearing me apart. It was as if a monster feasted on my flesh, its massive teeth digging into me.
Shuddering, I clutched at the ground. Dirt scraped against my fingernails.
And then something tore through my skin. It felt as if my shoulder blades had become swords, slicing through my fighting leathers. I turned and saw them, wide and gleaming white. They were beautiful. I flexed, and they extended to their full, glorious span. Wings. I had sprouted wings.
Forty-One
Tessa
Aroar filled my head. It took me a moment to realize the sound was coming from me. Kalen knelt by my side, brushing the damp hair away from my sweat-soaked face, and my wings—oh, light, mywings—were gently pulsing against the wind. With every new beat, another blast of pain ripped through my back.
“Tessa, love, you need to get on your feet.” Awe mingled with the concern in his voice, and I could tell through our bond that he wanted to soothe my pain, to take me away somewhere he could tend to me.
But there were monsters coming.
Grinding my teeth, I forced my aching body to stand, but my massive wings almost dragged me back to the ground. They wereheavyand unbelievably strong. Teetering on my feet, I grasped Kalen’s hand to hold myself steady, and then I met his eyes.
He smiled—actually smiled. “You are fucking breathtaking. Can you control them?”
“I don’t know.” I hissed as I forced the wings to move, and a fiery pain licked my back. They’d torn through my skin and the back of my leathers, but enough of the material still hugged my waist and arms to keep my front covered. “A little.”
“Do you think you might be able to fly?”
I choked out a tense laugh. “Absolutely not.”
“Use my power to strengthen you.” He lifted his head then and gazed through the woods. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. I knew what that look meant. The enemy would be here any moment. I didn’t have much time to overcome this. Why did the wings have to come to menow?
