Ibroke into a run, stumbling over rocks and debris. It was too dark to see where he was, but I kept running in the direction I’d heard him. Now and then, I caught the sound of a roar that could only be his. And as I raced toward the gates, the sounds grew louder.
I ran out of the city. A forest drenched in vines and moss rose in the distance, reminiscent of what the city had once been. A crashing sounded from within the trees. Sucking in a breath, I pulled my Mortal Blade from the sheath and raced into the thickening shadows.
His name danced along my tongue. I wanted to call out to him and hear his voice in answer. But I couldn’t risk distracting him during a fight, particularly against a shadowfiend. And so I just kept running. Branches smacked my face and arms, opening gashes on my skin, but the pain was inconsequential. Nothing else mattered but Kalen.
I stumbled into a clearing.
And there he was, a blur of mist and shadow. Six shadowfiends had him surrounded. Blood drenched from his face. His or theirs, I couldn’t tell. They were heaving, their oily fur dripping sweat onto the ground. A few of them heard my footsteps and jerked toward me, but I barely noticed it.
All I saw was him.
He lifted his gaze. Those sapphire eyes cut through the heart of me. I nearly stumbled from the weight of the sudden connection, the indescribable snap that echoed between us. He sucked in a breath so sharp that it echoed through the clearing, bouncing off the trees.
“Tessa,” he ground out, as if my name was almost too painful for him to bear. His entire body shuddered, and a feral glint lit his luminous eyes. But then a shutter slammed down over them, and the skin around his jaw tightened. “Get out of here. They’ll kill you.”
I lifted both my chin and the Mortal Blade in unison. “Whose blood is that? Yours?”
His gaze hardened even more. “I’ll heal.”
“So will I.”
Two of the beasts rushed toward me. The others converged on my mate. I shouted a cry of alarm, far more worried about Kalen than myself. Yes, he was the brutal Mist King with powers beyond imagination. But he would never use them with me so close by, not even knowing he couldn’t harm me. He would never risk trying, just in case something had unexpectedly changed during our time apart.
The shadowfiends reached me. Sucking in a breath, I dipped low and darted sideways. Their claws raked through the air where I’d just stood. I gritted my teeth and slammed the Mortal Blade into the right one’s flank. A feral shriek blasted my ears as blood gushed from its stomach. The beast tipped sideways and hit the ground.
The other was already coming for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I tried to see how Kalen was faring, but he and his enemies were nothing more than a blur of mist.
The shadowfiend lunged at me. I threw up my blade, aiming for its jaw. But I was too slow. I barely grazed the beast’s skin, and it closed its teeth around my arm. Pain like fire rippled across my skin, and I howled, unable to hold it back. Wetness coated my hands as my blood poured.
Tears pierced my eyes as I tried to wrench myself free. The beast clung on tighter, then jerked me sideways and tossed me into the air. I was flung across the clearing. My back slammed into a tree. My head hit the bark. Stars filled my vision. I groaned, trying to think through the blinding pain.
I glanced down. Through the flickering stars, I could see my arm was a mangled mess. Blood covered my leathers, staining them a bright, angry red. I breathed around the pain, steadying myself, knowing that if I did not fight through this, I would die here in the dirt. I needed to heal.
The shadowfiend thundered toward me. My blood painted its fangs. Blearily, I stood and called upon the darkness inside me. That wicked power flared to life, lighting me up like an infinite inferno. I focused the power on my arm, on every inch of me that hurt.
Within seconds, the pain vanished.
A low growl rumbled from the beast’s throat, as if it could sense my wounds were gone. Wounds it had inflicted, wounds it thought had given it the edge.
“I am the Daughter of Death,” I hissed, and angled the Mortal Blade toward its throat. “Did you truly think you could best me?”
The beast froze. It scanned my face, then fell back, letting out a howl more sorrowful than a dying man’s cry. And then, before I understood what was happening, it took off through the trees. The other shadowfiends—there were only two left alive—quickly followed.
For a moment, all I could do was stare after them, trying to understand why they’d ceased their attack. I’d have liked to think it was me who’d scared them off, but they’d been on the offensive only seconds before.
I glanced around, trying to spot any signs of danger.
The mists in the center of the clearing swept aside. Kalen knelt, one knee on the ground, looming over the two beasts he’d slain. He swiped the blood from his face and met my eyes. I swallowed, taking a step toward him. My vision went dark in the corners. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart.
Kalen stood and sheathed his sword. He strode toward me. His body carried all the power and might of the Mist King, the cruel, destructive fae he’d tried so hard not to be. But I could see it in his eyes now. He had become that and more. He’d embraced it.
And I had never loved him more than I did in that moment.
He opened his arms, still moving toward me with purposeful steps. “Come here, love.”
I ran toward him, desperate to feel his touch. The space between us quickly vanished. Our bodies collided. He wrapped his arms around me, and my feet left the ground. My cheeks were wet from my tears as he pulled me close, as one of my hands slipped into his silken midnight hair and the other palmed his powerful, rugged neck. Emotion surged within me, so hot and thick it clogged my throat, making it impossible to speak.
All I could do was stare into his eyes, relishing every spot where his body pressed against mine. I traced the line of his jaw. “You don’t look surprised to see me.”
