Page 142 of Her Ivory Flame

She watched the last bit of people scatter from the village, an eerie quiet blanketing around them and she could feel her heart start to race. A faint tug on their bond helped ground her and she took a deep breath in response.

“I’m going to go scout real quick, the rest of you head out and pray we all survive.” Kaden barked, his eyes never leaving hers.

The other men did as they were told, her friends departing and it left only her and Kaden standing in the village square. All noise melted away and they reached for each other, her hands pressing on his armor-covered chest while he held her shoulders.

“We have to survive.” she breathed. “I need more time withyou in this life.”

Both of his hands grabbed her face, his softness reminding her of why she chose him and why she ached for him constantly.

“In this life, or the next, I will always find you.” His eyes stayed soft, an anchor in the chaos that she needed.

“You can do this.” he reassured her. “You have been through more in your life than anyone I know and you survived, Alyra. You are worthy of everything in this life, and I will follow into whatever afterlife we end up in, together.”

She tried to swallow the sob that threatened her throat, the realization they might not have more time together in this world after just finding him.

“Whatever afterlife.” she breathed. “I will love you in every afterlife Kaden.”

“I love you too, Alyra.” he admitted with an unwavering breath.

She rose up and devoured his lips, savoring the taste of him as a reminder of what she was fighting for. One of his hands cupped the back of her neck, his free arm wrapping around her back side and they let themselves have this moment, just in case it was their last.

“Go,” she whispered with tears threatening her eyes.

“Don’t die,” he whispered back.

“Same to you.” She closed her eyes and felt his thumb graze her cheek softly before the familiar sound of wings beat, and he was gone.

She let herself gather herself for a moment, both feeding each other's worries through the bond. The need to be stronger surged through her, cutting off that emotion within her and focusing on the battle ahead.

She was a warrior, she was a princess, and she would fight like one.

One last deep breath and she started to run towards the end of the village at the main entrance, Xander already waiting for her.

He gazed over her, his body more relaxed than she expected but still rigid.

“You look good in your armor, almost like your old warrior self.” A small pull of his lips caught her eye.

“Figured if I was going to die, I might as well look good doing it.” She tried to smile back, but the look in his eyes made her aware she wasn’t fooling him.

“Even without your full power, you are here fighting for your people and for us,” he said, his expression back to his usual stoic look. “We will fight for you till the end.”

All she could do was nod, another lump forming in her throat but pushed it down quickly, not wanting to distract Kaden down the bond.

A heavy beating sound caught their attention and she whirled her head to look over the horizon beyond the trees.

Black could be seen taking over the sky, movement making them realize it wasn’t clouds but the creatures heading straight for them. Xander shifted next to her, his eyes not leaving the darkening sky.

“That's more than a few hundred.” Xander snarled.

At least a thousand of those creatures were headed straight for them and she tried to keep the terror inside her from rising.

Battle wasn’t a new thing to her, she had fought with the Fae a century ago and smaller battles before that. This time though, it was just her and not her powers to assist.

“Go warn the others!” she barked, knowing they wouldn’t be able to see them soon enough.

“I’m not leaving you alone.” Xander snapped back.

“I’m ordering you to go, I will be fine.”