But what I didn’t realize until now was that my hellion wasn’t the only one fatally wounded.
And the shadows Rune pulled from me were holding her wounds closed.
Between my shadows and Hadrian, they were the only two things keeping her alive.
She had no energy to help Lucille, and if she tried, she’d die.
Rune whimpered, and I broke.
“Why the fuck isn’t he doing anything?” I raged aloud in a panic, spreading my wings and releasing the wall of shadows around them without a care for the danger.
“Ronen!” I heard Alexei shout just after something sharp pierced one of my wings.
But I barely felt the pain.
Someone—or something—tackled me to the ground right as I ripped myself out of Rune’s vision.
Alexei straddled me, his lightning flashing through my shrouding darkness. My shadows continued to pour out of me, untethered by my restraints.
They sought her.
So they’d find her.
Still, the infected came, unbothered by the darkness ruthlessly ripping apart their minds.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” Alexei demanded, glaring at the dagger protruding from my wingtip. “Cover them!”
“I have to get to her,” I said resolutely.
Nothing would stop me.
But I didn’t need to shove Alexei off me because even if my tone didn’t waver, he saw a truth I couldn’t voice written all over my face.
“Fuck,” he whispered, grasping the dagger in my wing and ripping it free.
I didn’t even wince.
“MJ,” he called, his expression hardening. “Fire tunnel, then up and out.”
His tone prevented her from asking questions.
“It’ll take the last of my reserves.”
“Then it’ll take the last of your fucking reserves,” Alexei declared, rising and pulling me up with him.
The two of us seamlessly took out a large portion of infected, then MJ circled us in flame.
A fiery red tunnel slowly formed, sweat beading down MJ’s forehead. She raised her hands into the air, pushing the tunnel higher.
I waited for Alexei to unleash his wings and watched as he turned to me with regret in his gaze as we both remembered.
“Bring her back to us,” he murmured, lightning crackling in his hands.
I nodded.
Hold on, Hellion. I’m coming.
I gazed up at the dark opening at the end of MJ’s swirling fire.
