“Long may you live in the Six Hèls,Nebulari,” she hissed into my ear. “And may our Fallen gods ravish the Bastard Queen.”
A scream to shatter the madness of the twinight careened in the air above me. It was when I felt how raw my throat was that I realized the scream had come from me. It had never been only Marcèllian who betrayed the Everthorns. Saundeiah played her part, too. And well. I heaved, a gush of blood pouring through my teeth.
“SAUNDEIAH,” Tassarion roared through a strangled cry. “What in the hèls have you done?”
A wailing cry, a mournful lament, swept through the air above. War waged around me as death swiftly made its way to me. My blackfire receded and in its wake left me on the solitary stroll to the gates of the Ellelights. Strong arms curled around my dying body. Large but gentle hands pressed into my skin.
“I’m going to keep you,”Tassarion sobbed, his voice breaking.“Do you hear me, Everheart? The Elleligths will not have you, Nahomie. I am going tokeep you.”
I wish he had more time to do so. My time had come. Death claimed me, pulling me into the dark. I breathed my last and tumbled into an eternal, endless night.
Chapter 33
Tassarion
“My Everheart, please wake up.”
Sniffles sounded all around me as if I were in a funeral procession. I leaned over the bedcloud, looking down at Nahomie’s unconscious body. Her last breath was taken an hour ago. My anxiety was through the atèmos as I waited by her side, silently begging her to take another. Lying in our bedcloud, she looked like an image out of my nightmares.
Bruised. Broken. Dead.
I trembled, taking in her still body. My sole consolation was that our bond was still there. The thread of gold beamed on. Its light had dimmed significantly, but it was still there. Which was all that mattered. If our bond still lived, then so did my wingmate.
There was going to be hèls to pay for what Marcèllian had done to my wingmate.
For what...rot, whatSaundeiahdid. I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around that betrayal. I had been too late, too far from Nahomie when the Nanmiess struck her with the dagger I instantly knew was a shadowblade laced with shaelfire. A particular poison only derived from darkmajik, its source of which was the Belial Realms. Saundeiah who’d raised me sinceI was a youngling. Who’d been Manmi’s closest confidant and friend while also being her honored maiden. Saundeiah who’d held me when I sobbed in this manor alone in the initial dawns after my exile.
Saundeiah.
The blow of her betrayal hurt in a way that left my chest aching. Before I could get my hands on her, she’d gotten hold of a boneraven, with an attending bloodhound, and they’d both taken off into the twinight. I couldn’t guess where she escaped to, but if I ever laid eyes on her again, the Nanmiess would be dead.Permanently.
I sat beside my wife, thrumming with rage.
There was nothing I could presently do about Saundeiah. But Marcèllian...
This twinight, I would have his head and his wings.
He’d left before I could fully avenge the blood that stained his soul black. I would go after him. But I had to know Nahomie was alright before I went anywhere. Khaziah checked her pulse while pressing the back of her hand to Nahomie’s forehead.
“Losing blood while she was stillfyusedis taking its toll, mi Roi. And the poisonousmajik... Our Roièssa lives, but there is no telling how long it will take for her to recover. If she recovers at all. This is beyond even my abilities, and I am the one who helped you heal after you escaped Belial.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, mi Roi. There is nothing else I can do.”
I heard the Raephim’s words, but I refused to accept them.
Nahomie had to get better. Iwould notlive this wretched life without her. Not after she’d been dropped into my world and resurrected everything she touched back from the dead.
The Gargorètti felt the same.
The entire contingent of gargoyles encircled our bedcloud, their large frames taking up every inch of space in our lair. They glared at Khaziah as if they would dismember her head fromher shoulders. Coralai took a step toward the Raephim. I lifted a hand to stop her before the gargoyle disemboweled my healer.
“Try again, Khaziah.” I looked at Nahomie’s face. Her skin was losing its color. I trembled with fear at the thought of losing my wingmate. If Nahomie’s spirit left me for the Ellelights, I would stop at nothing to follow right after her.
“Everheart, I need you to wake up. Please. A breath. A movement. Anything.”
I released souls down our bond, flooding beyond the planes of my spirit, pouring into Nahomie. The souls entered her spirit easily, tumbling into an endless pool of blackfire that thrashed violently inside of my bride. She had been leashed by the Belial poison. Her power was shackled in her spirit, unable to help her heal. To recover. Towake up.
“So you didn’t listen the first time, hmm?”
Rot. No. Not this. Not now.
