Page 45 of A Filling of Fables and Firelight

“Rana!” Through the chaos, Jasper’s panic-stricken cry grabbed her attention. He pointed past her shoulder, and she turned just in time to see the announcing judge lift a thin silver tube to his lips and blow.

She wrenched herself free and dove in front of Kamaran, pulling him to the ground with her as she fell. Her shoulder hit the ground first, then her head, and stars immediately bloomed in front of her eyes. She groaned and rolled to her back just in time to see Spot leaping over them into the crowd.

“Rana!” Kamaran’s concerned face hovered over her. “Are you alright? What on earth is going on?”

Between the ringing in her ears and the noise of the room, Rana had to strain to catch his words. “She was trying to kill you.”

I must have hit my head harder than I thought. Either that, or Kamaran has suddenly found a twin.

“Who was?”

“Aliyah.” She slowly pushed herself up to sitting, grimacing at the burning pain just above her left shoulder blade. “She had a blade coated in viper venom and was going to try to stab you again. Speaking of which, someone needs to find that knife before it gets stepped on.”

A sudden wave of nausea rolled over her, and she swayed forward. Kamaran caught her by the elbows. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I hit my head pretty hard,” she admitted. “And my shoulder. And I think I might have bitten my tongue or something.” She let her head fall forward into Kamaran’s shoulder and closed her eyes. “This party is not nearly as fun as I thought it would be.”

She fought another wave of nausea as Kamaran’s panicked voice called for a doctor.

“What’s wrong?” Zamar asked. Rana cracked her eyes open just far enough to see him drop to his knees beside Kamaran.

“There’s a dart in her shoulder. Her words are slurring together, and she’s gone pale.” Kamaran sounded strangely far away even though she could still feel his hands on her arms. “She said something about viper venom.”

Rana tried to lift her head up, to reassure him that she would be fine now that she was sure that he was, but it just rolled to the side.

“Rana!” Kamaran shifted his hold, turning her so that her head was supported by one of his arms and she was laying across his lap. “Love, you have to stay with me. You haven’t told me how the story ends yet.”

Darkness was growing at the edges of her vision, and an unnatural stillness had taken over her limbs. Her eyelids fluttered closed.

That’s easy. She doesn’t want to be separated from him, which means she offers to let him share her pillow. His curse is broken and they live happily ever after.

“Rana.”

“Rana!”

Chapter Twenty-Three

KAMARAN

Kamaran was dreaming.

He was sure of it.

Rana’s gentle fingers were running through his hair, he was surrounded by her lavender and honey scent, and her soft laugh danced over his ears like his favorite music. The only thing that would make it better would be if he were holding her in his arms, instead of sitting at her bedside, pleading with her to⁠—

His head shot up off the edge of Rana’s mattress as the events of the night before crashed through the haze of sleep.

“Good morning.” Rana smiled warmly at him. Her hair was mussed and her cosmetics were smudged, but she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he decided at that moment that there was nothing else he wanted to wake up to for the rest of his life.

“You’re awake.” His voice was still raspy from sleep, and he could feel that he would be paying for his awkward sleeping position for the rest of the day.

But it doesn’t matter because I’m here and she’s here and she’s alive.

“That is what most people do when the sun comes up.” The teasing tilt he loved was back in her brows, but the dark circles under her faintly bloodshot eyes wouldn’t allow him to enjoy it.

“No. Don’t try to joke this away, Rana. You almost died.”

Someone behind him snorted. “As if I would ever allow that to happen on my watch.”