Page 65 of Storm

Steely grey eyes peer down at me—eyes I never want to let go of. “My solence will make it better. I promise.”

No longer floating, a flash fills my vision. The erratic beating of my heart starts to even out. Sparks continue to fly before me. Melek is here, and he holds my hand. When the dancing stops, I find him watching me keenly, our silence having a private conversation, a lifetime of missed opportunities passing us by.

In my periphery, muffled sounds prick my interest, and Melek rips himself from our connection. The surly nature of his voice catches my ears, but everything slowly ebbs out as I turn my head to the side to see the shadow of a person dressed in all grey injecting something into my arm.

They have come.

They can’t take her from me.

CHAPTER 19

TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

Fingers reach out, snaking around my neck, pressure pulling me under. I can see it, the tree line. Nix, Mam, and Sunny wave at the precipice, calling to me. No sound coming out, just their mouths moving, their smiles bright.

I want to go to them, run towards that forest with glee, yet that hand which has turned thick and long travels around my neck, pulling me closer and closer back to Halo. When I look down, I startle. A crimson snake has hold of me. Ruby eyes capture me for a beat. Then, I remember them again—my loves—and I look up to find fog blanketing them, having disappeared beyond the barren expanse. I’m torn by a serpent back into the depths of Halo, a slithering ringing in my ears. “Save me.”

A flash of electric blue washes over my vision, and a hand grips me on either side of my head, drawing me near. Flames, tearing a streak of azure through my vision, surround me from all corners. Panic clutches, springing through my throat, my eyes flying open to spot two milky white orbs staring back at me, a soft lilt on feminine lips.

“It will not harm you.” The sound she makes travels through me, her mouth unmoving. At the sweet, soft vibration, I’m instantly comforted, her palms holding me tightly in place. “I’m coming for you.” Bright blues, both light and dark, start flickering in brilliance around us, circling us. They do not heat. Instead, I feel safe. Familial. Whole. “I will find you.” Her forehead rests against mine. “Trust the fae.”

In an instant, the beauty of the dancing blue surrounding me and my companion is no more…

I startle, dream tucked firmly away in my subconscious, almost expecting to wake to a crying baby. Thankfully, I rise to the strong, overheating comfort of my fierce commander husband, wrapped in a deliciousness that has me sinking. Opening my groggy eyes, I notice the scruffy head of a miniature Melek in front of me, sleeping peacefully.

My breath is an outward relief as I also notice the rounded stomach before me. Thank the gods or whatever entity I need to grovel at the feet of who granted me this mercy.

After taking stock of my most prized possessions, I feel wide awake, the dream I had while out chilling. Shaking it off, I stretch out next to my husband. I notice the total lack of discomfort in my body, which confuses me. Even my arm, where Melek put the transfusion line, doesn’t hurt.

Broad hands pull me somehow closer to the muscled chest behind me. “Good morning, wife.”

It takes a moment to register. “Morning?”

Melek grumbles behind me, “Yes. You slept through the day and the night.”

Wow. Maybe that explains my lack of tiredness. He gives me space to turn around in his arms. Facing him, the light trickling in from the open curtains illuminates the grey tint to his irises. Raising a finger to the cut of his cheekbones, I trace upwards to his eye and around the deep grooves I see underneath.

“How bad was it?” When Melek mentioned the word transfusion, I knew I had lost a lot of solence. Once I was in bed, I’d felt a stickiness below my dress before I lost consciousness. The emergency kit in our bedroom had been put there right after the original incident that should’ve resulted in both mine and Sunny’s deaths, but someone—the man lying next to me— knew how to run a transfusion line from his medic training as a soldier in the fairy wars.

Luckily for us, he happened to keep one in his first aid kit at home. Melek is a universal solence donor for Halo, so he didn’t hesitate to give me his essence until we were nearly both drained the first time.

I wonder how far he took it this time.

He takes my hip, running his hand along my thigh. Skin pebbling at his touch, my toes curl. Drawing my leg over his own makes the distance between us even smaller. “Nothing I couldn’t fix.” His confidence in the face of my death is pretty astounding, really, considering he was a raging mess the first time this happened.

“So, she’s okay?”

A kiss finds my forehead. “As fit as ever. You both just needed a little more of me inside you.”

I push on his shoulder. He doesn’t let me get far. “Really? I’ve got enough of you inside me, don’t you think?!”

“You’ll never have enough of me, and you know it, wife.” Mirth stirs the tendrils of my hair. “I do have some news,” he continues.

“Oh, what news?” He runs his hand up my back.

“You are on strict bed rest from now until Phoenix’s birth.”

“Argh, what? I feel fine. That’s totally ridiculous.” This time, I try to pull away with concerted effort. He holds me tighter.