Page 103

"Lyra," he breathed against my hair, his voice fractured, his large, blood-slicked hands framing my face with a terrifying gentleness. "You're here. You're breathing. By the trees, I thought..."

"I'm here," I sobbed, reaching up to press my uninjured hand against his cheek, my eyes tracing the deep cuts along his ribs and the puncture wound in his thigh. "I'm okay, Kaelen. Look at me. But you—you're bleeding so much⁠—"

"It is nothing," he growled softly, cutting me off as his golden eyes locked onto my lips. "Nothing compared to the dark."

And then, he kissed me.

As our lips met, the mate bond surged through us like a star reigniting after near extinction. His relief crashed into me, so overwhelming it stole my breath just as my gratitude and love poured back into him. For one impossible heartbeat, I couldn't tell which emotions belonged to him and which belonged to me. It was a desperate, bruising collision of lips and teeth, fueled by the raw adrenaline of survival and the overwhelming relief of the mate bond snapping back into perfect, brilliant alignment. The muffled, fuzzy static that had kept us apart vanished, replaced by a roaring, golden warmth that flooded through my veins, healing the cold terror in my chest.

When we finally parted, both of us panting, I kept my hand on his chest, feeling the frantic, wild beat of his hearts. I looked past him, my gaze sweeping over the silent cavern. Dozens of lower-ranking Vakra guards and hundreds of malnourished, pale-skinned dregs were staring at us, suspended in a state of sheer, paralysing shock.

"Kaelen," I whispered urgently, my hand tightening on his armour. "They can be saved. The dregs—they aren't monsters. They are Oru-ka. The forest will accept them again. Please, trust me."

Kaelen’s jaw tensed as he looked from me to the silent, watching horde. For a second, the lethal hunter in him wanted to finish the purge, but as his eyes softened on mine, he gave a slow, solemn nod. He stepped back, keeping his hand firmly anchored on my waist, giving me the floor.

I stepped to the edge of the platform and drew in a deep breath to make my voice carry over the massive cavern.

"Listen to me!" I shouted, my voice trembling but gaining strength as the words echoed off the stone walls. "Your High Scavenger is dead! The Vakra’s chains are broken! You are free!"

A low, collective murmur rippled through the hundreds of dregs, their pale, dirt-streaked faces lifting toward the light.

"I know what you have been told," I continued, pointing a finger toward the deep shafts. "But you are not trash meant to rot in the dark. You are Oru-ka! The Alu'un accepted me. I believe they'll accept you too! Look at Sky—the colours of his skin have begun to change, shifting to the colours of our true home, and the vanguard themselves bore witness to it! If you are willing to better yourselves, if you are willing to leave the cruelty of this place behind, the forest will take you home! But if you choose to stay, if you choose the path of Geth and Sila, then leave this place now—before it is too late!"

Almost on cue, a deafening crash echoed from the eastern tunnels.

The main force of the vanguard had finally reached the lower levels. Dozens of heavily armed warriors poured into the cavern, their weapons gleaming under the green light as they immediately began to systematically rally the frightened dregs, guiding the cooperative ones toward the escape routes.

Seeing the sheer force of the vanguard, the bad Vakra—the loyalists and torturers—instantly panicked. Many of them threw down their weapons and scattered like rats into the deep, unmapped tunnels of the crust. A few stupidly tried to fight their way through or stop the dregs from fleeing, but their defiance met swift, lethal ends at the points of the vanguard's blades.

Through the parting crowds of fleeing slaves, Tyler came into view. Toren had met him near the archway, keeping a protective guard over him. Tyler was still pale, clutching his bruised throat where the shocking collar had been, but he looked up at the platform. Our eyes met through the chaos. I gave him a soft, reassuring smile and a firm nod. He returned it with a weak, incredibly relieved smirk before Toren ushered him toward a safer pocket near the bone gate.

Beside us on the platform, Sky groaned weakly. His eyelids fluttered as he began to drag himself back to consciousness, still reeling from the brutal blow Sila had dealt him when he courageously tried to stop them from hurting me. Under the sickly green light, the shifting, iridescent pigments of his skin rippled faintly as the colours of his true home fought to show through.

I immediately dropped to my knees beside him, offering my good hand to help support his back as he sat up. "Sky," I breathed, checking him over with frantic eyes. "Are you okay?"

"My head..." he mumbled, his voice tiny and fragile beneath the weight of everything he'd been forced to endure. He looked up at me, his eyes wide and young despite the soot-stained exhaustion on his face. "I... I tried to make them stop. I tried."

"I know. I know you did," I said, my voice thick with emotion. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him, pulling his small, trembling frame into a tight, protective hug.

For a long, agonising second, Sky went completely rigid in my embrace. His body tense, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air as if he didn't understand what was happening. But slowly, the fight drained from him. The hesitation crumbled, and he melted entirely into me, burying his face in my shoulder. He held on with a fierce, desperate grip, breathing in a ragged, shuddering gasp as if it was the very first time he had ever experienced this kind of love, of warmth, of genuine care.

"Go with the others and get out of here," I whispered softly, gently pulling back to cup his cheek. "Get to safety, okay? I'll see you outside soon. I promise."

Sky swallowed hard, wiping a quick hand across his eyes, and gave me a quiet, determined nod. "Okay."

A heavy shadow loomed over us. I looked up to see Kaelen standing there. The blood-soaked executioner who had torn Geth apart moments earlier was gone. In his place stood Kaelen, my mate. His golden eyes had lost their murderous blaze, replaced by a quiet pride as he offered Sky his hand. He reached down, offering his large, blood-stained hand to Sky. Sky blinked in surprise, staring at the offering before reaching up and taking it.

With effortless strength, Kaelen pulled Sky to his feet. He kept his grip firm for a second longer, his golden eyes locking onto Sky's changing face.

"You left the trail to my mate," Kaelen said, his voice a low, resonant rumble of acceptance. "You risked everything to keep her safe. For that, you have my gratitude. You are worthy."

Sky swallowed hard, the shifting colours of his skin rippling in a wave of stunned pride as he gave Kaelen a respectful nod, then quickly scrambled down the platform to join the escaping crowds.

Within minutes, the cavern was virtually empty, the echoes of the evacuation fading into the distant tunnels. Only the heavy thrum of the giant console remained, filling the space with a low, mechanical vibration.

I let out a breath I felt like I'd been holding for days, looking around the quiet space. "Thank you," I whispered, looking at Kaelen, Toren, and Tyler. "Thank you for coming for me."

Kaelen stepped closer, his gaze softening into something so fierce and devoted it nearly stole my breath. He reached up and gently brushed a stray lock of soot-stained hair from my forehead, his touch incredibly warm. "I would tear the heavens apart and drag the earth to its knees for you, Lyra," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "There is no depth I wouldn't descend to find my way back to your light."