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I shimmied off of him and pulled the sheets into my lap. The moment was entirely too charged for me to remember how to breathe. “Are you… okay? What was that?”
He groaned as he eased himself up to the head of the bed. Solstice made a sound outside and I turned to find her and Topaz preening one another.
She was going to be okay.
“That was my Nephilim soul,” Killian told me.
I turned back to him and blinked a few times. I’d grown used to his ethereally beautiful appearance, so much so that I often forgot what he was.
Half angel.
He threaded his fingers through mine and gave me a weak smile. “Don’t look at me like that. You know I’d do anything for you, and when I felt your spirit leave your body… it nearly killed me.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. The memory of the Malice Realm and the Lost Queen that had called me there fluttered through my mind.
A shiver ran up my spine in response.
“I think it almost killed me, too,” I admitted.
He tilted his head. “Do you know what happened?”
I chewed on my lip a moment before I responded. I had a theory, but it involved Solstice. Glancing at her again, I noted how her golden scales had muted and she didn’t have that same typical glow about her that I appreciated.
“I think it has something to do with my goddess blood and the fact that I’m bonded to a Lost Queen.”
“Hmm,” Killian hummed in agreement. “That’s exactly what Penne said.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Penne?”
He chuckled. “You were out for quite a while, Viv. When we told the Dean what happened, she had the dwarves open a permanent portal to the Malice Realm and demand for the return of your soul.”
“How did you know that’s where I went?”
He shrugged. “You kept saying it over and over again in your sleep. Apparently, the Malice King is betrothed to a girl named Penne and they’ve been dealing with the corruption in the Malice Realm. They said it’s messing with the elves, and they want to help you retrieve the egg before it does any more damage. Not to mention they also seemed to know what was going on with you.” He flexed his fingers that had been holding the feather. “Penne taught me how to pull my spirit out of my body in order to channel my life force into you. It wasn’t too difficult once I understood the process.”
Dizziness made me waver on the bed and I was definitely glad I was sitting down. “I wouldn’t have wanted you to risk yourself like that, Killian. I could have gotten out with Solstice’s help.”
He pulled me into his lap, making me squeak as he hugged me tightly. “Do you think my title as your mate is just for show? I’m your partner, Viv, and you’re my everything. If you’re in trouble, I’m going to do whatever I can to help you. Got it?”
Heat flushed over my cheeks as I nodded against his chest.
A soft knock on the door saved me from further exploding butterflies. I was already dizzy from the news that Killian had nearly killed himself in order to save me. If he kept touching me and saying things like that, I wasn’t sure what might happen.
I wasn’t sure… if I was ready.
Because if he was willing to give up his life for me the moment I was in trouble, how could I possibly protect him?
My heart fluttered as fear sent a wave of cold sweat over my body. It was one thing to love Killian, and it was another to love him enough to make sure I did what was best for him.
Perhaps he’d had the right idea to sever our mate-bond before this went too far.
Before someone got hurt… or worse.
“Come in! She’s awake!” Killian said, his voice livelier than it had been a moment before. He was recovering from the ordeal.
This time.
It didn’t mean he’d be so lucky the next time he dove off the preverbal cliff to chase after me when I fell.
