A Soul Like Glass (Kingdom of Betrayal #4)

Chapter 53

Chapter 53

I jolt upright with a scream on my lips.

Tears pour down my cheeks, and my heart is filled with anguish. “What have I done?”

Strong arms cradle me, holding me close. Erik’s scent fills my chest. I recognize his arms and his worried eyes.

I also recognize my surroundings—I haven’t moved from the place where I fell to the grass. Queen Karasi’s body lies only a short distance away from me.

But pain is tearing at me, ripping at my body and my heart, pulling at my soul.

I’m screaming, and I can’t control it. “What have I done?”

“Asha.” Erik’s voice is raw as he holds me close. “Asha, what is it? What’s wrong? Tell me!”

“It shouldn’t have been him.” I rock with pain, unable to stop my cries. “Erik… It shouldn’t have been him.”

Erik’s face is deathly pale as my cry echoes around us. “Who, Asha?”

I’m barely conscious of the other people around me, of the relief on their faces that’s quickly turning to concern.

My brother, Gallium, stands beside Elowynn. They’re both injured with countless cuts and bruises on their faces and arms, and their expressions are strained. Behind them are the dragons Graviter, Vargo, and Torva, along with the humans Catalina and Rachel.

Blackbird and Concord rest on the grass beneath the nearby tree, their feathers ruffling in the breeze, but they are anything but peaceful, their eyes wide.

Elowynn’s sister, Gliss, kneels closer to me, her dark hair shining in the sunlight, and I register the way her hands are withdrawing from me. She likely healed me like she’d healed Erik.

I don’t care about my wound.

I can’t care.

“I saw him.” I grip Erik’s arms as hard as I can. “I saw the dark magic keeper. He took all of the darkness from my heart. He freed me from it.”

I press my hand to my chest, where the darkness lodged within my soul as soon as I had taken hold of Malak’s metal again.

“He took the darkness. He saved me from it, and then… and then…”

But it’s slipping away from me.

I try to hold on to the memory of the keeper’s face, trying to fix his features in my mind, but they’ve already vanished.

I can’t see him anymore.

I can’t remember him.

All I remember is the flash of pain in his eyes because all of his light was stolen.

And now…

I press my lips together. “I don’t… I can’t…”

“It’s okay.” Erik pulls me close to his chest. “Asha, you’re alive. That’s all that matters.”

His heart thuds loudly at my ear, telling me how much fear he felt. How much pain he would have experienced to lose me, even though he was prepared for that outcome.

“I’m alive,” I whisper.

And so is he.

So is my family.

As Erik holds me close, a furry body pushes between us, squeezing onto my lap and reaching up to press its paws to my chest.

It’s the little wolf I saw running beside Erik.

She has the softest black fur but such anxious amber eyes. Also, the roughest little tongue as she licks at the tears sliding down my cheeks.

A moment later, she transforms, her furry body changing nearly instantly into the little girl I recognize.

“Galeia,” I whisper as she presses both of her hands to my chest, her eyes searching mine.

Fresh tears fall down my cheeks.

“I’m okay,” I say, pushing back against my sadness as I try to reassure her. “I promise.”

She seems to accept my words, resting her head on my chest before she tugs Erik closer to me.

His arm slides around me, his cheek pressing to mine, his hold encircling us both.

We are alive.

We are safe.

The darkness is gone.

The fae and humans will have a lot to work out. My siblings need to be reunited. But for now, there’s only one thing I need.

I take a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling, before I whisper to Erik, “Please, will you take us home?”

He draws back a little, lifting one hand to cup my cheek before answering me with a kiss.

Then he lifts us both up, me and Galeia together, carrying us to Blackbird, who immediately separates from Concord and offers his wing.

Within minutes, we’re airborne, and the beautiful landscape and all its sacrifices are far behind us.