CHAPTER 34
Zarreth
I t won’t be long now. I will die soon. Frankie’s beautiful face is all I think of. I imagine her sitting on top of me, looking at me with her big eyes and beautiful smile. Her long dark curls fall over my face. I swear I can even hear her voice.
“Wake up! Wake up! Don’t you dare die on me. I love you! I am yours and you are mine! Wake up!” I feel a weight on my chest. A calmness washes over me as something warm and soft brushes over my face. I must be dying. Why else would I feel at peace right now?
“Awe, he’s fine, love. Don’t cry. He’s been in much worse shape,” a familiar voice says. No, I want to hear the other voice again. The one that soothes my soul.
“Shut up, Ronin! That does not make me feel better.” It sounds like Frankie crying. I wish I could comfort her, even if it’s not real. Wet drops fall on my face, and I wonder if it’s raining, but it doesn’t rain in the Dark Realm.
“Come on, Zarreth! Please, I need you! Wake up!” Is this some cruel joke? Is it possible I’m not dead? Why do their voices sound so clear? Aradon said Dante had Frankie so there’s no way she’s here. Unless…no, I can’t get my hopes up. It’s a dream. I’m hallucinating.
“Frankie, we need to get out of here. Aradon will be back.”
Is it possible Ronin saved her from Dante? Is it possible they came for me? I try to pull myself out of it. If Frankie really is here, I need to wake up. I need to protect her.
“No, I need to heal him first.” It sounds like she’s crying. Don’t cry for me, Melita .
The last thing I hear is Ronin’s voice. “Damn it, woman, you are stubborn. Close your eyes.”
A few minutes pass, and I don’t hear another word. I realize the silence means the hellhounds are gone as well. Yep, I’m dead. There’s no way they would leave me alive. I knew it was too good to be true.
Not long after coming to the conclusion that I’m trapped in my own personal hell, I feel a slap across my face. “Wake up, brother.” Ronin’s voice is back, sounding more real than last time.
I try saying his name, but nothing happens. Come on, Zarreth. Move your fucking lips. You can do this. I try again. I feel my vocal cords engage as a strange sound leaves my mouth.
“That’s it, come on. Wake up.” He smacks me again. It stings. Wait, I can’t be dead if it stings, right?
“Ronin?” I finally choke out.
“Yeah, it’s me.” A hand rests on my shoulder, and I nearly break at his touch. I can feel him. I can feel everything. I take a moment to assess my body, grateful for every bruise, every broken bone, every open wound. I’m alive. Ronin’s alive.
“Frankie?” I ask, coughing, my throat sore like I swallowed a bucket of nails.
“She’s safe.”
“Where is she?” I brace myself for an answer that could shatter my entire fucking existence. The image of her being held captive by Dante sends a wave of nausea crashing through me as I wait for Ronin’s response.
“I traced her to our old cave. She’s very pissed that I tore her away from you. There’s no telling what she’ll do if she doesn’t see you soon. If you’re ready, we should leave.”
“I’m more than ready.” My heart thuds against my ribcage. She’s here. She’s fucking here. Despite the ache of my battered body, comfort washes over me. I’m about to see my mate.
Ronin wraps his arms underneath mine. “Hold on tight.”
A familiar tingling comes over my body. My head spins, as we trace to the cave, but soon I feel the hardness of the dry ground as Ronin lays me back down.
“What the hell, Ronin!” Anticipation races through me at the sound of her voice. Gods, I would give anything to see her right now. I imagine her hands on her hips with that sassy look on her face. My soul longs for her, needing to be near her.
I try sitting up when a small body crashes into mine. I pull her to my chest, breathing her in. My mating mark burns against my skin in a welcoming reminder that she’s here. She is safe. She is mine.
“Frankie, we need to assess his injuries,” Ronin says.
Frankie growls, pulling away, ready to attack Ronin. Overcome with primal instinct, I pull her back into my chest, growling at him as well.
“I can take a hint.” Ronin walks toward the entrance of the cave. “I’ll be outside when you need me.”
Frankie and I hold each other in silence as she gently brushes her lips over each of my lids where my eyes once were. Tears dripping onto my face as she moves to my nose, cheeks, and mouth. I feel my face starting to heal despite the binding cuffs I’m wearing. She’s healing me. I can’t believe how powerful she is. Not even Aradon can use his powers on others when they’re wearing binding cuffs.
My surroundings slowly come into focus as I open my eyes, taking in Frankie’s beautiful face. Her skin is caked in dust, highlighting the tears that previously rolled down her cheeks. My gaze traces the contours of her nose, memorizing every freckle, taking in the soft curve of her lips. I nearly fall apart looking into her big green eyes. Her hair is braided down her back. Did it get longer?
“I love you.” It sounds so ridiculous. Love is such a small word compared to the insatiable hunger I feel every time I’m near her. I want to wrap myself around her until she becomes a part of me. The word love barely scratches the surface of the madness I feel for her.
“I love you, too,” Frankie whispers in my ear, trailing her tongue down the column of my throat. Her words soothe my soul as her tongue stokes the fire within me.
I grab the sides of her neck, tilting her head up, claiming her lips. She pushes her tongue into my mouth, making my cock hard. Thank gods that still works, even if the rest of me doesn’t . Our teeth mash together as we desperately taste one another.
I try sitting up, but quickly fall back. Shit!
“Let me heal you,” Frankie whispers as she makes her way down my body, running her tongue and lips over me, stopping everywhere she finds a broken bone or open wound so she can heal me with her magic. I wonder if she knows how incredible she is. I make a vow to remind her every day for the rest of her life.
Frankie grabs my wrist, closing her eyes, she scrunches her brows together as she focuses on sending her magic into the cuff. It only takes a moment before a white light shines beneath her palms, the cuff falling to the ground. “Holy shit!” It fucking worked.
She keeps her eyes closed in concentration as I place my other wrist in her hand. The moment the cuff makes contact with her skin, it falls off.
I close my eyes, relishing the feeling of raw power coursing through me, igniting every nerve, and awaking every primal instinct within.
I zero in on my mate as she exclaims, “It worked! Oh my God, it worked!”
I stand, pulling her with me. Rising on her toes, she slightly parts her lips as I bend down, seizing them with my own. She runs her fingers through my hair, gently tugging it as she bites my lip.
And just like that, I’m completely undone. Her playful nip awakens a darkness inside of me. I can’t wait any longer. I need her.
I lean in, my mouth close to her ear, my voice dropping to a whisper that leaves no room for doubt.
“Strip.”