Chapter 48
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Nuriela
Listen to her wings. The words sounded off in my head over and over, like a beacon calling me home.
Every night since we returned to Stella Terra, I dreamt of Lailah.
At first, they were memories. Moments of happiness from our childhood.
Learning to use our powers, teasing smiles and delicate touches.
And the night we mated. It wasn’t a truly solidified mate bond.
We didn’t consummate it, but we declared our feelings and shared a kiss that has lived like an imprint on my lips every moment since.
Now, within the castle walls, I could almost taste her power.
She was gone, but if her wings were here, they would hold a whisper of what she once was.
Rage boiled the blood in my veins at the thought of her magnificent white wings displayed in this rubble.
Belial mocked me with such a display. He wanted my Lailah, and this was all he could have of her. But no more.
Lo walked just two steps behind me, mirroring my movements.
She’d come so far since I found her half dead in that fire.
The burn scars that I couldn’t heal she now wore like armor.
They were painted over with tattoos, but the design didn’t hide them.
The tattoo artist worked with the lines of her scars to turn her pain into a work of art.
Most of it was covered now in her fitted catsuit and the vest I gave her.
It was sewn with stellatium, making it strong enough to stop an average blade from piercing her flesh.
There was only so much I could do to protect her.
The castle was mostly empty, with only a handful of soldiers in our way so far. I dispatched them easily. But I refused to let my guard down. That was becoming increasingly difficult the further down we went into the castle. Lailah’s scent was in the air and driving me mad.
Nuri.
I gasped, bracing myself against the wall as Lailah’s melodic voice caressed my soul for the first time in over a decade.
“Nuri?” Lo touched my forearm softly. “Are you all right?”
So many emotions burned through me, but “all right” was not one of them. “Let’s keep moving.”
Lo nodded, following me as before until we reached a set of massive, stellatium doors.
She immediately moved ahead to open them, knowing they would burn my skin.
The chamber within was dimly lit, with no furniture, save for the massive bed at the center.
It was less of a bed and more of a coffin, considering it was encased in glass.
Power radiated around the thing, and I knew it would be nearly impossible to break it. My power wouldn’t be enough.
A rush of Lailah’s power reached me, and I spun around to see her perfect wings fastened to the wall.
I choked back a sob, fury in my soul at the callous display.
Belial’s two treasures, his father’s soul and the last spark of Lailah’s power, locked away for him to admire at his leisure.
Well, no longer. I was taking them both.
After an hour of trying every damn thing I could think of, Corson remained locked away. We were able to get Lailah’s wings down, and they were now lovingly wrapped in fabric and strapped to my back.
“Is he speaking to you?” I asked Lo once more. She was likely going to punch me.
“No, damnit,” she huffed. “How the hell are we supposed to get him out if I can’t even get him to speak again?”
I sighed, voicing my growing concern. “Maybe it wasn’t Corson speaking to you.”
Lo shook her head vehemently. “It’s him. I can feel it. It’s like my soul is attempting to leave my body. I would start licking the damn coffin if you wouldn’t judge me, that’s how strong the pull is.”
A chuckle escaped my lips. “It does sound like you’re experiencing the beginnings of a mating bond. How that’s possible, I have no idea. Humans don’t mate with daemons or lumens.”
“Says who?” she challenged.
I rolled my eyes. “Says all of our history. So unless you’ve got magic in your blood, it’s impossible.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Lo snarked, tapping her temple. “I could have creatures in my bloodline.”
She wasn’t wrong. We don’t know her full lineage. But the chances that I happened upon the mate of King fucking Corson is wildly unlikely.
Nuri. Help her.
Lailah’s voice caressed my ear, and I shivered.
“Let’s try your blood.”
Before I could make another move, shouting from down the hall caught my attention. Peeping out, I spotted over a dozen soldiers heading our way.
“Shit.” I slammed the doors shut, my skin burning against the deadly metal, then conjured several logs to brace against it and keep the soldiers out. Depending on their power levels, we could only have minutes before they broke through.
Lo whipped out a dagger and wasted no time. She cut into her palm and pressed it against the wards on the glass. The castle shook with the force of an avalanche, power crackling in the air. The plan worked, and the glass shattered, turning to dust. But Corson remained prone on the bed.
The doors shook, the metal starting to give. “Lo, we need to go.”
I turned back, and my mouth dropped open.
She was straddling the damn king. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!” She slapped him across the face, but he didn’t budge.
Just know, my heart is yours. It’s always been yours.
All I could see in that moment was Lailah. Her pink lips, her soft blue eyes. Her voice filled my mind, and time began to slow.
The doors burst open, and daemons flooded into the room. I whipped out my blades and attacked the soldier closest to me. Within minutes, I was surrounded, fighting off several at once. These daemons had minimal power levels compared to my own, but the sheer numbers were going to overwhelm me.
Make of your power a gift and come to me.
Lailah’s words were wrapped up in purest love.
For years, I wanted to die. I wanted to end it and meet my mate once more, but she never responded to my pleas for her approval.
How could I do such a thing without knowing if she still wanted me?
This life, the things I’d done, they were terrible.
I’d killed and tortured countless creatures.
Lailah would never have done such things.
I know your heart better than even you, Nuriela.
Maybe I was the one going insane, but it was time.
And it was the only way to save Lo. She deserved happiness and the chance to find her mate.
If it was the king, then I would be the one to give her that chance.
I closed my eyes and sent out a massive blast of wind, knocking the daemons away.
There was no time to explain what I had to do, so instead, I leapt over the soldiers to Lo’s side and snatched her wrist. I used my dagger to carve a symbol into her skin at her wrist.
Lo didn’t move, didn’t speak, only watched. As soon as it was finished, I carved one in my own flesh. The powerful connection hummed with life as soon as I finished.
What comes next will be important, and only you can save her.
Flashes of the last days I had with my mate filled my head. All the hints she gave me then were coming together now.
I squeezed Lo’s hand gently. “Be happy, Lo. I know you’re meant for great things. Don’t waste your life living with hate and anger.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing, Nuri?”
Remember Lo. She’s the key.
The night Belial nearly captured Lailah and killed me, he bound my life to the daemon king’s with dark magic.
I nearly forgot about it, until the memories flashed before my eyes.
This was why I survived, why Lailah needed me to be here, without her.
It was finally time for me to see her again, and save Lo’s life in the process.
Smiling at Lo, I glanced at the trapped king. “Give Sleeping Beauty a kiss. Then give those fuckers hell. I’m off to meet my girl.”
Before she could respond, I turned back to the daemons.
I blasted the shit out of them with everything I had.
“I’m coming home, Lailah,” I whispered, feeling my power leaving my body and transferring to Lo’s.
My soul flickered like the dying flame of a spent candle.
Only a single spark remained, but it was enough to get me to her.
“I’ll meet you in the stars, Lailah Valdis. ”
The night sky was all around me, and stars burned so bright I had to shut my eyes, my last thought only and always of her.