Chapter 27
Melelea
My head feels heavy and sluggish as I swim to consciousness. My eyes crack open, and I’m blinded by the light. Am I in the Nether? Have I died? I try to move, but my wrist aches as I jostle it. It must still be broken. I’m not dead, if the pain is anything to go by.
I open my eyes all the way and blink, adjusting to the brightness. A wooden roof is above me; the slats look familiar. This is the bakery in Wodred’s village, the one where Kirigard was treating the wounded.
Wodred.
He must have brought me here. There’s no other explanation.
The thought has me looking around for him.
Within seconds, I see the top of his head on the bed, his horns digging into the fabric of the cot where I am laying.
He is sleeping, looking like he collapsed after sitting vigil next to me.
I reach with my hand that is not in pain and stroke his hair.
Instantly, he sits up, startled. His head swings around to see me, and a smile of what can only be described as joy and relief grows on his features.
“Love,” he says. “You’re awake.”
“Barely,” I reply, my voice a mere croak. I must not have been able to drink much while I was unconscious.
Wodred notices immediately my need for water.
He reaches down to his side and pulls up a pitcher and a cup, pouring a healthy amount.
Then he slides his hand under my shoulder blades, helping me sit up so that I can drink.
I take a few sips, aware that I should not drink too quickly, lest my stomach cramp.
When I’m done, I lean back, and Wodred takes the cup away, lowering me back to the cot.
I still feel heavy and weak, unable to move too much. I try to move my bad wrist again and involuntarily wince.
Wodred’s hawk-like eyes catch the movement, and he frowns.
“You’re in pain,” he says. “I’ll go get Kirigard.”
“No,” I reply, putting a staying hand on his arm. “I don’t want you to leave me.”
The orc’s face softens at that. “I’ll be back soon, love. But I don’t like that you are in pain. Kirigard tells me that your wrist was crushed and he’s been working to regrow the bones, but it’s slow going. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Wodred moves away. I watch him leave with yearning eyes. I want him to be with me always. Almost dying has made me realize that holding myself back from the orc was foolishness. Happiness is in my grasp, and I intend to hold onto it with both hands.
The orc returns, Kirigard in tow. The elf healer gives me a kind smile as he sinks down next to me so that he is on my level, reaching out a hand to put at the base of my throat. Gentle magic enters me as he scans me for more injuries.
“I’m glad to see you back with us, my lady,” Kirigard says. “You gave us quite the fright.”
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“You have no need to apologize,” Wodred says firmly.
“But Grazrath got the mana he needed because of me,” I reply. Then my eyes widen. “Grazrath! Ilustan! Has it been attacked? Was Adalind taken?”
Panicked, I search my mind for the tie to Grazrath, whether I can sense him or not, but it feels empty. Not blocked, like it was before, but gone entirely. Is Grazrath defeated, then?
“Grazrath is no more,” Wodred tells me grimly, confirming my thoughts. “The queen is safe.”
I frown at his tone. “Is that not cause for celebration? Why do you sound so serious?”
“Dame Zera sacrificed herself to send Grazrath back to the Nether,” Wodred explains. I gasp at that, mourning filling my heart. Dame Zera was my friend. He continues, “She pushed him through the portal that he created, but fell through with him.”
“How is Gunag?” I ask. “Was she not his fated mate?”
“The fool jumped through after her before the rift closed,” the orc tells me. “They are both lost.”
I close my eyes, grief hits me swift and sure. Falling through a portal into the Nether? There is no coming back from that. The death goddess, whom the Adrikians call Karnia, suffers no intruders in her realm. If they are not dead when they land, they will be when Karnia finds them.
“I will say a prayer for their souls,” I say, opening my eyes again and finding Wodred with my gaze. My eyes snag on his, and I see the sympathy in them. He knows that I was close to Zera.
“The whole kingdom will pray for them,” Kirigard says, entering the conversation. He takes his hand off the base of my throat and moves it to my aching wrist. “They are heroes. They saved us from Grazrath’s fury. There is not enough gratitude for their sacrifice.”
The pain in my wrist lessens slightly as soothing healing energy enters it from the elf’s hand. When he is done and pulls back, the pain returns, but I think not as badly as before.
“You will need to stay here for at least another week, my lady,” Kirigard tells me.
“The bones in your left wrist were nothing but powder when Wodred brought you here. If I were a lesser healer, you would have lost the hand. I have convinced the bones to regrow, but they will need observation and coaxing to fully heal, though that joint might still ache when the weather is cold.”
“I understand,” I respond. “Thank you for your diligent work, Healer Kirigard.”
“Just Kirigard is fine,” the elf smiles. “And you should thank Wodred. He got you to me just in time. I have never seen an orc push his warbeast harder.”
The elf rises again and puts his hand on Wodred’s shoulder. “I will leave the two of you alone.”
As he leaves, Wodred sits back next to me, taking my good hand. “You should rest, Melelea. Your body has been through much. You still need to gain strength.”
“But you will stay?” I ask, feeling vulnerable.
“I will stay by your side as you sleep,” Wodred confirms.
“All right,” I agree. I can already feel my body wanting to go back to sleep. Maybe Kirigard gave me some sleep magic when he worked on my wrist. But first, I must say what is in my heart. “Wodred?” I begin.
“Yes, Melelea?”
“I love you,” I confess.
Wodred goes still, his eyes widening, ever so slightly, like he is shocked. If this comes as a surprise to him, then I have much to apologize for. I continue, “I’m sorry. I should have told you before, in the mines, but I was scared.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I understand,” Wodred says.
“No, I don’t think you do,” I say. “I have only ever told one other person that I loved them. That person betrayed me in every way possible. But it was unfair to let my feelings about Guruk keep me from opening my heart entirely to you. You could not be more different from my past. I trust you, and I do love you. When I thought Grazrath was going to kill me, that was my biggest regret. That you would not know how I felt about you and that I would not see a future with you.”
“Never speak of Grazrath, love,” Wodred says, sounding tortured. “When I thought I lost you again . . .” His voice breaks, holding back tears.
“You will never lose me,” I promise. “I want to be yours . . . and for you to be mine.”
Wodred goes still again. “Are you saying . . .”
“Yes,” I confirm. “When I am well enough, I want to do a Bride Chase with you and for you to Claim me. I want to wash away the past and only look to the future . . . if that is what you want.”
“If that is what I want?” Wodred echoes, incredulous. “Melelea, I love you so much that it hurts to think of you sometimes. I want nothing more than to be your mate. Yours, always.”
“Then you’ll be mine when I’m better?” I ask with a smile.
“I am yours already, love,” Wodred says, leaning forward. “Body and soul. Forever and even after death. You are the only female who has ever had my heart. Today, tomorrow, always.”
“Then kiss me, Wodred,” I say. “And let tomorrow start today.”
And he does, making my heart sing.