3. Nyx #2
I do as he asks, and his hands hover over the damaged area. His brow furrows in concentration as a blue light builds beneath his palms. I settle in beside him and do the same, though I know it won’t be as helpful compared to Rhune’s superior healing capabilities.
The threads of my magic sink beneath her skin, searching out the break I already know is there. Once I find it, I cringe just thinking of the pain my mate would have been in if she were conscious.
Silver linings in everything, I suppose…
When we’re done and all our energy is spent, we continue sitting there, breathing in her scent and counting the space between her heartbeats, convinced it will cease if we don't pay attention.
“Willow?” I brush her cheek with my thumb. “Time to get up, Willow. Show me those pretty eyes of yours, lovely.”
No matter how I coax, whisper, or shake, she doesn't stir from her slumber. Her mouth moves occasionally, her lips forming fractured words in that strange, ancient language. Other than that, she remains unresponsive.
“Why isn’t she waking up?” Rhune whines. “I want her to wake up.”
“I want her to wake up, too, Rhune.” I run my hand over her cheek, frowning at the temperature of her skin. It’s so cold—too cold. “I want our Willow back more than anything…”
My words die on my tongue when I actually look at her. It’s like I’m seeing her for the very first time since the magic went quiet, and the changes are startling.
The red streak in her hair isn't just a streak anymore.
It's spread, claiming a whole section near her temple, consuming the warm brown and coloring it with the evil red that lives in her eyes. Her skin is luminous, as if there is magic living just under the surface, so abundant that it’s straining through her pores to escape.
The hellish thing that awoke in her didn't just borrow her body. It transformed her.
I'm not certain what Willow is anymore, but I know she isn't human. Not entirely. Maybe not at all.
Rhune looks past me, toward the mouth of the cave, and his jaw goes tight. “Not good…”
I follow his gaze. The storm outside has picked up since Willow went down. Ice and wind scream past the entrance, spreading its icy chill into the cave.
“We should go down to the baths,” I tell Rhune. “She needs warmth, and a safe, quiet place to rest.”
I stand and carefully pull Willow’s limp body into my arms, holding her tight against my rapidly beating heart. Rhune follows my lead, and the two of us head toward the tunnels that run deeper into the cliffs, away from the storm and the other strange demons.
“Hey!” the yellow one shouts. “Where are you going?”
“We did not say you could leave,” the red one adds.
“Thanks for reminding me. I did not realize I care what you say.” I level them all with a mean glare before turning away and hurrying toward the tunnel.
Before I take two more steps, Kaebl swoops in front of me, blocking my path and staring me down with his unnerving gold eyes.
“Get out of my way,” I order. “She needs warmth. She needs rest. She needs quiet, and she will not get that with you lot hanging around.”
Kaebl shakes his head, resolute, but refuses to speak.
“What is your problem? Get out of my way!”
Before I can shove him, Dagny steps between us, holding her hands up in a defensive posture. “Wait… please, just hold on a second.”
“I don’t have a second.”
Dagny doubles over, bracing her hands on her knees as she struggles through her healing injuries. “Just… wait. I’m trying to help your mate.”
I raise a brow. “You want to help her?”
“In exchange for an explanation about what the hell just happened… yeah. Anything.”
My shoulders ease, some of the tension bleeding out. “What do you propose?”
She straightens, her feathered wings rustling gently at her back.
"Our home isn't far from here. It's warmer, and it has everything a human would need.
I think she would do a lot better with some comforts from her home.
" Seeing the look on our faces, she adds, “Not that you haven’t been taking care of her! I am just saying that she might enjoy having a pillow and a pair of warm socks.”
Pillow… socks… the words tickle at some long-forgotten memory, but I can’t grasp them or remember what they mean.
Still, they make me hesitate. Willow needs human things like a soft bed, good, nutritious food, and a space that’s not cold and drafty.
If these demons are willing to offer it after everything, why not accept their kindness?
I gaze down at my mate, at the way her eyes refuse to open. “Okay,” I agree. “Okay. We will go to your home.”
Before we leave, Rhune scratches a message into the ice near the cave mouth, letting Cin and Dravik know where to find us. It's not much, but it will suffice.
Right now, we have to worry about Willow’s health.
With one last look at the small human in my arms, I spread my wings, and we take off into the raging storm, following Dagny and her six mates to their home.
I keep Willow pressed close to my chest as I fly, her frigid skin the only thing I can feel through the ice tearing at us from every direction.
Rhune flies close beside me, wings nearly brushing mine, and neither of us says a word. We don't need to. I know exactly what he's thinking, because I'm praying the same thing to all the gods that either of us has ever believed in.
Let her be okay. Let her be okay.
Please, let her be okay.