Chapter Thirty-Two #3
I ran my hands up and down his back and pressed myself harder against his chest, trying to soothe both of us. I hated the shyrek twice as much when my desperate breath only brought me more dust and a hint of smoke.
“They’re just scratches.”
His fingers brushed my hairline and when he pulled away, I could see a red smear of blood.
“That’s not a scratch.”
He had never spoken in that harsh tone before, but I knew he wasn’t angry at me. I felt the fear swirling inside him, edged in desperation.
“Where else?”
I swallowed, trying to figure out where I might be hurt.
“I—I don't know.”
Him ripping himself away from me hurt more than anything else. Taking hold of my shoulders, he leaned down to be at my level, the look on his face sending a shiver down my spine.
“Rethari!”
I let out a growl of my own before swallowing it.
“I don't know!”
He froze, his eyes widening when I yelled at him. I took a breath and he mimicked me, some of the pressure in the bond easing as we both forced ourselves to calm.
“I got thrown in the explosion and landed on my front. Someone grabbed my ankle, and one of them caught my shirt so I had to slip out of it. That's it. Nothing serious.”
His eyes dropped and I followed his gaze, suddenly realizing I was still standing in a room with other people, completely topless. The Morrak didn’t wear undergarments, and it hadn’t taken much convincing for me to give up bras.
The scrapes on my hands and knees from crawling were starting to sting, and there were multiple places that throbbed like they’d be covered in bruises soon, but nothing was painful enough for me to think I needed one of the kethral.
Drazien’s expression turned murderous again, but I stepped forward and grabbed his face.
“Stop.”
His eyes snapped to mine, his pupils thin black slits within the deep blue.
“I'm alive.”
His nostrils flared as he dragged in a breath.
“You are injured.”
I shook my head, tugging on his skull to get him to listen.
“That's not the same thing.”
His lips peeled back but it wasn’t his usual cocky grin showing off his sharp teeth.
“It’s close enough.”
Despite everything, a laugh burst out of me, and I watched as his brow lowered.
I chuckled again before biting my lip, trying to stem the giggles bubbling inside at the utter ridiculousness of me standing in the ruined Archives, topless, trying to convince a massive alien that my scrapes were nothing.
“I'm sorry.”
It was a whisper, but it was all I could manage.
“You find this amusing?”
Another giggle threatened to escape as I shook my head.
“No. Well, yes. A little.”
His hands settled around my waist. They were shaking, and the laughter died away as I realized how upset he was.
I'd seen him angry.
Furious.
Violent.
I'd watched him tear through other Morraki as if they were minor inconveniences.
But his hands trembled where they held me.
I blinked back the sudden sting of tears and placed my hands on his chest.
“I'm okay,” I told him once more.
The bond carried the truth to him. There was pain, fear, and a healthy dose of adrenaline running through my veins, but beneath it all, I was okay.
His forehead lowered to mine. For several moments, neither of us moved, until someone called his name.
I felt his surge of regret as his eyes closed for a brief moment before he pulled away.
“Elaina—”
“Go,” I said. “You caught them. There are things to be done.”
His gaze shifted beyond me, and I finally looked too. The Archives were destroyed. Or at least they looked that way.
My heart hurt at the sight of broken shelves and books buried beneath stone and dust, but among the wreckage were two Morraki on their knees. Warriors surrounded them and another form, lying still on the floor.
My eyes moved toward the ragged hole in the opposite wall. I couldn’t see anyone beyond, but we all knew there were more Morraki involved than the three in the room.
“Do you know who they are?”
Drazien shook his head.
“Not yet.”
It almost felt like failure, but I knew they’d figure it out. The trap had worked, and they had two rebels to question. I wasn’t feeling particularly generous about the methods they chose to employ to get the information either.
I looked up at him, flashing a tired smile.
“We did it.”
His expression remained grim, but through the bond, beneath the fear and anger and lingering need to tear apart everyone who had touched me, something warmer emerged.
Pride.
Not for himself. He was proud of me.
His hand came up and cupped the back of my head, carefully avoiding the cut.
“We did.”
I leaned into him for one brief moment before looking at the captured rebels once more. They had answers, maybe not all of them, but enough to move forward. Enough to take another step towards making Korvashan safer for future Humans.
Drazien's tail wrapped around my waist. I didn't tease him for it, I understood the need to be close.
I felt it.
Four days ago, we'd walked into the Archives hoping the rebels would believe I was alone.
Now two of them were prisoners, one was likely dead, and every secret they'd tried to protect was suddenly within our reach.
The plan was complete, but the hunt wasn't.