35. Save Her
CHAPTER 35
Save Her
Hawke Stormblood
I savor Melinda's warmth in my arms, her wonder at Vandimoor flooding our bond, when shouts of alarm cut through the calm. My body tenses and I tighten my arms around Melinda, scanning for threats.
"What's going on?" Melinda asks, her voice tight with concern.
Before I can respond, movement catches my eye. Atlas slides off Cyrus’ back, sprinting back the way we came. Behind him I see it—a roiling mass of darkness on the horizon, devouring the morning light.
"Fuck," I spit out. "More golems."
I dig my heels into our mount's flanks, spurring us into a gallop. "We need to reach the city!" I shout to the others. "Ride!" The city looms ahead yet seems impossibly distant.
Melinda leans back into my arms as we lurch forward. "What about Atlas?" Melinda yells over the thundering hoofbeats. “Why is he going toward it?”
"He’s buying us time," Kellan growls nearby, his dragon guardians rippling in the air around him. "We can't waste it."
As we race toward Vandimoor, I divide my attention between our path and the encroaching darkness. The shadow gains ground, tendrils reaching out like grasping fingers. Within its depths, I glimpse the now-familiar half-formed shapes of golems, eager for battle, the council’s way of making up for not having an army of their own.
The city walls loom closer, but so does the encroaching darkness. I spot movement atop the ramparts – soldiers rushing into position, their hands raised in unison.
"They're preparing the shields," I call out to the group. "We need to get inside before they seal the city."
As we thunder across the final stretch, a shimmering barrier begins to materialize above Vandimoor. It spreads like a dome, iridescent energy weaving together.
"Faster!" I roar, both to our mount and my companions.
We burst through the city gates. I rein in our horse, wheeling around to face the sealed entrance. Our group barely makes it through before the shield closes behind them. The dark cloud and golems slam against the translucent barrier and the impact sends tremors through the ground beneath us.
"I have to help reinforce the shield." I dismount and reach for Melinda, steadying her as she slides off the horse. Her eyes are wide, darting between me and the growling golems on the other side of the shimmering barrier.
"Sweet girl." I cup her face. "Look at me."
Her expression softens and she meets my gaze with the smallest hint of a smile.
"Stay close," I tell her. "Do not leave my side unless I tell you otherwise."
“Got it.”
I glance over her shoulder at Kellan.
“I have her, Prince Stormblood,” he answers quickly,
The three of us rush to the nearest section of the wall. I place my hands on the stone, channeling my magick into the defensive shield. I’ve not a lot left from the previous fight, but I give it everything I have.
“Atlas and many of the rebels are still out there. How will they get through the barrier? Can we open a door in it?”
I shake my head, gritting my teeth. My energy is so low. I’m not going to be able to keep helping for long. "If that darkness gets inside…”
“It would be catastrophic for the city, Domina, ” Kellan adds. “The rebels knew the barrier would go up. They are fighting for Vandimoor on the outside.”
A particularly brutal assault rocks the shield. Cracks spider-web across its surface.
"There are too many," I growl, pouring the last bit of my magick into the shield. "We need?—"
Melinda places her hands on top of mine. Use my magick , she whispers through our bond. I can’t direct it, but maybe between you and Siva, I can help.
“ Domina !” Kellan shouts.
“I must help. It’s not enough. The shield is cracking,” she shouts over her shoulder Kellan.
Her hands on mine begin to glow with an intensity I've never seen before. Pure, white energy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. The sensation is like submerging myself in one of the World Tree wells to refill, but this… this is beyond that.
I push the magick. Her magick. There’s so much.
The entire shield flares to life, blazing so bright it blinds me for a moment. The darkness above us recoils and vanishes.
The blinding light recedes, and I blink away the afterimage, turning to Melinda. Her hair floats around her face like she’s suspended in water. As the last wisps of her magick dissipate, it slowly settles. Her skin gleams with a sheen of sweat, and her chest heaves with ragged breaths. But it's her eyes that capture me—they shine with a beautiful white luminescence before gradually fading to their usual warm honey brown.
"Melinda," I breathe, reaching for her trembling hands. "That was... beyond anything I've ever seen."
She sways slightly, and I steady her. Her heart is racing. "Did I... did it help?" She glances from me to Kellan and then her gaze trails across the field. “Is everyone alright? Did I hurt anyone?” She stares at her hands, before looking up at me in shock.
“ Domina .” Kellan is hovering behind Melinda a moment later.
“She’s good,” I say, tightening my grip on her hands. “She is in control.” Even as I say the words, worry creeps into my chest and squeezes hard.
He meets my gaze over her shoulder and mouths the word no .
“I am… maybe a little–” Melinda’s knees buckle and I catch her before she falls, scooping her into my arms. Her eyes flutter, struggling to stay open. I cradle her tightly against my chest.
"I'm okay," she mumbles, but her voice is weak.
“Nonsense. You used too much magick, sweet girl.”
"We need to move. Now," Kellan growls, his eyes scanning our surroundings.
I break into a run. Kellan keeps pace beside me, his massive form clearing a path for us through the chaotic streets. Civilians and soldiers alike scramble in the aftermath of the attack.
Halfway to the palace, I spot familiar figures pushing through the crowd towards us. Wraith, Boaz, and—surprisingly—Fen in his human form join our frantic convoy.
"What happened?" Wraith shouts over the chaos and noise.
"She collapsed after powering the shield," I yell back, not breaking stride.
"She was the one that made everything glow, wasn't she?" Wraith easily keeps pace with me despite my frantic speed. "She stopped the whole assault, Hawke. It was unlike anything I've ever seen, except for what Atlas did back in the forest."
I tighten my hold on my mate’s limp form. I don’t like him comparing her to Nimue’s beast.
As we round the final corner, the palace looms before us, its crystal spires glinting in the morning sunlight. The usual bustle of the courtyard has been replaced by a tense, chaotic energy. Guards stand at high alert, while servants and officials rush about, clearly still reeling from the attack.
A group of staff members, with worried expressions, hurry down the palace steps to meet us. I recognize Cora, my mother's first lady in waiting, at the forefront.
"Your Highness!" Cora exclaims, her normally composed features twisted with worry. Her eyes dart back and forth from my face to Melinda's unconscious form in my arms. "What in the name of the World Tree is going on? The entire city... that light... and where are the King and Queen? We haven't had word from them since the ceremony last night."
Her rapid-fire questions hit me like physical blows, bringing me up short. In the frenzy of fleeing the castle and the assault, I'd momentarily forgotten my parents were still in Camelot when we left. Or worse, they could have also been on the road when the darkness and the golems came for us.
A cold dread settles in the pit of my stomach when I meet Cora’s anxious gaze. "I... I don't know," I admit, my voice hoarse.
The staff exchange worried glances.
"Find out, carefully," I order, pushing past them into the palace. “I’m taking Melinda to my rooms. Meet me there with a healer.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
I carry Melinda swiftly through the palace corridors, Kellan and my brothers-in-arms are right on my heels. The familiar surroundings of my chambers offer little comfort. I carefully lay Melinda on my bed. Her face is pale, her breathing shallow.
"Melinda." My fingers tremble as I brush a damp strand of hair from her clammy forehead. "Can you hear me?"
She stirs slightly, a weak moan escaping her lips, but her eyes remain closed. My heart races, pounding against my ribcage.
Fen approaches the foot of the bed, his usual easy-grin replaced by a tight-lipped frown. "What exactly happened out there? Can I do anything?"
I shake my head. "She channeled an immense amount of power into the city's shield. More than I've ever seen from any Fae. From anyone." My voice cracks on the last word.
Wraith leans against the wall, his dark eyes narrowed in thought. "It wasn't just Fae magic," he interjects. "There was something... different about it. Almost primal."
"She's not just Fae," Kellan rumbles, his massive form casting a shadow over the bed.
Boaz steps closer, his curiosity piqued. "What do you mean not just ? Do you know what her parents were? We Elven strive to keep very good records."
The word 'records' ignites a fire in my chest. I whirl on them, my fangs bared. "I don't care about fucking records!" The words tear from my throat, raw and ragged. "She could see Aena. She touched the wall and it caught fire. She single-handedly funneled so much power through me and into the city shield that it eradicated the darkness and the golems with a single blast." I gesture wildly. "I'm telling you she's not like anything in the eight worlds."
Boaz's face remains infuriatingly calm, which only fuels my anger. I turn back to Melinda, my voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. "I can't lose her. And everyone wants to take her from me." I bend to kiss her forehead, my lips meeting cold, clammy skin. Her shallow breath barely whispers against my cheek. "She saved my life. My sanity. She's my fated mate, my whole heart, and she just sacrificed everything inside her to save Vandimoor. To save people she doesn't even know."
A sharp rap on the door silences me. Cora enters, followed by Healer Thalia. The ancient Fae woman glides into the room with the dignity of a queen, her silver hair cascading down her back in an intricate braid. Despite her diminutive stature, her presence fills the chamber. Her eyes, sharp as a hawk's and the color of storm clouds, scan the room, missing nothing.
"Well." She walks toward me. "I see the Stormblood heir has once again found himself in the center of chaos." Her gaze locks onto me, unflinching. "Your Highness," she adds, with a nod that's more acknowledgment than deference.
I don’t care. I just need Melinda to be well.
Thalia moves to Melinda's side, brushing past Kellan as if he were no more than a piece of furniture. Her gnarled hands, marked by age yet steady as a surgeon's, reach for Melinda's wrist.
"Now." She fixes us all with a look that brokers no argument. "Someone tell me what has happened to the young woman and why she’s in the prince’s bed chambers surrounded by the Knights of the Round Table."
"She powered the entire shield," Kellan says very abruptly. "Now she can't stand up.”
Healer Thalia eyebrows arch so high they nearly disappear into her hairline. She throws her hands up in exasperation. "And you're all just standing here like slack-jawed gargoyles? She needs magick, not medicine."
She points a finger at me, making me feel like a scolded child despite my royal status. "Prince Stormblood, you look one stiff breeze away from toppling over yourself. Get her to the solarium, now. And don't you dare faint on the way there."
Kellan lunges for Melinda, but I'm faster. I place myself between them, a growl rumbles in my chest, primal and possessive. "You might be her bodyguard, Drakonii, but you're not touching her without my permission." I bare my fangs, leaning over Melinda's prone form. Mine .
Kellan matches my stance, his own fangs flashing. The air crackles with tension. "Then fucking pick her up princeling and let's go."
"Yes." The word comes out as a snarl, my pride warring with desperation. I scoop Melinda back into my arms and rush from the room. I reach out through our bond, clinging to it like a lifeline. It's going to be okay, I project, willing it to be true. I'm taking you to a well. You can get all the magick you need there.
But our bond remains silent. Cold. Empty.
The absence of her presence is a void that threatens to swallow me whole. Fear claws at my insides, each racing heartbeat a reminder of how much I stand to lose. I've only just found her, my fated mate, my other half. The thought of losing her now is unbearable.
With renewed urgency, I race through the palace corridors, my feet barely touching the ground. Hold on, Melinda, I plead silently. Just hold on. The back stairs blur beneath my feet as I take them two at a time, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
We burst into the solarium, the sudden warmth and fragrance of flowers a jarring contrast to the cold dread in my chest. In the center stands a tree, its branches weeping with tiny white blossoms. The sight of it, normally so soothing, now fills me with desperate hope.
Boaz and Wraith part the flowered curtain, and I duck beneath it, settling Melinda against the trunk. As I place my hand on the rough bark, energy surges into me, a rush of power that nearly makes me gasp. For a moment, hope flares in my chest.
But Melinda remains still, her skin ashen. The contrast between the vibrant energy flowing through me and her lifeless form is jarring, like a punch to the gut. Panic rises, threatening to choke me. Why isn’t the tree filling her with magick?
I lean closer, searching desperately for any sign of change. "Melinda," I whisper, my voice raw with fear. "My sweet mate, take the magick. Come back to me."
Kellan kneels at her feet, his face etched with worry. The sight of the usually stoic Drakonii looking so concerned only heightens my own terror.
"Kellan?" My voice cracks, fear clawing at my throat.
He shakes his head, defeat heavy in his words. "I don't know. Siva says she can't detect any magick coming from the World Tree into Melinda."
The bond between us is still silent, a void where her presence should be. "Our bond is quiet. I can't hear her. Sense her. Nothing." Panic rises in my chest, threatening to choke me.
A shout from the doorway cuts through my spiraling thoughts. "Your Highness! Please forgive me, but there is a young man screaming to be admitted to the palace. He says he can help Lady Melinda. The guards are barely holding him back."
Before I can respond, Atlas bursts into the room, his eyes wild. "Fuck off. The guards weren't holding me back at all. I was being polite. And now I am not." He rushes towards us, desperation clear in every movement. "Is she alive?"
Kellan rises, his guardian’s wings burst forth flaring bright and imposing. Atlas pauses, not out of fear, but respect.
"Let him through, Kellan," I growl, every instinct screaming against allowing another man near my mate.
Atlas hurries between the branches, landing at Melinda's feet. His intensity unnerves me.
“How do you know what she needs? Who are you, really?” I ask, forcing myself to allow him this close to my mate. To the woman I know is mine. A woman I barely know, but love with every single breath in me. I will do anything… I will fight the whole of the eight worlds to keep her safe and at my side.
He meets my gaze, unflinching. "Do you want her to live?"
A growl rumbles in my chest. "Why should I trust you when everyone else wants to take her from me?"
His smile is sharp, unsettling. "Do you have another option?"
I bare my fangs, inches from his face, pulling Melinda closer.
He doesn't flinch. "I need her to live, too," he states, his calm infuriating. "That's why you can trust me."
"Who are you?" I demand.
"A creature time forgot.” He pauses and reaches for her hand, his voice softening. “It does not matter. Now are you going to let me help her?"
Every fiber of my being screams to protect her, to keep her from this stranger's touch. But as I look at her pale face, I know I have no choice. I stare at the Atlas, my heart racing, and put Melinda gently on the ground between us. The knights and Kellan crowd close, but don’t interfere.
Fucking riddles. Fucking storyteller.
Atlas takes her hand, and I fight the urge to rip it away. My jaw clenches as he places his other hand on the tree trunk. As he begins to breathe deeply, a glow spreads across his skin and Melinda's. The air grows thick with energy, pressing against my skin like a physical force.
My heart pounds in my chest, a mix of hope and terror. Is it working? Or am I letting this stranger hurt her even more?
Suddenly, Melinda's eyes fly open, wide with panic. Relief floods through me, quickly followed by concern. I reach for her instinctively, desperate to comfort her, to shield her from whatever's causing her fear.
"Stop," Atlas snarls, his voice inhuman. "Not safe."
The command hits like a hoof to the chest. Every instinct screams at me to ignore him, to gather Melinda in my arms and run. But the glow intensifies, nearly blinding, and I force myself to stay still. Every muscle in my body is coiled tight, ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of danger.
"My sweet girl," I whisper, my voice shaking with the effort of restraint. "He's helping you. Let him help you." The words taste bitter in my mouth, but I push on, clinging to the hope that this is saving her.
She nods, her body relaxing slightly.
I watch, feeling more helpless than I ever have in my life, as magic flows between them. The sight of yet another man touching her, sharing magic with her, sends a spike of jealousy through me that I am immediately ashamed of. This isn't about me. It's about saving her life.
I hold my breath, praying that this gamble will save the woman I love.