Chapter 28
BITTERSWEET HELLOS
Astorm erupted outside the cave, whipping up a violent wind. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed, the atmosphere charged with electricity, raising the fine hairs on my body.
I lay on my side, with my back to Jasher, but now his arm draped over my hip. He slept through the tempest, apparently unbothered. All the while, the rainwater called to me, reminding me of my dream.
A slight pressure pushed between my shoulder blades. A prelude to wings ready to burst free? Would I one day soar alongside Jasher?
Or would he betray me, joining his elders?
Longing tangled with trepidation. In my dream…vision…he clustered together with the monstra. We had faced off, as if we were full-blown enemies.
Was this what I learned in the Ring of Truth? He still played the long con, as Daniel and Elowen once warned?
When morning dawned, the rain stopped, and I drowned in dread. I’d just admitted my love for Jasher; he’d just admitted his for me. Now, I might lose him.
Maybe we should avoid the Ring of Truth. But the thought was pure cowardice. Avoiding truth had never saved anyone.
As if hearing my thoughts, Jasher stirred against me with a groan. He eased into a sitting position, looking a smidge grumpy and—dare I believe it?—affectionate. “You are recovered?”
An answering affection welled up in me; there was no tamping it down. “Yes.” My strength had returned, at least. “How are you?”
He reached out and toyed with a lock of my hair, rolling the strands around a finger. The gentle action tickled my scalp.
“I’m sore but well.” Releasing me, he rose, swiped his shirt and donned it. That done, he hooked his axes in place. “May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” I stood to almost-steady legs.
He smiled at me, and oh, he was adorable. Beauty and strength personified, rumpled with his dark hair in disarray, sunset eyes glittering. The axes crossed at his nape and protruded over his broad shoulders.
Hmm. Was something different about him?
His wings maybe? They appeared a wee bit bigger. And yet, his facial bones definitely maybe didn’t seem quite as prominent.
“While I appreciate the deep study,” he said, his tone dry, “I’d love it if you checked back into our conversation.”
I blushed and muttered, “My apologies.”
“I’m not complaining, just requesting you hear my words while leering,” he replied, earning a chuckle from me.
“Wish granted.” I waggled my brows at him. “Ask again, hot stuff.”
He snorted, then glided his knuckles along my jaw, leaving a tingling trail in his wake. “What did you do to your father to save him from the brink of death?”
Ahav…near death inside Mount Emerald…my glittery tears splashing over his chest, absorbing into his skin.
“I don’t actually know,” I admitted. “It was automatic. Instinctual, I guess. I wanted him better, and suddenly, he was. Just like the waterways. And your shadow-thing. You wanted, you got.”
“Oh, that our romance was so easy, eh?”
I gave a mock gasp and smoothed his tunic over his pecs. “The best victories are hard won.” Please, don’t turn against me again.
“Have I won then?” he asked softly. He cupped my cheeks, his sunrise eyes earnest. Hopeful. “Have I scared the doom away?”
I almost wound my arms around him, almost slid in close and promised him every future hereafter. Almost proclaimed my love again. But my dream…
Better to keep things light until we reached the Ring of Truth. “Congratulations. You’ve earned one gold star. Collect ten, and you’ll win a prize.”
A flicker of disappointment, making it clear he’d hoped for an admission. But he also offered a wry smile, as if he understood my hesitation. “Is it a kiss? Tell me the prize is a kiss.”
“There you go, flirting again.” My voice dipped, going low and smoky. “Any interest in a get out of jail free card?”
“Sentence me to forever. I’ll serve my time gladly, as long as your taste is on my lips.” His gaze held mine, burning unchecked as he leaned in. Everything he’d been, everything he was, coiled around me, a tendril of silk. Unbreakable. “I love you, Moriah.”
My breath caught. So much for keeping it light. Heat tore through me, burning away centuries of doubt in a single, ruthless sweep. I didn’t just unravel—I came apart at the seams. Defenses? Gone. Reduced to smoke and want.
And he wasn’t done. He lowered his grip to my jawline and glided his thumbs over my skin, leaving fire in his wake. “I love your kindness, your twisted sense of humor, your protective instincts, your stubborn determination, your heart for animals, your…everything.”
“Then I’ll give you an endless supply of kisses,” I whisper-croaked.
He kissed me, then. The kind of kiss that ruined you for every other life. I let myself believe—just for that heartbeat—that love could be enough.
A noise interrupted us, and it didn’t come from the ridiculous toy. We both swung our attention to the cavern’s entrance, bracing for another fight.
A flock of squawking rainbow birds scattered, and I scowled. Interrupted our delectable teasing and world-rocking admissions on purpose, or heading off to tattle to Ian? Both?
In perfect unison, Skyprancer and Starflight landed on the platform and tucked their wings into their sides. They shook their beautiful manes and neighed, projecting satisfaction in a job well done.
Delight overshadowed my disappointment and irritation. “Hello, ladies,” I greeted, gliding forward.
As I nuzzled each mythological equine, offering sweet coos, Jasher approached Skyprancer and unlatched an overstuffed satchel hooked to her saddle.
He plucked a note from inside the bag and read it aloud.
“To my beloved sister, Moriah. The monstra come. Best to leave your little love shack while you can. May you live this life as you have so often died. Boldly, without fear, and in the arms of your beloved. Elowen.”
I buzzed with curiosity as Jasher removed fabric from the satchel and shook it out, revealing a nearly transparent gown. He held it up and eyed me with half sardonic, half adoring amusement. “She sent a gift for us both.”
My stomach and heart traded places. The gown.
The one I wore in my vision, when Jasher turned against me.
The sheer green beauty as delicate as the clouds, similar to Andrea’s and spun from gossamer silk that shimmered like starlight.
In person, I noted the details I’d missed inside my head.
Tiny emerald flecks traced a bodice embroidered with waves, winding down to a waist cinched with a ribbon of silver thread.
The sleeves, transparent and trailing, were edged in lace so fine it resembled frost, and the hem resembled moss. I fell in love instantly.
I brushed my fingers through its otherworldly softness, wanting desperately to don it. Ugh. No.
I stuffed the gown back inside the bag, then tossed it into a far corner of the cavern. “Let’s leave it here with Kevin. I’ve seen it before, in a nightmare of a vision.”
Jasher appeared concerned, but he didn’t ask me to elaborate. “Very well.” He helped me mount Starflight. Rather than fly on his own, he mounted Skyprancer.
Seconds later, we were galloping from the cave and airborne.
Rain-scented air whipped through my hair.
As every time before, I relished the freedom found only in the skies.
No sign of the monstra behind us, but wow, look at that rainbow.
So close. It displayed seven vibrant colors.
As red as Elowen. A purple the same hue as Emma’s eyes.
The pegacorns soared straight through it, and I gasped. Radiant warmth swept over me, making me feel as if I’d bathed from the inside out. Even my clothes shimmered anew, every stain and smudge erased.
Grinning, I peered over at Jasher. A slightly bemused smile curved his lips as he observed me.
A piercing roar shattered the sweet simplicity of the moment.
Tension slowed the pegacorns. I threw a glance over my shoulder and stiffened. An entire horde of monstra arrowed our way, coming in hot and fast, death shining in their eyes.
“This is going to suck,” I muttered.
A stream of fire shot through the space between the pegacorns. The sisters reared apart. Flames kissed my leg, and a pained cry parted my lips. The burn proved insidious, leaking fire directly into my cells.
“Go, go, go,” Jasher commanded the pegacorns, and the sisters galloped across the clouds at a swifter clip. “We’ll fix you when we land.”
“Ten-four.” Sweat trickled from my temples. I’d been scorched by monstra flames before, and emerged unscathed. Why the injury now? Had they tampered with their fire? Or must I wear the golden armor connected to the ring I could no longer access?
The monstra gained on us, spewing new streams, hitting Skyprancer. She screamed but continued to maneuver through the clouds. Spotting her wound, I almost vomited. Burns littered one side of her body, her wing featherless. The only reason she remained in the sky was Jasher.
He’d shifted, becoming fully monstra. Bigger, every inch scaled. He used his wings in place of the pegacorn’s decimated one.
Engulfed by a haze of smoke, Starflight lost sight of her sister and panicked.
Fighting my own frenzy, I took control of her reins and steered her in the right direction. “Easy girl, you’re okay, you’re okay.” I urged her to calm and continue toward her sister. Almost together again…so close…
When the two were side by side at last, both the pegacorns struggling, they glanced at one another. Ears flicked. Wings shivering. They shifted their weight, hooves scraping air, heads dipping in mirrored motions, as if finishing a conversation I couldn’t hear.
A knot formed in my chest. “What’s happening?”
Jasher could only roar.
The pegacorns brushed their muzzles together, a brief, tender touch. Then, as one, they turned away—and swung back hard. Horn met horn.
Light burst from the impact, rippling outward. A translucent sphere snapped into place around us, the air humming as though strung too tight. I almost couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing.
Fire slammed against the barrier in violent waves, splashing harmlessly away. When the assault faltered, the monstra circling beyond, heads swiveling, eyes sliding over us without recognition.
We were invisible to them? “What is this?” I whispered.
Jasher shrunk to his half-shifted form and slumped forward, suddenly small in the vast sky. His hand tightened on the pegacorn’s reins as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. But Skyprancer was fading.
I looked down and whimpered. Starflight was fading too, her mane no longer catching the light, only shadow. It was thinning, strand by strand, colors paling, edges blurring like breath on glass. Her wings passed through her sister’s, the feathers losing shape and substance.
I pressed a hand over my mouth, halting a cry. Neither pegacorn’s hooves were striking clouds. They didn’t make a sound at all.
Even their outlines faded, until Jasher and I were alone in the bubble, floating down, down.
He met my gaze, saddened. “That was their death knell,” he told me softly. “They saved us, and spent themselves to do it.”