Page 106 of Princess Avenged

“No!” I leap to my feet, pressing my body against the barrier. “Please Ember. Please! Give Crusher a chance to get back.”

“Ana.” She turns toward me. “If I don’t close this portal in time, it won’t be Crusher who comes back through.” She shakes her head, and her expression makes it obvious that she’s already written him off. That she thinks the demons have already got him.

She swirls her hands, creating a ball of light between them.

“Just another minute. Please!” Every instinct tells me that Crusher will make it back. But is my gut feeling instinct or hope?

“Ana, I can see you love Crusher, but if I don’t close this portal, every demon that my ancestors banished will return to our world. And the impact will be…immeasurable.”

I draw a deep breath, remembering the swarm of monsters coming toward us. Now, I’m not only terrified for Crusher, I’m terrified for the entire world. I don’t know how many demons the witches of old sent back to that realm, but I suspect that millions more than that number were headed toward the opened portal.

I open my lips, wanting to tell Ember that it’s okay, that Crusher knew the risk he was taking, and that he’d want her to close the portal. But no sound comes out.

And then I sense a slight tremor in the earth below us. One so slight it might be my imagination, but it’s clear from her expression that Ember felt it too.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “It’s time.”

“No!” A thought flashes through my mind. “The vibrations. They set explosives! They’re collapsing the portal.”

Listening to me distracts Ember long enough.

Just as she’s about to cast her magic toward the portal, Crusher emerges, carrying Phil’s limp body.

Chapter

Forty-Five

Ana

Crusher sets Phil’s body on the ground, and my eyes barely register as Ember closes the portal.

Grabbing Crusher, I bury my face in his chest and hold on, comforted by the sound of his rapidly beating heart, the air flowing into his lungs, the strong force of the blood rushing through his veins.

His hand tentatively grazes my back, and I look up into his eyes. “Thank you,” I say on a raspy breath. “Thank you for getting Phil’s body. Thank you for getting both of us back safely.”

“You may have saved the entire world,” Ember adds. “All three of you. Not to get all dramatic. Just saying.”

I gather the courage to look down at Phil’s body. It’s strange to see the dynamic and dominant man so quiet and still, and I drag in a ragged breath.

Crusher’s hand traces down my back again. “Ana. I don’t think he’s dead.”

I glance up to confirm that this isn’t some kind of cruel joke, and then drop to my knees beside Phil, pressing my ear against his huge chest.

Crusher’s right. I hear sounds of life. He’s not fully healed, but he’s not fully dead.

Cupping his face in my hands, I relish the prick of his stubble on my palms. “You’re safe, Phil. You’re alive. You helped save the world. And now it’s time to wake up.”

“Feed him,” Crusher says.

I gasp, shocked that I didn’t think of that on my own. I lift my wrist to my lips, but my body is still immobilized by terror and grief, and my fangs won’t emerge.

“Allow me.” Crouching, Crusher takes my hand and pierces my wrist.

An immediate surge of gratitude races through me, waking my body from its numb state. I must be in shock.

A few drops of my blood fall onto Phil’s closed lips, and then Crusher helps me, pinching Phil’s jaw, forcing his lips open, so I can better feed him. The inside of Phil’s mouth is a shock, so dry and gray, almost like the color palette in the other realm, but as my blood paints his tongue, other parts of his mouth start to pink too. I lower my wrist to his opened lips, making sure he doesn’t miss any drops.

Phil’s lips latch onto my wrist, and I gasp at the intense pleasure, both from the feeding and from realizing that Phil is really, truly alive. Crusher releases Phil’s jaw, and I turn to look at him.

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