Page 24 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Gray hung his head. "I’m sorry." Gray kissed her hair, so softly it was as if he believed she was made of splintered glass. "Iwillheal you. Do you need anything?"

She shook her head. "The pain’s easing," she lied. It was no use, Lea knew that. If anyone would have been able to heal someone from the Lonely Death, it would have been her mother. Only the moonflowers had that power. Lea’s eyelids drooped.

"Rest, Little Flower. I’ve got you," Gray said calmly, but the way his lips trembled as they pressed against her forehead told Lea that he wasn’t as confident about her safety as he seemed.

Lea was walking through the forest again, her wedding gown pristine as it flowed softly around her legs. The stars in the fabric seemed to actually sparkle, the same silver-blue tone that she had seen glowing on the chapel doors and in her dripping blood as she’d pledged herself to the rebellion.

What was I doing?Lea thought. She had the vague sense that she was searching for something, but… what? The feeling she was missing something important nagged at the edges of her conscience, like leaving a room and forgetting what you were searching for.How did I get here?

Ducking under a bare, low-hanging branch, Lea scanned her surroundings.There!A flickering light, dancing just in the periphery of her vision, and Lea knew immediately that it was what she was searching for. The light paused, hovering stationary in the air as if waiting for her full attention before floating into the darkness ahead, beckoning her to follow.

A will o’ the wisp, she realized. Lea had heard tales of these mischievous spirits steering travelers from their path into trouble at night, and yet, her feet continued to propel her forward. This spirit didn’t seem unkind. It was far too beautiful. She stepped forward, unable to stop walking as she was led around a maze of bushes and tree trunks.

The wisp disappeared as the soothing rippling of a river met her ears. Following the noise, Lea walked toward the long, hanging branches of a willow. It was out of place here in the forest. The other trees surrounding her were taller, almost black, with gnarled trunks and dead, knotted branches, and yet somehow this beautiful, healthy green willow existed amongst them. Water splashed nearby as she stood before the umbrella of branches, the sound of someone wading through the stream beyond causing her to pause.

"Hello? Who’s there?" Lea called, and the splashing stopped.Stupid girl,Lea chided herself.Why would you call out your position, alone and vulnerable in the dark like this?And yet, her body didn’t care about the danger as she continued forward.

There was no answer, but still, Lea pulled aside the curtain of greenery. Someone was there, and even though Lea didn’t know why, she could feel in her bones that sheneededto talk to them. The weeping tails of the willow tickled her skin as she walked into the river. Cool, refreshing water rushed against her ankles and light burned her eyes. Blinking back tears, she allowed her vision to adjust, shielding her face from the intense glow. Water sloshed again before a delicate, warm hand gently gripped her chin, pulling her face up to meet the beautiful gaze of a stranger. A tall, delicate woman with silver-blond hair that Lea had seen her whole life memorialized in countless paintings and statues.

Immediately, Lea dropped to her knees as the full power of the goddess of the moon washed over her—a gentle, cool energy that was so pure, it made her want to cry. The goddess didn’t speak as she looked at Lea, her hand reaching out toward her chest.

Ouch—what?Blood dripped from the goddess’s fingers as she pulled her hand back. Frowning, she bent to dip her hand into the water to let the river carry the traces of red away.

Lea’s chest burned, and when she looked down, there were black, bloody welts spreading across her skin.Are they familiar?Lea was certain she had seen them before, but where? Each breath she took caused stabbing pain, the sores climbing down her stomach and legs, up her neck, and across her fingers.

The goddess bent down, placing her hands on Lea’s head. "It is as I feared." She spoke softly, her voice sweet like honeysuckle wine. "Hold on, Daughter of the Night. He will find a way to save you."

"It hurts," Lea sobbed, the pain becoming so severe throughout her whole body that nausea roiled in her stomach. "I can’t—" Breathing became difficult as her lungs filled with blood. She coughed, and the blood drowning her dripped from her mouth and nose. Lea watched in horror as the stream turned a deep red. There was so much blood.

The moon goddess knelt, once again placing a motherly hand on her head. Her voice grew firm, losing its softness and turning demanding. "Hold on.Fight. Soon, he will find a way. Do not give in. Do not give up."

Lea gasped for air, desperately trying to get oxygen into her lungs. A roar shook the ground, and she looked up, tree limbs bending and shaking as a feral cry tore across the woods.

"Gods Dammit, help her!"The voice was so familiar, but who was it?

"He will find a way, but you have to hold on. The answer is in your blood. Youmustsurvive." The goddess was insistent, her eyes wild and face grim as she followed the scarlet trails in the river.

"I can’t"—gasp—"breathe!" Lea coughed again, blood dripping from her nose.

"Wake up, Azalea. He will save you." The goddess stood, turning to face the moon and waving her hands in an arc across the sky. Her long fingers wiped every trace of clouds and fog away, the moon becoming so bright it showed the true, hideous extent of Lea’s sores. Lea gasped, but before she could speak, the goddess flicked her fingers. Thousands of shooting stars flew across the sky. "It’s time to accept your fate," the goddess said sadly.

"Are you listening to me!?" That strong, furious voice roared again from somewhere far away. "Save her! Heal her!"

"Get up and go back to him. The answer is in your blood," the moon goddess repeated before fading away into nothing.

Lea splashed the cool water on her face with shaking hands, trying to wake herself enough for her body to obey. But everything hurt so terribly. She would do anything to make it stop.

"I will destroy everything you have created. Both here on earth and in whatever realm you hide. Heal her, or you will be gods of nothing!" She heard fists beat into the ground, the earth shaking. "Please, Little Flower." A phantom hand cupped her cheek. "Come back to me."

The haze in Lea’s mind cleared enough to recognize the voice. Gray. Her mate. She would do anything to make the pain stop—anything—except leave him.

On weak, shaking limbs, Lea pushed herself onto her hands and knees, a scream ripping from her very center as her vision tunneled.Breathe, she commanded herself, fighting against a wave of dizziness. She would rise, and shewouldreturn to him.

In a flash of silver blue light, Lea found herself back in the grove with Gray, struggling to sit up. She sucked in a breath, prepared for the searing pain, but was surprised to find that no blood filled her lungs. Lea looked down at her chest, the black, diseased welts still creeping around her sides to her back. "Gray," she croaked, her body so exhausted she laid back onto her side. "Gray," she tried to say again, but she was so thirsty, her throat so dry that no sound left her lips.

Gray was facing away from her, and he dropped to his knees as he looked up at the sky. It seemed like he didn’t know she was awake, but she was too weak to call out to him again.

"Please, don’t let her die. Take me. We haven’t sealed the bond." Chest heaving, he stared at the stars, at the silent, incandescent moon. "I know you hear me!" Fury crossed Gray’s face at the sky’s stillness. "If you take her," his voice crackled like fire as shadows twirled into the heavens, reaching toward the gods he begged, "I will follow her into death. But not until I have turned this world to nothing but embers!" Her powerful mate’s voice cracked. "Please…" He placed his head into his hands as his anger turned to despair.

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