Page 168 of Visions & Shadows

“Let me try,” Raighne mutters.

Hearing them work together to save me has my eyes stinging with unshed tears right before I’m engulfed in Raighne’s warmth as he floods me.

“Is she going to be okay?” I hear Jason ask.

I’m pulled tightly against Raighne’s chest, and he peppers my face with kisses as sob after sob begins to burst from me.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe,” he murmurs, his tone strained with emotion.

Finally able to move, I lift my arms and cling to Raighne’s shirt as I gasp through the empty feeling left behind by the weird shit I just experienced.

“What was that?” I ask.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” Ares answers as he climbs to his feet. “I’ll deal with it.”

“Is Alchera okay?” Dylan asks, his tone tense with worry.

“Yes,” Raighne replies. Pulling back, he locks eyes with me. “Are you good to go? We need to move.”

Having no choice, I nod, but Raighne has to help me to my feet.

My legs feel unsteady, and I lean heavily against him as I look at Riccardo, who’s still on his knees, his face pale with shock.

Dumbfounded, he stares at all the blood on my shirt as he shakes his head, then whispers, “How? What? Christ.”

“I know it’s a little overwhelming, but you’re safe with us,” Jason tells Riccardo. “These people are here to save us, so just go with the flow.”

“I shot her,” Riccardo gasps. “How?”

“I’m Raighne, and as Alchera’s guardian, I can heal her,” Raighne explains. “Also, you can’t kill one of us with a bullet, so don’t bother trying again.”

It felt like I was dying, though.

“You were just weakened, which allowed Void to get into your mind,”Ares tells me mentally.

My eyes snap to his face.“Void?”

“My step-father for intents and purposes. He rules over the shadowlands. He’s the one who turned my mother dark.”

“Enough,” Raighne mutters. “We need to get out of here.”

It’s only then that I glance around us, and seeing all the destruction and breathing in ash, panic pours through my chest.

“I had a vision of another chosen one, but I don’t know where she is,” I admit, my voice hoarse from the poor air quality.

“Dammit,” Brenna mutters.

“Can’t we go back to Vaalbara until we know where to go next?” I ask.

“No.” Griffith shakes his head, an impatient expression on his face.

“We can go back to our house,” Doug says. “Last time we were there, Ireland wasn’t as affected as this place.”

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Jason agrees.

“Everyone gather close,” Griffith orders while pulling Riccardo to hisfeet. “You hold my hand and don’t let go. You hear me?”

Riccardo just nods, still shell-shocked.

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