Page 74 of In Darkness Forged

Aislin’s mouth dropped open. “You think… you think Ikilled him?” She all but snarled the words.

Rhone’s single visible eyebrow lifted faintly. “Well, did you?”

In that moment, Aislin felt nothing but rage—pure and blinding. Tal’s dagger was in her hand before she thought to reach for it, and then she was at Rhone’s throat, one hand fisted in his tunic and the dagger resting against his neck.

“I amnota killer,” she spat. “If these past days have taught me nothing else, I know that I will never be able to easily take the life of any creature, but I might choose to make an exception for you.”

Somehow, the night elf did not appear threatened, only gazed at her with a sort of calm watchfulness.

“Hesavedme,” Aislin bit out, fury barely holding her sorrow at bay. “And I will always regret that I put him in a position where he thought he had to throw himself away for me. He deserved so much more. He deserved to live in peace and to find joy again. But now he never will, and I have to go on without him.” Her voice broke. “I’ll never hear him call me a ‘foolish human’ again. And I won’t get a chance to tell him…”

“Tell him what?” Rhone asked softly, just before he was violently ripped away from her and thrown across the clearing.

For a moment, Aislin thought it was Cuan coming to her defense. But it was not the dreadwolf who loomed over the prone—and nowlaughing—form of Rhone.

The newcomer was a night elf—his clothing torn and bloodstained, the tattered remains of his shirt hanging loose around his torso. He appeared barely able to stand, but the sword at Rhone’s throat was steady as the roots of the mountains themselves.

And it wasglowing.

Cuan let out a bark of pure joy.

Aislin simply stared.

She was hallucinating. She had to be. Tal wasdead. He’d had no pulse, and his lungs had been still.

But there was no mistaking that looming, muscled form. No one else exuded that much power, and no one else could glare with that menacing intensity.

“I’m not sure why you’re waving that sword atme,” Rhone pointed out, “when your human was the one doing all the threatening.”

“Touch her again, and I will drive this blade through your ribs without remorse.”

It was Tal’s voice—rough, hoarse, and full of pain, but unmistakable—and Aislin nearly cried at the sound she’d never thought to hear again.

Rhone just looked up at Tal and grinned before rolling away and coming to his feet. “It’s a delight to see that the rumors of your death were in error,” he said. “And now that I see no assistance is required, I will take my leave. However…”

He paused, and his head tilted to the side. “Should either of you ever find yourselves without a home, know that my family and I welcome any wildings in need. If”—his grin grew sharp and feral—“they can find us.”

With a final nod of farewell, he simply melted into the shadows and was gone.

Tal turned to look at Aislin out of fiery amber eyes. “Are you…” They were the only words he could manage before his knees gave out and he collapsed.

Aislin darted forward and tried to catch him, but his weight was too much, and they fell to the ground together.

CHAPTER20

Tal twisted in the air as he fell, somehow managing not to crush Aislin beneath him. She fell too, but immediately rolled to her side to stare at him as though she were seeing a ghost.

Then her trembling fingers touched his face, tracing from his forehead to his chin before cupping his cheek in her palm while her tears fell unheeded.

Her eyes were wide, and the moonlight left dark circles beneath them. She was filthy, bloody, and had clearly reached the end of her endurance, but she wasalive.

They were both alive, and in the surge of triumph that followed that realization, Tal forgot everything except a sudden, fierce need to touch her. To hold her—to know that his human was real and safe. Without thought for his injuries, he pushed up on one hand, wrapped his free arm around her, and pulled her against his chest as tightly as his wretchedly weak body would allow.

She stiffened and drew in a single breath, frozen in either shock or dismay. Tal would have let her go had she not then flung her arms around his neck with equal fervor, clinging to him as though she needed the contact as much as he did.

He could feel her tears falling hot on his skin. Tremors shook her slender frame, and Tal could not stop himself from murmuring soft words in her ear.

“It’s all right, Aislin. I am alive. You are safe.”

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