Page 112 of A Shard of Ice

“Please, love,” I whisper as I run down the tunnel. “Please be okay.” I fear the worst. I run as fast as my legs will take me, leaving the Ice Court far behind us.

38

Kyrie

It hurts, but I can’t scream.

I’m trapped inside myself. I can’t move so much as a muscle. It feels like my whole body is on fire. Like I’m burning from the inside out. Like there are flames snaking their way through my veins. My head feels like it might crack open at any moment.

Inside is utter chaos, but you would never tell by looking at me. I jostle in Damon’s arms. It feels like he has been running for an age. The pain intensifies.

Make it stop!

Make it stop!

Please!

Am I dying? Is this how it feels to die?

The darkness is closing in, a black void that threatens to consume me. The pain is still there, which means I am still very much alive. It has morphed into a throbbing sensation. Not as bad as before.

I can now feel the cold on my skin. It is a blessing. It helps cool my internal fire.

Eventually, Damon puts me down on the floor, which feels like it is made from solid rock. The ground feels frozen. It’s good. I moan.

“Kyrie.” He shakes me. “Kyrie, please.” He shakes me again. “Say something.”

I moan again.

“Yes. That’s it, love. Wake up for me, please.”

I try to respond, to say something, but I can’t; my mouth won’t form the words. My eyes won’t open. At least the pain is now a dull ache. It feels like it’s inside my bones.

“Come on, my love. Come back to me, please,” Damon begs. He pulls me into his arms and cradles me there.

We must sit like that for an age.

He talks to me, telling me stories from our time together in the mines. Between stories, he begs me to come back to him…not to die. I was hit by a bolt of magic. I should be dead, and yet…here I am.

I want to tell him that I’m okay. I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore. I don’t know why I can’t speak or move. It scares me.

It’s only when the pain is completely gone that I manage a twitch. It’s my left pinky finger that moves first. Then, all at once, like a burst of energy, I come back.

I open my eyes and suck in a huge breath. I feel revitalized. I feel better than ever.

“Kyrie!” Damon growls. “Oh, my love. You scared me. Speak to me. Please say something.”

“I love you.”

He starts laughing, cradling me to his chest. It sounds like he is crying as well, and when he pulls me away from him, I see that his lashes are wet and that his eyes are glinting.

“You scared me. I thought you were dying.” His voice is choked.

“I thought I was dying too.” I smile at him. “I’m fine, though.” I move my limbs and roll my shoulders. “Better than fine; most of my aches and pains have disappeared.” My right shoulder was a little stiff before. It feels perfect.

“Don’t do that to me ever again, Kyrie. I mean it. I thought I’d lost you. What were you thinking? You were going to sacrifice yourself to save me.”

“You did the same thing. That bolt was meant for you, not me.” I laugh softly.

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