Page 20 of Chains of Nightshade

Power radiates from him in waves, familiar yet so much more intense than in our shared dreams. It feels like coming home after a lifetime of wandering. My skin tingles with the proximity of his magic, drawing me toward him like a moth to flame.

The sharp sting hits before I hear the whistle of the arrow. Pain explodes through my side, and my legs buckle beneath me. The cold stone floor rushes up to meet me, but strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.

"Damn it," Aurel's voice rumbles above me. His chest is warm against my cheek as he lifts me. "Hold on."

My fingers clutch at his skin, leaving crimson streaks across his pale chest. The arrow shaft juts from between my ribs, each breath sending waves of fire through my body. "I can't... it hurts..."

"Keep your eyes open." His grip tightens as he moves, his serpentine body coiling protectively around us. "Focus on my voice."

Blood seeps between my fingers, hot and sticky. The edges of my vision blur, but I force myself to look up at him. His emerald eyes burn with an intensity I've never seen before, not even in our dreams.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice catching. "I failed-"

"Shut up." His command is harsh, but his touch remains gentle as he cradles me closer. "You didn't fail anything. Just stay with me."

Footsteps echo down the corridor – more guards coming. Aurel's muscles tense beneath my hands, and I feel the rumble of a growl build in his chest.

"Don't let go," he says, and there's something in his voice I can't quite name. Fear? Concern? "Whatever happens, don't you dare let go."

10

VERA

Boots thunder down the stone steps as dark elves pour into the dungeon. Their silver armor gleams in the dim light, weapons drawn. My vision swims, pain radiating from the arrow in my side.

"Leave me," I whisper against Aurel's chest, certain he'll abandon me now that I'm a burden. "I'll only slow you down."

His arms tighten around me. "Shut up." His voice rumbles through his chest. "You didn't free me just to die here."

An arrow whistles past us. Aurel's body coils protectively around mine as he moves, faster than I thought possible. The world spins as he navigates the narrow corridors.

"Stop them!" A dark elf commander's voice echoes off the walls. "The naga must not escape!"

My fingers slip on Aurel's skin, slick with my own blood. The pain makes it hard to hold on, but his earlier words echo in my mind: "Don't you dare let go."

"Stay with me," he growls, ducking under a low archway. His serpentine body moves with fluid grace despite carrying me. "Keep those eyes open."

I force myself to focus on his face – the determined set of his jaw, the fierce gleam in his emerald eyes. He could have left me. Should have left me. But he didn't.

"Why?" I manage through gritted teeth.

He glances down at me, something unreadable flickering across his features. "Because you're mine now."

The possessive growl in his voice sends warmth spreading through my chest, stronger than the pain. As consciousness fades in and out, I cling to that warmth, to the solid strength of his arms around me, to the knowledge that he chose to keep me.

My heart swells with something dangerous – hope, perhaps. Or something deeper.

Aurel's massive body curls around me as another volley of arrows rains down. His muscles tense and flex against my skin, shielding me from the assault.

"Stay conscious," he orders, his voice tight with strain. "Focus on my voice."

I try to summon magic, but it slips through my fingers like water. My blood drips steadily onto the stone floor, each drop echoing in my ears. "I can't... the magic won't..."

"Don't waste your strength." He deflects a sword strike with his tail, sending the dark elf flying into the wall.

Three more soldiers rush forward. Aurel's arms tighten around me as he weaves between their attacks, his movements fluid despite carrying my weight. The clash of steel against his scales rings through the corridor.

"Behind you!" I gasp as another soldier appears.

---