Page 56 of Last Ride of the Umbra Fae

This is why I’ve needed more tonic lately.

“This is fucking crazy,” Raven said as he walked toward the middle window facing the ocean. He dragged a hand through his hair and groaned. As he turned my way, his gaze was glossed over. Between the falling lava, determination soon found its way to the surface. “Vessa, what are you going to do about it?” he asked, not in a desperate plea, but with resolve.

A grin curved my lips. “These assholes are done fucking around.”

I looked at Ryder, who was beaming with pride as I stepped onto the fountain’s ledge. Now at eye level with the Eternal stone, I held out a hand, calling upon the power ofAnoandAma. I was a gods-damn half-light for a reason. The truth had bound me to harness both sides of the moon, the light and the dark. Born on a blue moon, chosen by the goddesses. This power that made me a prize and a curse coursed through my veins until it unveiled itself in my palm. I called upon the Eternal stone through my mind, searching for the threads of gravitation until I felt the connection to the stone. I screamed as pain spread across my chest, feeling the Eternal stone’s agony under fire. Sweat beaded down my face, and my pulse rose to a racing speed. I pushed forward, gritting my teeth against the hold. The moment I lassoed the bond, the ground rumbled beneath our feet. Lava swirled and lapped against the fountain. I moved my foot just in time.

Fuck…

I glanced at Ryder, who was seconds from pulling me off the ledge in case more toppled over.

“Come on,” he whispered, watching my every move. He nodded and licked his bottom lip in anticipation.

Another scream tore through my throat as the stone loosened from its hold, sending fissures to vein up the walls around us.

The Eternal stone lifted. Upon release, a calm washed over me as it cooled before dropping onto my hand. With just a touch, the glow melted into my palm and up my arm, a temporary rejuvenation, enough to get me through this.

My eyes bounced between Ryder and Raven as tremors still shook the ground. “I’m going through Blightstone Hollow to Earth’s Fall, and from there, I will place the stone far from reach.”

“At dusk we ride.” Pa’s voice sent me spinning on my heels, a sound that brought me much comfort. He stood in the doorwaywith a toothpick hanging from his mouth. “I ain’t dying in this shithole. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

It didn’t take longfor Raven to scout where our horses had run off to. While we followed Raven to our mounts, Pa dragged Fang’s body by a rope binding his hands and legs. The monster was hardly recognizable, having been nearly beaten to death.

“Better him than me,” Ryder scoffed.

Pa turned, looking him dead in the eye. “I don’t involve myself with the melancholy of love.” He glanced my way. “She’s your problem now,” he said with a wink.

Pa was more than a man. He was a predator who knew how to keep his prey barely alive long enough to torment them. The city dwellers stared upon End’s Wrath, getting a taste of their fate if they dared to step in his way.

“Who we were before won’t matter if you will have me for who I’ll try to be from here forward.”Ryder’s words echoed in my mind. He looked out into the city as sweat beaded above his brow with a few strands of hair clinging to his neck. Beneath the exterior of this beautiful man was no hero—he was the villain just trying to survive the monster he’d become. I knew that now. We all had a side of ourselves we kept hidden. I didn’t forgive him, and I certainly wouldn’t forget it either. Still, I couldn’t help feeling we were on borrowed time. Once we reached Earth’s Fall, I was uncertain what would come next. I stepped into Ryder’s space, catching a faint smile beneath his stare. He leaned down and linked an arm around my waist. Wind drifted between us as he brushed a few strands of hair behind my ears, exposing them in broad daylight.

“Look at what you’ve done, Desert Rose,” he whispered. There was a warmth that spread across my chest as I turned to see Elemental Fae stepping into the light, no glamor, no gloves. I could finally take a moment to truly soak in a sight that nearly brought me to tears.

“We’ve made quite the mess,” I said. “I wish my Ma and Lia?—”

Pa whistled loud enough for his stallion to hear.

I chuckled faintly, linking my arms around Ryder’s neck. “I see all your demons, every single one.”

A sliver of that pearly smile peeked out from the corner of his mouth.

“And I see you,”Ryder said through the bond. I was reminded of how he’d felt, his scent, and the way his body had rolled against mine as he’d buried himself inside me.

I pressed up onto my toes, brushing my lips along his dark, shadowed jawline, loving the way his scruff felt against my lips before they found his.

I deepened the kiss in a serene surrender. “I’m in search of a guide who can accompany us through Blightstone Hollow. Extra points if he has the skills of a bounty hunter.”

Ryder’s eyes roamed over my lips as if he were still starved. He took my chin in his hand, chest pressing against mine. “As long as I’m breathing, anyone who steps in your way will be slain at your feet.”

“Is that a promise?” I drawled. He smiled, the sharp edges of his canines peeking out. “Your promises seem painful,” I said.

“Are you afraid of pain?”

“Are you?” I pressed my palm against his chest, shadows unfurling to claws that slipped between the fabric of his shirt, caressing his chest hair.

“I asked first,” he challenged, sweeping his gaze across my face. Silence hung in the air as I mischievously grinned. “You’re staring at me like I’m a prize,” he claimed.

I smiled. In some ways, he was. A dangerous one at that.

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