Page 74 of Essence of the Throne

“For how crazy I feel whenever you’re gone. And how much I miss your touch after you take it away.” I’m sobbing into his hair, only now just realizing he’s stopped kissing me, and instead is resting his ear over my heart. “I want you to apologize for how fucking badly I need you when I have doneeverythingto reject this.”

He pulls back, wincing, to study the mess I’ve made of my face. “You couldn’t have avoided this any more than me. The only difference is I never fought it.” Sweat beads along his forehead, and I gather the minuscule amount of essence that has replenished and tug on my vital strand. I have the sense that I suddenly know what to do to heal him, so I coax the essence to the tips of my fingers and place them against his waist. It takes a moment, but a familiar light seeps from under my skin and wraps around his torso, looking for anything that needs healing.

He sighs, only to groan when the crack of bones unbreaking sounds around us. I cannot hold it long enough to mend every part of his body, though I’m confident the worst of his injuries have been taken care of.

Has it been so easy all along?

Well, I wouldn’t call this easy. I feel as if my very life is seeping from my soul. But I would do this for a hundred years if it kept him alive.

“Fuck.” I wince as I sit back on the prince’s thighs once more, breathing far too heavy to not be concerning. I’ve never usedso much of my essence at one time—and I never want to again. I feelhorrible. My muscles ache in ways I didn’t realize were possible; my head is pounding, and if the sun gets any brighter, I may just rip it from the sky out of spite.

“Ari,” Caspian says from somewhere far away. I want to protest. Shove him away so that I may rest for a while. But instead I listen to the nagging in my head telling me to open my eyes.

I have a feeling that the day is far from over. Wonderful.

I squint through a small opening in my lids, rearing back at how tilted the city around me looks. My eyes snap open to Caspian sitting up, his tight grip on my shoulder keeping me from falling over.

He just died.I need to be the strength in our duo until I get him to safety.

Water laps over my calves, and I frown. I’m on my feet in the next heartbeat, grabbing onto Caspian’s offered hands and gently tugging him up with me. He attempts to hide a wince, ignoring my inquiring eyes as he inspects my body for injury.

“Are you okay?”

I breathe a humorous laugh, shaking my head. “No. But we can’t think about that right now…we need to get out of here.” The reality of our situation slams into me as I look around us.

Meridian, aside from the uppermost part of its hill, is completely under water. My body is too tired to swim as far as we’d need to reach the dry land, and there are no boats, or even useful pieces of debris, in sight.

I have to give it to the Angel. Not an hour ago was I commenting on the beauty of the ocean, only for it to retaliate. Impressive work—truly.

“I don’t see Gavriel anywhere…” Caspian’s voice trails off, a frown etched deep in his features. I scan the horizon with him, looking for the distinct red jacket amongst the other survivors standing on various roofs. “Wait—there!” He points to our right where a bit of bright crimson peeks through a group of people. I’m ready to toss aside thoughts of the guard when I realize that the small frame with long, blonde hair is certainly not Gavriel.

But that is his jacket—it’s too distinct to be anything but.

The prince’s shoulders slump as he concludes that same thing I did. “He must be with the group—there’s no chance he would part with the royal uniform he’s so proud of if it wasn’t to give it to a child.”

I scan the flooding city, my heart racing as I spot movement in the distance. The water level at our feet is lowering fast, but that’s not what makes my blood run cold. Beyond the submerged buildings, a massive wall of water towers over everything, moving steadily toward us. Again.

“Fuck’s sake…Caspian…” My voice catches. I’ve never felt so helpless. My essence is drained and my limbs feel like dense steel. Even if we could run, there’s nowhere close enough to escape what’s coming.

I look at my prince, still weak from drowning. His argent eyes meet mine, and I see the same realization there: we won’t survive this wave.

I meant what I said before.I direct the thought toward the Angel.If you let him die, I will tear everything apart. I do not care what it costs me. You better fucking do something.

A piercing screech cuts through the air and my entire body goes rigid. I know that sound. It’s impossible.

My head whips up as a massive white griffin circles overhead, its feathers gleaming despite the darkening clouds. Caspian stumbles back, but I grab his arm.

“Don’t move,” I whisper. “She’s here to help.”

“She?” My fingers tighten on his arm as the griffin’s shadow moves over us, the sheer size of her wingspan enough to momentarily block out the sky. But the prince stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.

If that’s the cost of saving his life twice today, so be it.

The griffin lands on our roof with impossible grace, her intelligent blue eyes finding mine. She remembers me. I step closer, my breath catching at the sheer power radiating from her massive form. Every movement is deliberate, almost regal, and yet there’s something undeniably wild about her—particularly her claws, which dredge up undesirable images of me dying after her attack.

The egg I took from her nest still rests in my room at the castle. Should I have brought it after all?

“We need to go,” I state, not wasting time with pleasantries. If I remember correctly, she understood my words the last time we met. She lowers herself, and I do not hesitate to grab Caspian and practically throw him onto her back. He makes a strangled sound of protest, but I ignore it, climbing up behind him.

---