Page 151 of Until the Stars Fall

The thread of my magic had thinned, though, becoming barely more than a wisp of power. I reached for it with my mind and tugged, but it slipped out of my grasp. A whine filled my chest, and I had to fight to ignore their chuckling.

Squeezing my jaw tight, I concentrated harder. Lieke’s voice filled my head, pushing me to not give up.Until the stars fall, keep going.

There. I snagged it again and pulled as hard as I could, begging my magic to do my bidding.

Blinding pain shot through me as the shift brought me back to my fae form. A deep, guttural groan escaped me as I forced myself to push past the aching fatigue and the throbbing fire coursing through my veins. Somehow I remained standing.

It must have surprised the humans too, because their eyes widened slightly.

“Interesting,” the woman mused. “I wonder…”

The man beside her leaned close to her ear. “Do you think it’s the delivery? Or the bond?”

As if in response, Lieke let out a soft, pained whimper. My heart leaped into my throat as her eyelids fluttered and opened slightly. Tripping and stumbling on legs that failed to bear my weight, I rushed over and dropped to my knees beside her, but I kept my hands back, lest I cause her any more pain by jostling her.

“Sapphire, I’m here,” I whispered. “You’re going to be okay.” But even as I said this, my eyes drifted to her blood-drenched shirt. I needed to fix this, needed to save her, but how? As gently as I could, I pulled her shirt up to get a glimpse of the wound. When she whimpered, I tried to soothe her. “I know it hurts. I just need to—”

The gash in her side was worse than I’d expected. Blood continued to pour out of her with each slow beat of her heart. Awkwardly, I pulled my shirt off in one painful, jerky motion and pressed it tightly against her wound. Stroking the side of her face, I brushed her hair off her cheek.

“I’ll fix this.”

CHAPTER 82

Lieke

Darkness enveloped me—not the warm, comforting darkness of a pleasant sleep, but a cold, terrifying loneliness that gripped my weakening heart in a vise. Every shallow breath brought a fresh stab of pain, and all I could focus on was the agony in my side. Voices danced along the edges of my consciousness, and I tried to pry open my eyes to see who was speaking. I attempted to call out, hoping someone would help ease the torment.

The only response I got, though, was a new searing pain. It tore through me relentlessly. Someone must have been attempting to staunch the blood flow. How many times had I done the same to a wound I’d sustained during training? But it had never been like this. Never this deep. Never this painful.

“I’ll fix this.” A whispered voice lured me away from the pain.

I knew that voice.

I loved that voice.

Connor.

Was he truly here, or was my weakened mind grasping for some bit of happiness before the end?

I tried to open my eyes wider, but my body refused to cooperate.

Fear tangled itself around my heart, threatening to strangle any bit of hope I had. I was going to die here, and he wasn’t going to save me.

As if in answer, though, two words floated to me.

“I’m here.”

I wanted to believe the voice, wanted to trust it, but fear tightened its black coils around me. Then something shifted beside me, and the voice shouted again, sharper now, angrier. “You said the solution heals?”

It took me a moment to realize he wasn’t talking to me. Then someone else spoke. The voice was muddled and indiscernible but notably real, and I let myself hope.

Connor had come for me after all, despite all I’d said to him, despite all the pain I’d caused him.

He barked out a command, harsh and desperate. “Then heal her! Now!”

A different voice—feminine and familiar—repeated his plea.

Raven? Raven was fighting for me.

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