Page 158 of Until the Stars Fall

“But you could lose everyone—we all could—if what she says is true,” he said flatly.

I shook my head, fighting to keep my tears from surfacing. “Then we will face that when the time comes—together.”

Minerva shoved the necklace into the pocket of her cloak. She snapped her fingers, and an empty teardrop-shaped vial appeared in one of her hands. Placing her free hand over Connor’s heart again, she pressed down on his skin right where his family’s crest was inked. Her lips fluttered, but no sound came from them. As I watched her eyes slip back into her head, I reached for Matthias’s arm, gripping his elbow with both of my hands.

She lifted her chin toward the ceiling, and slowly, the vial began to fill with a clear liquid tinged with blood. With each drop added to it, Connor’s heartbeat strengthened and his breaths became deeper, healthier. I didn’t track how long it took; my mind was too focused on watching my mate’s face regain its healthy color.

I jumped, startled, when Minerva’s head snapped forward again. She blinked once and held the now-full vial in front of her eyes before closing her fingers around it. When she opened her hand once more, the vial wasn’t there. Where it had gone, I didn’t know or care.

I looked down at Connor and leaned over him, resting my hands on his shoulder.

“Why isn’t he awake?” I asked, worry soaked into every word.

Minerva said in a slow, labored voice, “The poison is gone, but pulling it from his blood takes the strength of both the mage and the subject. He is healthy, but his body is worn out. He should wake in a day or two.”

“Thank you, Minerva,” Matthias said. “Should I tell him the truth about his mother? It seems unfair for him to hold it against you for a decision that wasn’t yours.”

“I’m used to life being unfair, General. I’d rather he hate me. The truth would only come between him and his father.”

CHAPTER 86

Connor

Too late.

Those were the last words I’d said to my mate before the darkness swallowed me.

Voices whispered in the distance, and I desperately tried to find them. But no matter how hard I ran, I could never make out what they were saying, never could tell who was speaking.

When they ceased, fear crept back in.

I wasn’t dead. I could still feel her—my mate—woven into the fabric of my soul, ever-present and breathing and living and surviving for us both.

The poison’s flame singed my nerves, licking greedily at my blood. Slowly it faded to glowing embers until it was quelled completely, as if a cool water had been washed over me, dousing the fire and cleansing me of every last ember.

Still, the darkness persisted.

I waited, because running after nothingness only brought fatigue of both my mind and spirit.

When my body was ready, it would bring me back to her.

At least, that’s what I hoped.

“Wolfie.” Her voice pulled my heavy eyelids open. The darkness lingered at the edges of my vision as I stared up at a familiar ceiling. A fire glowed in the fireplace, warming the left side of my face. Shifting my body on the sofa, I turned toward the warmth to find a pair of sapphire eyes sparkling in the firelight.

Lieke.

“Sapphire,” I breathed. Raising a hand, I traced my finger along her forehead, tucking a blonde wave behind her ear before my arm fell weakly across my stomach. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” I asked wearily.

She nodded, a sad smile touching her lips before she said, “You should wake soon enough, but I couldn’t wait that long.”

“How did you know about the dreams?” I asked, quirking a brow lazily.

She lifted her shoulder in a slight shrug, and her face flushed an adorable pink. “Your father told me.”

Heat spread through me as I recalled the last dream we’d shared, when we’d given all of ourselves without realizing it. I moved to sit up, but her light hand on my shoulder settled me back down.

“You got me home then.”

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