Page 188 of Once the Skies Fade

I took another breath, and as I exhaled, a flicker of hope lit in my chest, not from me, but from the bond.

The scratch and hiss of a match lighting warned me to close my eyes against the oncoming light. A warm glow breached the darkness, but I didn’t open them yet, waiting for her to answer.

Another breath passed and then fingers—smooth and warm—clutched my hand where it lay beside me.

“I’m here,” she finally said, her voice lacking the relief I’d hoped to hear.

My mind plummeted into a sea of speculation. Had someone died? Had we not escaped? Had Graham somehow won?

“Where is here, exactly?” I asked.

Her hand rested on my shoulder, but when she said nothing, I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her. The lantern on the table beside her cast eerie shadows across her face.

Calla’s eyes searched mine, but for what I couldn’t fathom. Averting her eyes, she sighed. “Still on Dolobare, with the nightwalkers.”

“How did we get away? Is everyone okay?”

“We’re all fine, aside from some minor cuts, bruises, and a fractured rib or two. None as injured as you. Alek helped us out.”

“And Graham?”

“Dead.” The word fell heavily from her lips like a lifeless body.

“Only dead? Not burned, maimed, dismembered, and tossed into a sea of ravenous sharks?”

Calla shrugged and pulled her lips back into a smirk. “Perhaps a little maimed. Would have been worse, but”—she swallowed hard—“there was no time for all he deserved.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Her brows shot up. “Why? Because I didn’t get to torture the villain more?”

I swallowed the chuckle her words incited. “For all the times you had to save my ass.”

“It’s an ass worth saving.”

Sighing loudly, I lifted my hand to her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just don’t tell Connor how many times I nearly died? It’s somewhat embarrassing.”

“Well, I cannot make any promises there, especially if he inquires about your performance in the competition. After all, it’s ill form to lie to an ally.”

“Even when it’s to protect your mate?” I asked, immediately regretting using the word. We hadn’t talked since that first dream, and even though she’d traveled over an entire sea for me, I couldn’t quite tell how she felt about the bond.

“Perhaps I can make an exception for that—perhaps,” she said, tapping her finger to her chin. “But only if you promise me something in return?”

“What’s that?” My throat constricted, as if afraid I wouldn’t be able to swallow whatever she was about to request.

Dropping her eyes down to our clasped hands, she said, “Promise you’ll return to me after you go home.”

A hint of worry sparked in my veins, shared over the bond. For a moment I watched Calla curiously, wishing I could lean forward and kiss away the tension in her lips. “Why would I go back to Emeryn without you?”

She lifted her gaze, and her features twisted, as if questioning my sanity. “Because I can’t? I’m still queen of?—”

“And last I checked, you were still in need of a king.” My palms were actually sweating, like an adolescent male asking his first female out to dinner.

Calla’s eyes narrowed for a moment. Her lips twitched at the corners, but I couldn’t tell if she was trying to fight back a smile or a grimace. My insides were such a chaotic jumble of nervousness, excitement, worry, fear, and something else I couldn’t pinpoint that made it nearly impossible to tell which emotions were mine and which might be hers. That fear and worry grew, though, when she pulled her hands slowly away from me and folded them in her lap. Her stony expression betrayed none of her thoughts as she studied me. I itched under her scrutiny—or maybe that was simply my healing wounds.

Behind her, a door opened, sending a beam of soft light shining into my darkened room. The air seemed to chill—even through the lush blanket tucked around me—as someone entered on near-silent footsteps.

“General Orelian,” came a voice smooth as silk but with a deadly edge. A male and female drifted into focus, both withcomplexions so light they seemed to be glowing faintly. “How nice it is to see you’re awake.”

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