Page 167 of Heir of Illusion

“Sometimes we have to make hard choices,” he says, his voice low. “You’ll understand that soon enough.”

I open my mouth to ask what he means, but the question dies on my tongue as Baylor pulls the sword back, arching his body as he prepares to strike.

Time slows down, each second stretching into a thousand. There’s no debate. No hesitation. My body moves faster than it ever has before as I slide in front of Thorne just in time for the sword to drive straight through my chest.

My eyes go wide, my mouth opening on a silent gasp.

“No!” Thorne’s voice echoes through the room, shaking the very foundation of the house.

Everything darkens as his arms come around me, holding my back to his chest to keep me from tipping forward.

“Why would you do that?” Baylor whispers, true despair entering his voice as his frantic gaze bores into me. “It wasn’t supposed to be you.”

“Run,” Thorne growls behind me. “Now.”

Fear clouds Baylor’s face before it’s replaced with determination. His gaze flits back to mine, and I know exactly what he’s going to do a moment before it happens. With his hand still gripping the hilt of the sword, he rips it free from my chest before fleeing for the door.

This time, there’s nothing silent about my reaction.

Screams tear from my throat as red-hot agony flares through me. My entire existence has been one painful encounter after another, but this… this is different. Not a single ounce of it is dull. The pain crashes over me again and again in razor-sharp waves that leave me weak and breathless. It’s endless. A greedy monster, spreading outward from the wound and infecting every part of my body.

I try to breathe, but the air gets clogged in my throat as the taste of blood fills my mouth.

Air.I need air.

My body convulses as that old, original fear rears its ugly head once more. Of course, fate would bring me back to this feeling again, the misery of being denied life’s essential substance.

Strong arms lower me to the ground. I think I hear someone talking, but the roaring in my ears is too loud. A wet, racking cough claws its way up my throat, clearing away some of the blood that was choking me. Gasping, I pull air into my lungs, gorging myself on the precious oxygen.

“You’re okay,” Thorne assures me, his voice louder now. “You’ll be okay.”

The rest of the room disappears as my world narrows down to a single vignette with his face at the center. New voices chime in from the shadows, but their words mean nothing to me as I keep my gaze on Thorne.

“What happened?” Griffen demands.

“Baylor.”

“Will she make it?” Fia asks quietly, kneeling on my other side.

“She has to,” Thorne insists. “I won’t lose her. Not now.”

The fire in my chest is endless, blazing furiously even as the rest of my limbs go cold. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that’s a bad sign.The blade must have nicked my heart, I realize distantly through the haze. High fae are resilient, but the heart is where all life stems from. Once it’s damaged…

“Angel,” he whispers. “Please open your eyes. Please don’t leave me.”

I do as he asks, finding his beautiful face immediately, only now it’s twisted with horror as he stares down at me. Not an ounce of blue is left in his irises as they are overtaken by dark shadows. I open my mouth to tell him it will be alright, but there’s too much blood. My body jerks in his arms. It feels as though the veil itself is tugging at my soul, trying to pull it free from my body. Can it sense how close I am to death?

Tears land on my cheeks, and it takes me a few moments to realize they aren’t mine.

“Stay with me, Angel,” he begs, his tender fingers wiping the wetness from my face.

I try again to let him know I’m not going anywhere, but the words refuse to form.

Through it all, I keep my eyes locked on his.

Even when my heart stops beating.

Chapter

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