Page 83 of Fire Bound

He coughs on blood and does nothing to wipe away the droplets from his messed-up mouth. Sterling doesn’t move or even attempt to get up. It’s like he’s finally accepted his fate.

I pull my wolf back and call upon the shift. The skin on my chest that had been cut burns in pain as my skin moves and manipulates itself as I shift into my human form.

I run my now human hand over my damaged chest and grimace when my palm comes back bloody. Wiping the blood off on my bare thigh, I stand to my feet.

Sterling watches me with a knowing, almost accepting look in his eye.

The hellhound stays close to my side, acting as a bodyguard. He growls a warning at me when he decides I’m too close to Sterling for his liking. Standing victorious in front of the man who wanted to take everything from us is a sensation I will reflect on for the rest of my life.

When all else feels like it’s lost or things get hard, I will remember what we accomplished tonight.

I bend at the middle, resting my hands on my knees as I glare down at him. “How does it feel knowing you’re about to experience what it’s like to truly die? This time, there isn’t a necromancer here to save you. You messed up by pissing him off.” I look down at my bare body, the only wound is the one on my chest. “Thank you for doing that, it worked out well for me. I don’t even have a scratch from my fall.” I stand up straight and narrow my eyes at him. “You, however? There’s going to be nothing left of your body. Even if Kaius felt inclined to bring you back, he couldn’t because there won’t be a strand of your hair left.”

He gargles something in his throat, but I can’t quite make out what he’s saying, not that he could say anything that would make me change my mind.

“I want you to remember that this is a mercy,” I tell him coldly. “I want you to remember that what you deserve is far, far worse than what you’re getting. I want you to remember that your biggest mistake wasn’t the horrific things you did in those labs to innocent people. Your mistake was coming after my family. I know that word doesn’t mean anything to you, but to us it means everything. When you decided to come for us, you signed your own death warrant.” I sink my fingers into the blood soaked and matted hair of the hellhound at my side as I say, “And while you burn and scream in pain, I want you to remember that there won’t be a single tear shed for you. Your death will not be mourned by anyone. It will be celebrated.” I grin darkly at him. “I warned you I’d dance in your ashes.”

With that, I shove my hand into his chest just like he did me. Also, like me, he falls backward, the only difference is he doesn’t scream while he falls. They come when he lands and the hellfire flames engulf him. His body thrashes and withers about while his pained cries fill the night air.

The sound of his screams falling silent is the sound of our victory. It’s the moment when I feel the weight and the fear that has been haunting us for two years finally lift. It’s the sound that gives me permission to truly look forward to tomorrow and the day after that without the lingering sense of dread.

Never in my life has silence sounded so good.

I turnmy back on the burning corpse and face the beast side of my mate. I know Jax isn’t with me yet. He still has no idea that I’m okay—that I’m alive. Getting him back is my next priority.

Dropping to my knees in front of the wounded wolf, I smile when he instantly leans forward and presses his forehead against mine. A low, distressed whine comes from his throat as I smooth my fingers over his coarse fur. It’s still sticky with blood, but I don’t mind right now.

“It’s over,” I promise the wolf. “He’s gone and I’m here.”Just like it should be.“Everything is going to be fine.”

I give him another minute with me before I pull back so I can look into glowing versions of Jax’s eyes. “Can I have him back now?” I plead. “I need him.” I need him like I need oxygen right now. Watching me fall was a terrible thing to witness for him, I’m sure, but watching him run toward me with that terrified look on his face broke my heart. I wish he’d looked away, so he didn’t have to carry around that memory for the rest of our lives. “I need Jax back, he needs to know I’m okay.” I’m desperate to ease some of the pain watching me fall caused him.

The wolf rubs his head against the side of my face once more before he lowers himself to the ground in front of me and drops his large head on my lap.

Just like Genevieve did for me, I run my fingers through the fur on his head until the fur melts away and turns into the perfect luscious locks of Jax’s that I’m obsessed with.

The shift only takes a minute, but the seconds drag by as I wait for my mate to be fully with me once more.

Jax slowly comes to. He groans in pain as he becomes aware of the wounds that were inflicted all over his body while he was blacked out. I continue to run my fingers through his hair as I wait for him to right himself inside his mind.

I know the second he realizes I’m here because his whole body goes stiff, and he stops breathing. Unsure of what’s going on inside of his head, I hold my breath and wait for his reaction.

One second, we’re on the ground with his head in my lap, in the next breath, we’re standing and I’m in his arms with his head now buried in my neck. My eyes burn and tears threaten to fall when I feel his breath shudder against my shoulder. I don’t have words to give him yet, so I hold on to him and rest my head against his.

His arms tighten around me to a degree that’s painful and I struggle to pull air into my lungs, but I let it happen for as long as he needs. I could stay this way forever and I’d be content.

We’re both alive and breathing. What more could I possibly want?

After a minute of overwhelming emotion, Jax lifts his head so he can look at me. “Are you really here? Or did I die? I don’t care which because either way I’m getting my wish.” His beautiful purple eyes are damp as he stares at my face in wonderment.“I have you in my arms again.”

I run my hand down his bloody face before dropping my forehead against his and whispering, “I’m really here. I’m okay.We’reokay.”

I instantly feel his body relax as the tension rolls off of him. “But how? I saw you fall.” He jerks back in alarm. “Winslow? Did she do this?”

“No,” I assure. “It was Kaius.”

“Why would he—”

I cut off his question. “Because we had a deal.” I pull back just enough that I’m able to look into those purple eyes of his. “Just like you and I had a deal. You promised me forever and I’m holding you to it.” Every single beautiful messy moment moving forward is ours to share together.

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