Page 5 of Lady for Embers

“Scarlett Aditya, open your eyes.”

The sound ofhissurname made her entire body jerk. Her eyes?ewwide, and she lurched for the Lord of Night. To do what, she wasn’t quite sure. Hit him? Scream at him? Anything to release the torrent of emotions crashing over the scattered remains of her soul and slowly drowning her.

He caught her wrists, bringing his face right in front of hers, their brows nearly touching. “Listen to me, Scarlett. Focus and listen.” He paused for a moment, holding her stare. When she didn’t look away, hecontinued. “He can come back. He has not fully crossed, but you must call him home.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“I know you don’t, and I cannot explain everything. There is not time. We waste seconds at this very moment. When you wake, Altaria will be there. He has a vial tied to his leg. Drink it. It will activate this Mark,” he said, releasing one wrist to run his?ngersalong the new Mark on her skin. “When you have done so, use the Source Mark.”

“The Source Mark?” she balked, shaking her head. “I cannot draw from him. That would—”

But he was shaking his head too. “The Source Mark works both ways, Scarlett. As he could give to you, you can give to him. Call him home.”

“And then?”

He ran a hand over her hair, cupping the back of her head. He brought his brow to hers as he said, “Then remember, Star?re, that hope is for the dreamers.”

Scarlett’s eyes ?ew open. Cassius and Cyrus were leaning over her, concern and terror ?lling golden eyes and a chocolate brown one. Cassius still had his eye patch over his injured eye that would never heal. She moved to push herself up, but Cassius’s hands were on her shoulders.

“Easy, Seastar. Take it easy,” he murmured. “Just take a moment to—”

But she was pushing his hands from her body, trying to see around him, looking to the sky where no stars were visible among the night. If she could just see a glimpse of dark movement. Just to know it had been real. To know that it hadn’t been a dream...

“Scarlett,” Cyrus was saying, trying to pull her back down. “I know you are not okay. I know none of this is okay, but—”

He barked a curse when she caught him in the chest with her ?st, scrambling away from them before either male realized what had happened.

“How does she have that kind of strength right now?” Cassius muttered.

“I don’t think she realizes what she’s doing at the moment,” Cyrus replied. “I scarcely remember a thing the hours and days after Thia died.”

Scarlett ?inched at the word.

Died.

No.

No, no, no.

It wasn’t an option. If he was going to the After, she was going with him. If whatever the Lord of Night was doing failed, she would follow her twin ?ame across the Veil. He wasn’t leaving her here alone. He wasn’t leaving her in the darkness. He had made a promise, and godsdamnit, he was going to keep it. Always be a you and me. That’s what he had said. Always.

She was on her feet, scanning the sky, straining to hear anything. The others were murmuring behind her. She didn’t know what they were saying. She didn’t care. Her only focus was the sky. And when the cry of an eagle reached her ears, a sob escaped her lips.

Altaria was soaring straight for her and diving fast, as though he was going after prey. She lifted her arm for him, and a second later, talons were curling around it. One of the ?re Fae had lit a few small ?res in the surrounding sand; and in the ?ickering light of the ?ames, she could see a vial tied to the eagle’s leg, just as the Lord of Night had said it would be.

“Scarlett... ?” Cyrus started.

But she said nothing. She could focus on nothing else. Only this. This one thing. This one possible star.

Her ?ngers began trembling when she saw her twin ?ame Mark beginning to fade from her skin. Panic snaked along her being because if that Mark was fading, he was already gone. She was too late. He was gone, and she was still here. A you and a me. Separate. Apart. A world without him in it.

She was trying to untie the vial from the eagle’s leg, but her ?ngers wouldn’t work right; and her legs were going to give out; and she was going to vomit because a you and a me.

A you. And a me.

Then hands were brushing hers gently aside. Dark ?ngers were working the knot, and icy blue eyes void of their usual twinkle met hers when he closed her ?st around the tiny glass container.

“Bring him back, Sunshine,” Briar said. How he knew what she was trying to do, she didn’t care.

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