Page 133 of Only Cold Depths
A jerk jolted my body, and I realized I was going down instead of up. Kyrion might have caught me with his telekinesis, but he was losing his grip on his power—onme—and I was too exhausted to try to shore up his power with my own magic.
I dropped a foot. Then two. Three. Five. Every downward jolt came a little quicker and lasted a little longer, and before I knew it, I was plummeting toward the jagged rocks again—
A second wave of magic dove down to meet that first one, as though another, different hand had also latched onto me. Together those hands hoisted me up, one taking over whenever the other faltered, and I slowly started to rise.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed. A minute, two, maybe even three or four. But I steadily rose higher and higher into the air as though I was as light as a feather, although I could feel the combined effort it took to lift me up.
Eventually, I reached the top of the chasm. Those invisible hands hoisted me over the rim and flung me forward. I landed on my hands and knees, and I had never been so glad to feel stone scraping my palms.
“Vesper! Vesper!”
Kyrion grabbed me around my waist and set me on my feet. I pulled him closer, or maybe he pulled me closer. I didn’t know, and it didn’t really matter. In an instant, we were locked together. His frantic gaze searched mine, and I drank in the sight, feel, and strength of him.
Kyrion’s body slowly relaxed, although his fingers clutched my waist a little tighter. “You were right. I despised your plan.” He arched a chiding eyebrow. “If letting yourself get washed off a ledge into a chasm is actually aplan.”
A laugh burst from my lips. “I love you.”
He froze for a heartbeat, but then heat flared in his eyes, and a soft smile spread across his face. “I love you too.”
I curled my fingers into his jacket. Kyrion leaned down and rested his forehead against mine, both of us just soaking up the warmth, love, and comfort of each other’s presence.
Someone pointedly cleared his throat. “As touching as your reunion is, you’re both still bleeding. You might want to fix that before it gets any worse.”
Kyrion growled, but a smile curved my lips.
I drew back and looked over at Zane. “I didn’t realize you were so pragmatic.”
My brother shrugged. “I didn’t go to all this trouble to help you save Kyrion, and then help him save you, just to watch you both slowly bleed out.”
“Zane is right,” Asterin chimed in. “The two of you both need multiple skinbonds. Here. I have some.”
She plucked a couple of injectors off her belt, stepped forward, and jabbed one into my shoulder. Then she turned and did the same thing to Kyrion.
Zane stepped in front of her. “And what about me?”
Asterin gave him a sweet smile. “You can suffer, preferably in silence, although I know how difficult that will be for you.”
He sniffed. “No oneeversuffers in silence, especially not someone as loquacious as me.”
Asterin opened her mouth to snark back at him—
In the distance, footsteps thundered, and yells rang out. Kyrion drew his stormsword and stepped in front of me, as did Zane, while Asterin raised her blaster.
A few seconds later, Siya and Rigel ran into view on the chamber’s upper level, along with more than a dozen Hammers. They quickly pounded down the stairs and spread out. Siya snapped her hand up into a fist, and Rigel and the other Hammers skidded to a stop.
Siya’s gaze shot over to the shattered bridge, while Rigel peered over the side of the chasm. He let out a low whistle and gestured for Siya to join him. Her eyes widened when she spotted Esmina’s broken body lying at the bottom.
Siya whirled around and stabbed her finger at me, Kyrion, Zane, and Asterin. “What in all the bloody moons happened here?”
I sighed and exchanged a knowing glance with Asterin. Once again, we had a lot of explaining to do.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
VESPER
MoreHammersarrived,alongwith Aldrich and Verona. The Hammers secured the scene, making sure all the Serpens Corp mercenaries were dead, along with Pollux and Esmina. There was no sign of Nerezza, but that didn’t surprise me. She had more lives than a cockroach, and she always managed to scurry away when the fighting started, even when she was the cause of it.
Eventually, Kyrion, Asterin, Zane, and I were escorted back to the Collier estate. Beatrice was seated in a chair in Aldrich’s library, while Wendell was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.
