Page 202 of Wings of Ash & Flame
He didn’t slow. “Hate me all you want, but I willnotlet you die here.”
Betrayal splintered her chest.
He turned his head, eyes softening for just a heartbeat. “I’m sorry, Alaire. This is the only way.”
Tears of fury and fear stung her eyes. “Don’t do this. Don’t you dare.” She searched his face for a flicker of doubt, but all she found was cold, warrior’s resolve.
“I don’t care,” he said, voice like steel. “As long as you’re alive.”
“I. Don’t. Care. My life is not worth more than hers. Not even close.”
The portal flickered ahead, dying like a star. As Dawson barreled them through, Solflara and Beck right behind, the last thing Alaire saw was Caius standing his ground, bow drawn, with a look of fierce resolve.
Tears blurred her vision. Caius would save Kaia. He had to.
But Alaire was so sick of being trapped in the same nightmare—always running, always surviving, always leaving someone behind.
Forty-Six
Before her was an endless void of swirling colors twisting through the air, billows of mist obscuring her ability to take in its full scope. The last thing she remembered was Dawson dragging her through the portal, the world spinning out of control.
Points of light scattered the darkness. Alaire might have marveled at the beauty—if she hadn’t been alone.
“Dawson?” she called. No answer. No trace of Solflara’s flames or Beck’s midnight feathers. She was truly alone here.
For the millionth time, she wished she could wield her magic. Dawson had forced her daggers from her hands during their struggle. She reached down, fumbling for the emergency knife she’d tucked in her boot back in the cave. At least she wasn’t entirely defenseless.
There were no instructions like in the earlier trials. Nothing about this felt right.
A faint voice drifted to her ears. “Wake up.” It sounded far away. Alaire shook her head, refusing to be ensnared by voices meant to dissuade her. The only thing that mattered was finding the others. Yet, like in the Bone Cavern, her bond with Solflara was gone—absent, unreachable.
The translucent platform beneath her feet gave the illusion she was floating—tethered to nothing and no one. Below, funnel clouds of light swirled in slow, hypnotic spirals.
The silence pressed in, broken only by an occasional hum vibrating through the air.Aether, her gut whispered. It slithered beneath her skin, eager to burrow into her power.
Her feet carried her further into the mist as if something was beckoning her forward.
“Wake up,” the voice urged, louder this time. She ignored it, her mind tangled with thoughts of Kaia. Guilt gnawed at her heart like a restless beast. She’d always regret leaving her behind, even though it hadn’t been her choice.
“Wake up,” the voice pleaded again. She shoved it aside and pressed on.
A figure stood in the distance. Dawson. Relief flooded her. He was here—he hadn’t left.
But when the mist thinned, relief soured into dread. Dawson was doubled over, body racked with pain. The sight of him suffering, vulnerable, shattered her.
She ran, sliding to her knees before him, hands hovering over his back—hesitant, afraid to hurt him further. He’d only just healed from his wounds, and even a fae could only endure so much. All prior anger and hurt were pushed aside, the need to reach him overriding all else.
Tears welled as she took in his twisted form.
“Dawson?”
At the sound of her voice, his gaze lifted. Once-clear turquoise had darkened into fathomless pits—inky voids that devoured the light, making her hair stand on end.
She scrambled back to her feet.
A shiver ran down her spine as those unnerving eyes locked onto hers. His lips curved into a smirk, like he’d been waiting forher to clue in. His features convulsed, twisting into something monstrous.
Panic surged. She raised her lone knife between them.
