Page 25 of War Of Fire and Fortune
"You stubborn bastard," I hissed, blinking back tears. "Don't you dare give up on me now."
I fumbled with the medical kit, my usually steady hands shaking as I tried to assess which wounds needed my immediate attention. There were so many, each more horrific than the last.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, even though he probably couldn’t hear me. "I should have come sooner. I should have . . .” As I worked, applying salves and bandages where I could, my mind raced. I had to get him out of here. I was out of time and refused to lose Ace. I continued helping him as best I could, trying to stir him awake. "Fuck, Ace, talk to me," I growled, my voice raw with desperation. "You don't get to die on me, on Emelyn. I refuse to send you off. You have to live." My voice broke on the last word. Ace and I had never been close friends, not really. But these past weeks had forged a companionship between us I couldn't deny. And that was on top of the emotions I felt from Emelyn, how much she loved him, how much he meant to her. He was all she had left.
Anger filled me. I pressed a cloth against a particularly nasty gash on his side, wincing as blood soaked through almost immediately. "Come on, you insufferable prick. Open your eyes,"I whisper-yelled. Nothing. Just the ragged, too slow and shallow sound of his breathing. “Please,” I begged.
My hands moved methodically, cleaning and binding wounds to the best of my ability. But there was so much damage, so much pain etched into every inch of his broken body. And his wings . . . Gods. It looked like Valla had wanted it to be a slow death because she’d cauterized some of the wounds, but she hadn’t done it fully. He would have slowly succumbed to either blood loss or infection.
I checked his pulse again. Still there, but weaker than before. Death's cold fingers were reaching for him, and I was losing the battle of keeping them at bay.
Once I got him bandaged enough to move him, I gathered Ace's broken form in my arms as gently as I could manage. His head lolled against my chest, blood from his wounds already seeping through the bandages and smearing across my clothes. Heat from a fever was already starting to radiate from his skin.
"Hold on," I murmured. "I’m taking us home."
My shadows rose up around us like a dark tide. The familiar chill of the Hollow washed over me as we slipped between worlds. Ace's breathing hitched, growing more labored in the suffocating darkness. His body seemed to hate the Hollow even when he was unconscious.
"Almost there," I said, willing my power to move us faster. I stepped through my shadows, and from the look my mate gave me, I knew she would never forgive me. She might even kill me, and I would fall to my knees and let her because I knew I deserved nothing less.
Chapter Thirteen
Emelyn
Ihastily shoved supplies into my pack and peered out into the sleeping rebellion camp. The air was thick with morning mist and dew, obscuring the rows of tents. Unlit campfires dotted the clearing, cold ashes leftover from last night’s dinner. My heart pounded as I slipped from my tent, praying to whatever gods might be listening that no one would try to stop me. I walked quietly until I was on the outskirts of camp, but then a twig snapped beneath my foot and I froze, hardly daring to breathe. When no shouts of alarm came, I pressed on, the trees swallowing me.
I'd barely made it a dozen paces when a voice shattered the silence.
"And just where do you think you're going?"
I whirled around. Atreya stood before me, leaning casually against a gnarled tree. How long had she been there? I hadn't heard a single sound other than my own footsteps, not even a rustle of leaves. Her ability to move unseen never failed to unnerve me.
"You two really are too similar, you know, you and Ace." Atreya's voice was low. She pushed off from the tree, taking a step toward me. "But at least when you decide to make a stupid decision, you do it alone."
I bristled at her words, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. Who was she to judge me? She didn't understand, couldn't possibly comprehend the burning need to act that consumed me. Maybe that was a selfish thought considering the very life of this place was her responsibility.
Atreya's piercing gaze pinned me in place as she continued, "So what exactly is your plan, Emelyn? Take on Valla's armies at the gate, somehow get into Ember's palace without getting captured yourself, and save Ace?"
The way she laid it out made it sound impossible, foolish even. But I couldn't back down now. My chin lifted defiantly as I met her stare.
"Yes," I responded plainly, my voice steadier than I felt inside. Atreya's eyebrows shot up, a mix of disbelief and grudging respect flashing across her face. For a moment, silence stretched between us.
"I have to try," I finally whispered, my voice cracking slightly. "He's my brother, Atreya. I can't just sit here while he suffers anymore."
Atreya's eyes narrowed, her lips pursing as she studied me. "I understand, Emelyn . . . but do you know how foolish you sound?Youare what they want—”
Her words were cut off abruptly, the air around us suddenly thick with an unnatural silence. The hairs on the back of myneck stood on end as I sensed a familiar presence materializing behind me. Kade's Hollow.
I whirled around, my heart hammering against my ribs. Shadows rolled off Kade's frame, writhing and coiling around him like living smoke. My emotions warred within me—part of me longed to throw myself into his arms, seeking comfort in his embrace. It had been so long since I’d seen him. But another part wanted to lash out, to make him hurt as much as his lies had hurt me.
All those conflicting feelings evaporated in an instant as my eyes locked onto the figure cradled in Kade's arms.
"Ace," I breathed.
My brother lay limp and unmoving, his skin ashen where it wasn't marred by burns, bruises, or cuts. Blood—so much blood—stained his tattered clothing. My stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat as I took in the full extent of his injuries. "No," I choked out, stumbling forward.
My legs gave out and I fell to my knees beside Kade as he lowered him to the ground, my trembling hands hovering over Ace's battered body.
"What happened?" I demanded, tearing my gaze away from Ace to glare at Kade. "How did— Why didn't you—" The questions tangled on my tongue.
