Page 10 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

Even now, I curl around him, tightening my hold at the thought anyone else would lay claim to someone I've spent my entire life loving.

Wilder rocks me, shushing the sobs that wrack my body. I'm selfish, knowing what's likely taking place a hundred stories above us. I should be busy tracking down the escaped inmate, not holed up in a cell, nursing my wounds. But being in his arms is a sanctuary I can't stop seeking.

Loving him is my truth, even if it comes with a world of hurt and sorrow. There's never been another for me. His friendship, for all the years I had it, seems so fleeting in comparison to the painful longing I feel now.

I cursed the gods every night for not giving me to him. How can they look at what we have and not think it destined? That our two hearts beat in harmony, echoing the same melody? I feel his own deep-seated grief like it were my own.

Because it is.

"I made a friend down here," he whispers against my cheek.

A pang of agony takes my breath. "A friend?"

"He's a seer named Mordecai." His voice rumbles from his chest.

"Is he more than a friend?" I'm afraid to ask, but I must know. My heart can't take it.

"No." He cups my cheek, using his body heat to warm me in the freezing water. "I've never desired another. Ever, Little Bird."

The vice around my chest eases as I draw in a ragged breath and release it. "Okay." I breathe. "Did he see something?"

His hands thread through my hair, gripping me tight to him. "He's the one who told me you'd be here today. I didn't believe him."

"Did he say anything else?" I crane my neck to see him.

Grief mars his features. "A lot of stuff, actually." He sighs. "He was raving mad by the time he finished."

"Like?"

Wilder carries me out of the water and over to his stone cot. He unfolds his wings and tucks me into his side while we lie down.

"He said today would be the best and the worst day of our lives."

Silence stretches between us, and I inhale his scent deep into my lungs. "I think I can agree with that," I whisper. My hand rests on his chest, and I feel the steady thrum of his heart and the softness of his feathers at my side.

It's the best day because I'm back in his arms, and the worst day, knowing it won't last. Wilder says nothing, but his body tenses when I offer no more words. He knows I'm referring to the truth neither of us wants to say out loud.

His head lifts from its cradle on the arch of his wings and he stares at me with a desolate gaze. His strong hands grip my arms, his voice gruff. "Little Bird, I have something to tell you, and you're probably going to hate me for it."

My heart thrashes in my chest, though I go preternaturally still.

"But please know, I only found out moments before my sentencing, and I didn't tell you because I wanted to spare you the agony."

He's found his mate. Oh gods."Wilder, you're scaring me," I breathe. Nausea roils through me, traveling up my throat and I have to bite my fist to keep it in. A choked sob escapes between my fingers.

The sound of my heartbreak echoes through the space so loud, it startles him. I'm so lost in my grief, it takes me a moment to realize through the roar in my head that it isn't me, but something else.

Screeching metal and explosive crashes come from the hallway, and it's only then I realize Wilder is on his feet, dragging me towards the water. He snaps his wings open wide, blocking me from whatever's coming through.

"Close your eyes and hold onto me," he whispers fiercely. His arms wrap around me and shield me with the enormous plumage.

"No, Wilder! I can't die!" I shriek, trying to hurl myself over his shoulders to see who, or what's coming. Though, I have a feeling I already know.

He squeezes me tight, my body shuddering as his wings collide and encircle me in darkness.

Inhuman wails of agony meet our ears just before the hydra barrels through the cell, taking out the four-foot-thick door and almost the entire hallway-facing wall. Before one of its giant heads can reach us, Wilder takes flight with a furious roar, arms banded around me, leaving the carnage below.

One of the hydra's heads snaps through the air and bites down onto Wilder's leg before we're too far away, and another slices into my torso. Agony cuts through me, carving deep at the heart of me. With the last of his energy, Wilder hurls me towards the pool and away from the bloodbath so he can grapple with the hydra. I can't correct myself in time, and I scream as I plummet into the water, watching as the beast tears into Wilder with its razor-sharp teeth.

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