Page 102 of A Clash of Embers

I fell through this gate and felt weightless momentarily when I landed in the water. I kicked my feet as hard as I could as my wings were weighed down by the pressure of the liquid thatsurrounded me. As I emerged from the water, I swam quickly to the only sight of land I could see, a bank, the edge of a river.

When I climbed onto the ground, I saw Mads with half of his body out of the water and the other submerged.

Shit. The bonds broke. His power is surging.

But she couldn’t hear me. Not here. We were barred from hearing one another. Or so I thought.

Gods. If you can hear me, Ev. Please be careful.

Oh, my gods. Her voice. She was okay. The way she said my name still brought me such happiness.

“Madok!” I gripped his arms and pulled him out of the water onto the dry land. I turned his face to the side; his eyes were closed but his skin was warm. He was alive.

“Mads, I need you to wake up. Wake up!”

I pressed my foot into his hips and he moved slightly, but when he did, I felt the pain in my side. My marks were glowing just as he was. He sat up quickly panting. For air, water, or blood. I couldn’t tell. Then he screamed as light poured out of him and blinded me.

His scream was agonizing as I watched his flesh rip along his back and black feathered wings emerged. I watched his body arch off the ground, and in an instant, he dropped to the ground. His knees pressed against the cold dirt below us.

His hands gripped emptiness as he searched to calm his breathing.

“Leo— Madok, are you okay?”

His eyes flickered to me and I saw the darkness in his eyes. The hunger for blood. Something I knew well. Something that I didn’t want to divulge in often because I didn’t need it, but I sure as abyss wanted it.

“We’ll find something for you, brother. We’ll find something soon.”

I watched as he stood, straightening his shoulders, and fluttering his wings out, expanding them. We were one in the same. Vamprye and Angel. We were the light and dark. He was the ember and I was the flam

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