Page 85 of Up In Flames
“I can't do this right now, Vexen. Ara . . .”
“I know. It's enough that you found me. Rest now, Ember. It will be all right. I swear it.”
As if my body was waiting for someone to say those very words, it shut down, taking my mind with it.
Chapter Forty-Three
I woke up to silence and darkness. Thinking I was back in Death's domain, I screamed.
“Ember!” Rath grabbed me and pulled me into his arms.
A light came on. I was in our bed with all of my lovers, two to either side. They closed in around me as I processed this. Then the shuddering took me. The memories. The sorrow.
“Ara,” I whimpered.
“I know,” Rath said and rocked me.
“Oh, Goddess, why? Why lead me to him only to let him be retaken?” I sobbed.
“She cannot control everything,” Taroc said gently. “But neither can Death. We've learned what is possible, Ember. This failure does not have to be the end. Aranren still lives. You can try again.”
“Try again?” I whispered, then I pushed out of Rath's arms. “How? I'll never get past Death. He'll never loosen his hold on Ara now. He has learned as much as we have.”
“He will make a mistake,” Xae said. “He must fight Aranren too, remember? The Corrupter is not as compliant as heonce was. He tried to die tonight, Ember. He would have given his life for yours.”
“I know,” I sobbed. “Thank the Goddess Vexen didn't have the chance.”
“That blast, it was the bond, wasn't it?” Kel asked. “I felt it break.”
“We all did,” Rath said. “I just don't know how Aranren did it. It shouldn't have been possible”
“He used Death Magic combined with love,” I said. “He didn't want me to feel him die, and he needed to distract Death so Vexen could take his head. So he opened our bond to the magic and severed it. He just didn't realize what breaking our bond would do.”
“He did right by you, Ember,” Taroc said. “Cutting ties to you proved his love.”
“He didn't have to prove anything to me!” I shouted and pushed through them to climb off the bed. “Iknowhe loved me. I felt it through our bond. And I could have saved him. I could have helped him fight off Death. We were almost out!”
“And he knew you wouldn't make it,” Rath said gently. “Aranren did what any of us would have done—everything within his power to save you. Hold onto that, Ember. Let it comfort you.”
“Comfort me?! Are you insane? This is not romantic, it's horrifying. I got him free, Rath. Ara was finally free after centuries of enslavement. And it lasted one fucking day! I wasn't even there when Death took him. I was fucking sleeping besideyou!” I waved my hand at Xae accusingly. “Because you fuckers had to establish your rights immediately!”
Xae's head lowered and his shoulders hunched.
“Hey!” Keltyr shouted and pointed at me as he climbed off the bed with Rath and Taroc. “I love you, and I know you're hurting right now, but don't you fucking do that to Xaedren! Don't you put this on any of us. It's not our fault that Death came for Aranren last night.”
“Last night?” I looked out the window. Light seeped through the curtains. “Fuck. How long have I been asleep?”
“It's been several hours,” Taroc said. “I think it's late afternoon.”
“Late afternoon?!” I rushed into the dressing room.
As I yanked clothes from hangers, Rath came into the room.
“Ember, there is nothing that can be done for Aranren. Not at this moment. But we know that he's a victim now, and we can adjust our tactics.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I pulled on my pants, then went for my boots. “Sounds like a bunch of crap meant to keep me from going after him.”
“Sweetheart, you can't go after him. We have to come up with a plan.”
