Page 127 of The Blade in the Ashes
“I’m here, baby,” his voice cracked with emotion. “I’ve got you. I’m here now.”
Not real. Not real. Not real.
“Am I dead?”
He stiffened against me, spine going rigid.
“No, Theadora. You are very much alive.” He wrapped his arms more fully around me, surrounding me in his scent. It had been so very long since he’d held me like this. “We are both alive. We are both here. You’resafe.”
He pulled back, taking my face between his hands and pressing his brow to mine. “I promise.”
The ground felt like it was falling out from underneath me as I stared at him, memorizing the lines of his face. The skin under his eyes was hollower than when I had last seen him. His hair was a touch darker and longer. Hewas changed in a way that he wouldn't be if he were just a manifestation of a memory.
I ran my fingers through the ends of his hair.
Real.
“You found me?” My voice was breathless with amazement.
He nodded, pulling my face to his.
“I’m always going to find you, Thea,” he promised against my lips as he pressed his mouth to mine.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Clay
She was here.
She was here. Alive. In my arms.
My chest constricted to the point of pain. The entire world had faded away until the only thing that existed was the woman in my arms.
Though her brow was swollen, her blue eyes were forced wide and focused on me, unblinking as she stared at my face as if she were still trying to figure out if I was actually here in front of her. Her cheeks were hollow, and her collarbones far too pronounced. Bruises painted nearly every inch of her body in shades of purple and black that made me want to scream and set fire to the world. Gently, I ran my fingertips along the gash on her forehead, trying to determine how deep it was.
Gods, she was so small. There wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t injured.
“How badly are you hurt?” I whispered, pulling back further to examine her.
She only stared back at me, opening her mouth and closing it a few times before she responded in nothing more than a hoarse whisper. “Badly.”
For a moment I saw nothing but blackness. My heart clenched, burning rage coursing through me. I wanted to kill each and every person that had dared to lay a finger on her.
Touching her lower lip with the pad of my thumb, I ran my touch gently against the swollen flesh. “I am so sorry, Thea.”
A man skidded to a halt twenty yards behind her, taking in our crouched positions and tears. His face twisted in mockery as three others quickly joined behind him.
Instinctually, I shifted, pulling her closer into my grasp.
“She’s mine!” he declared, pointing at the love of my life as if she were nothing more than a prize he had already claimed.
Scales that had finally faded into skin under her touch erupted down my spine once more, burning along my ribcage and shoulders. The only thing that kept the talons from bursting out of my fingertips was the knowledge that my fingers still cradled her delicate frame.
And I would not cause her any more harm.
“Stay here,” I whispered to her, pressing my lips firmly against her brow before rising to my feet. I leveled my glare upon her attackers, feeling every ounce of mercy leave my body as I took in their split knuckles and blood-splattered clothing.
Herblood decorated their clothing like some twisted form of art.
