Page 78 of Ignite
“It’s me,” I soothe, my voice cracking. “This is real—you’re right here. With me.” His brows pull together, but he at least stops trying to get away. “Focus on the sound of my voice. Remember what you once told me? Tell me what you feel.”
I think back to when he was training me to use my Aegis magic, a blindfold around my eyes and his infuriating smell distracting me as he asked me to describe what I felt.
Graylen blinks and murmurs, half-delirious, “You’re real.”
I nod, my palms still cupping his cheeks. “I’m right here, Graylen. Tell me what you feel.”
He takes a shuddering breath and closes his eyes.“Can you back up some?”His soft words float into my mind, and pain laces through my chest.“I can’t focus with you this close.”
The corners of his lips turn up, just slightly, as he echoes the words I once said to him.
I huff a laugh, my shoulders relaxing as I answer out loud, “I’m not going anywhere.”
He peeks open his eyes. The panic in his gaze nearly rips my heart in two.
“Promise?” he rasps.
I lean my forehead against his and whisper, “Promise.”
It takes the help of Zeph maneuvering her wing up to help me get Graylen onto her back. Once he’s up, I sit behind him and wrap my arms tightly around him.
“Hey, Zeph,” he murmurs, his voice soft and sleepy.
She purrs in response, a hot lash of protectiveness shooting down our bond. Every muscle she moves is gentle—far gentler than she’s ever been with me. Even as she takes off into the sky, I barely feel her push off of the ground.
I think I hold my breath the entire way to where Leda and Adrian are, my body alert and watching every move Graylen makes in front of me.
It doesn’t take long for Zephyr to bring us to a small cave. Leda runs out the moment she hears us. A reluctant figure stands behind her, and Graylen stiffens when he realizes it’s Adrian.
Leda gives Graylen a stiff hug after she helps me get him back on solid ground, holding half of his weight while I hold the other.
We lead him inside the cave and prop him up against the rocky wall. His eyes are already drooping heavily the moment I pull away from him.
“If you need to wash up, there’s a creek to the right of the cave.” Leda nods her head toward the opening behind us. “Freezing cold, but better than nothing.”
Graylen nods, his gaze empty. My chest tightens at the hollowness in his eyes—at how the old Graylen would’ve made a joke, likely turning to me and asking if I wanted to join.
But this Graylen… He’s hurting. He’s going to need time to work through whatever is going on inside of his mind. And I’ll be by his side every step of the way in any capacity he needs me.
“I’ll grab you some fresh clothes.” I give him a small smile and walk over to the center of the small space where Leda’s piled our things.
I rifle through the pack stuffed with supplies and pull out the spare clothing Aster gave me for Graylen. It’s simple garb—threaded cotton pants and a long-sleeved linen shirt with a leather vest to keep his core warm.
When I turn back to Graylen, still leaning against the cave wall, his eyes are already closed and his chest expands slowly. I should wake him—help him get into fresh clothing and clean up.
But my muscles don’t seem to want to move. I take his features in: the way his clothes are baggier than they should be. How his hair is slightly longer, falling into his eyes and covering his ears.
The new scars…
Without much light to see by and his skin covered in a mixture of dirt and dried blood, it’s hard to see them. But some of them are so pronounced they’re impossible to miss.
I swallow down the guilt that sours my mouth and walk over to him, crouching down at his side. My hand reaches up, lightly pushing his hair back. He doesn’t stir at my touch, sleeping soundlessly.
The bath and fresh clothes can wait.
“Rest for a while.” Leda’s voice carries over to me from where she stands at the mouth of the cave. “I’ll take the first watch.”
I nod, my body heavy now that I’ve stopped moving. Needing to be close to Graylen, I sit beside him, laying my head down on his shoulder. As if feeling me even in sleep, he shifts closer to me.
