Page 87 of Ignite
My lips part, and an overwhelming wave of love washes through me—so intense that I can’t tell if it’s coming from Zeph or me.
Graylen breaks away from her, and she pads back over to Leda, her golden gaze on me for a single fleeting moment. I give her a sad smile, my heart in my throat as I turn to Adrian.
“Not like I’m bleeding out over here,” Adrian mumbles.
Blessed Divine, he’s more dramatic than a child.
“I think you’ll survive a cut the size of mypinkyon your hand,” I mutter. “Let’s get this over with.”
When I move to take his free hand, Graylen steps between us, his back to me. I shake my head and open my mouth to tease him for acting like he needs to protect me—fromAdrian,nonetheless.
But when he slips his hand into mine and looks over his shoulder at me, I pause. He’s pale—his tanned skin dull and sweaty. His hand is clammy, his fingers trembling.
It’s then that I realize he needs us to hold onto.
Fuck.
My insides twist, and I squeeze his hand gently, scooting closer.
We need to get him somewhere to rest. The castle can wait a day or two—long enough for us to find an inn in Runnswick so Graylen can sleep.
“Take us through, Adrian.” The words are harsh, but my gaze remains soft and fixed on Graylen. Even as he turns to face Adrian, I don’t look away.
“Remember, stay connected until we’re all the way through.” Adrian grunts, his body dwarfed by Graylen’s.
He whispers a word I don’t understand, the sound of his hand slapping against the stone of the archway muffling the rest of what he says.
Immediately, I can feel the weight of the portal drawing us in. I start to turn toward Leda and Zephyr for one last goodbye, but the moment I blink, my vision shifts. Adrian yanks us through the archway, and a brief feeling of panic stabs at my chest.
Adrian could be lying—could be leading us right to the viper’s den.
It was our only option, but it doesn’t mean it was the right one.
But it’s too late to look back now.
Just like when going through Linnick’s lemon tree, the world around me turns into darkness. No Leda and Zeph, no forest with a bubbling stream behind us, and no Penyth.
I can feel Graylen’s hand in mine, but I can’t see him.
His fingers curl, the sensation of his grip tightening the only thing to let me know he’s still there.
It doesn’t feel like we’re moving; it’s as if we’refloating. Not walking through a portal, not making any progress from one side to the other. We’re simply…existing.
Any courage that I had before stepping through that archway begins to slip away, replaced by doubt. There’s no Leda or Brielle to rely on in Crea, no Zephyr to call on to fly me out.
It’s just me and Graylen here—Adrian, too, but…I can’t trust him. Not with our history. I would brave the world with Graylen by my side, though right now I need to make sure he’sreadyto do that.
A blinding light bursts across my vision, and the next thing I know, I’m free-falling. My hair whips around my face, strands catching in my mouth and eyes, while Graylen’s fingertips dig painfully into the back of my hand.
The blinding light disappears as quickly as it came, snapping into darkness.
A soft tickling sensation starts at my neck, with my back pressed against something solid. Then the sound of cricketssinging slowly begins to chirp around me, one by one, until there are dozens of them.
I blink open my eyes, realizing I’m no longer fallingorfloating.
A canopy of branches and oak leaves hangs over me, the evening sun setting just above them. There’s a chilly breeze flowing across my skin, bringing awareness back to my body.
I push myself up onto my elbows, finding Graylen and Adrian getting their bearings beside me.
