Page 118 of Claim the Light
But where is Micah?
I make out a shadow on the rooftop opposite our position. If it’s him, he’s camouflaging himself well. There was a time when he would have been the first to put himself between Sophia and danger, but now it seems that he trusts her to ask for help if she needs it.
It takes a strong man to recognize the strength in the woman he loves. Just as Callan has always respected my strength and autonomy, so too has Micah proven that he will support Sophia in all her choices.
The witch seems completely unaware of the threat at her back.
She licks her blade as if it’s delicious. “I will slice out your heart, pretty angel, and then I will eat it.”
She bends to me, and that’s when Sophia makes her move. In the blink of an eye, the fierce dragon transitions herself from the shape of a dragonfly into her human form. Her hair is longer than it was the last time I saw her with even brighter golden highlights, her eyes are crystal clear green, and her golden belt rests around her hips.
“Careful with that blade, old witch,” she says as her left arm snakes around the woman from behind. “You might cut your own tongue.”
Sophia’s right hand holds her golden dagger. Without a second’s hesitation, she slices the blade neatly across the witch’s throat, driving it deep.
Quickly twisting and pushing the witch to the side, she ensures that none of the blood sprays on me.
I stay where I am in the dirt, catching my breath and trying to adjust both to the fact that Sophia’s here and that my baby has chosen this night to enter the world.
Sophia attaches her dagger to her belt before she kneels beside me, her gaze quickly taking me in, her arm slipping behind me and supporting my shoulders. “Hey, Night Sky.”
I give her a wan smile. “Hey.”
“I’m going to pull this out now, okay?” Her hand wraps around the arrow, which has remained in my shoulder, and I brace for the pain, grunting when she removes it.
Blood trickles down my chest, but not enough to be concerned about. It seems the witch was only intent on breaking my skin to let the arrow’s magic do its work. My healing power kicks in a moment later and my skin knits itself together.
Sophia continues to support me, but her eyes have narrowed at the weapon she’s now holding. “This arrowhead is old magic. The oldest of old.”
“The witch said it was the bone of a titan.” I grimace. “I didn’t believe her.”
Micah lands behind Sophia, folding away his silvery-gray wings before he reaches for the arrow.
When she passes it to him, he examines it quietly. “It is what she claimed,” he says, his brow furrowing. “This bone is extremely dangerous. We need to put it where nobody can use it again.”
“It’s a good thing we have just the place,” Sophia responds.
I imagine they’re thinking of the old cabin in the veil. Before they left to travel west, Sophia and Micah took Dominus’s hammer into the forest in the veil, and Micah hid it within the cabin there. Anyone who wants to steal it will not only have to get past the veil’s defenses but will also need to be a rare creature of old magic to access the cabin’s interior. It’s a double layer of security that will prevent the hammer from being misused again. It will be the perfect place to hide this arrow, too.
I let out another groan when a contraction tightens my belly, trying to breathe through it and vocalize the pain.
Sophia’s concerned eyes meet mine. “I won’t let your baby be born here,” she says. “Do you trust me?”
I have no idea what she’s proposing, but I speak with all the honesty in my heart. “With my life.” My next breath ends in a moan as another contraction squeezes my stomach. “Oh, fuck…”
Sophia’s hand presses to my stomach and she closes her eyes. Warmth spreads through me and it eases my muscles.
“Not yet, little one,” she murmurs, leaning toward me. “Your mama needs to get home first.”
As the warmth from her hands increases, the contraction eases and I exhale with relief.
“I’ve only bought you a few minutes before the contractions will start again,” she says. “This child is ready to be out in the world.”
I grip her arm as she helps me stand while Micah keeps watch over us.
“Get Lana home,” he says to Sophia. “I’ll take care of the witch and meet you there.”
She gives him a brief nod and the trust between them is as strong as it was before they left. Stronger, even.
