by Aubrie Nixon
To see her small body lying there, bare and exposed, nearly broke him. He grabbed his cloak and placed it over her, giving her a befitting semblance of decency.
Zad gently picked her up by the shoulders and cradled her in his arms, his tears falling onto her face. He rocked her back and forth, “You can’t leave me, damn it. Please. Don’t leave me, Beasty. I love you. Please . . .” he begged her lifeless body. He shook her violently. “Wake up Seph! WAKE UP!”
“Zadkiel,” he warned. “It is no use. She is gone.”
Zad ignored him and continued to shake her. Daegan was about to punch him, to get him to stop the useless action and let Sephera rest, when she let out a small cough, expelling water onto Zadkiel’s chest.
Zad let her go in surprise. “Sephera! Sephera, look at me. I’m right here,” Zad cried.
Sephera let out another cough. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up. She let out a small moan. “The finger. Check my pocket. The finger,” was all she said before she rested her head against Zad’s chest and closed her eyes.
Daegan smiled in relief and shook his head. “Damned girl. A finger? What is it, a memento from one of her kills or something?” He chuckled.
She’s going to be okay. She just needs rest. Let's get back to the inn. If we leave now, we should reach it by nightfall, Brenner spoke, his mental voice steady.
Daegan nodded, “Zadkiel, keep her warm while Brenner and I row us back to the inn.”
CHAPTER 28
She could feel his strong arms around her as he carried her up the stairs to her room. She tried to open her eyes. Someone stripped her down and wrapped her in a tunic as she lay still on the bed.
“Thank you Chantry,” she heard Zad whisper.
“She does need some privacy. I’m glad you asked me to dress her instead of just doing it yourself,” Chantry replied quietly.
Zad let out a tired laugh “Brenner, can you heal her? She has at least a few broken ribs and quite a few nasty gashes that could require stitches.”
Sephera heard someone shuffle over to her. She felt warm, smooth hands on her belly.
This may sting a bit, Sephera. I have you in a magical slumber. I pray it will not hurt as bad this way.
She tried to reach out to Brenner, to tell him she could handle it, but her body tensed under the mage’s spell. She wanted to cry out as her bones fused back into place. The pain was excruciating, but she could do nothing except scream in her mind. It felt as though hot, piercing metal was melting her bones back together. She tried to inhale, but heat scorched her lungs. She felt like she was drowning all over again, this time in molten rock.
Almost there, Sephera. Hang on.
Just when she thought she couldn’t possibly endure the agony anymore, the pain stopped. She took a deep breath and filled her lungs. She could breathe fully again.
There we go. Get some rest now. Let your body do the rest of the work. You might be a little sore in the morning, but I’m sure you have had worse pains.
Sephera relaxed as the voices around her grew hazy.
* * *
“Thank you, Brenner,” Zad smiled, patting the mage on the back.
“I can stay with her and get you when she wakes if you would like,” Chantry told Zad.
“No. I’ll stay. I am not leaving her side ever again.” Chantry left the room, shutting the door behind her. Zad brought a chair to the side of the bed and sat down, taking Sephera’s hand in his. “I’ll be here when you wake up, Sephera. I am not going anywhere,” he promised softly, pushing her hair behind her ear and kissing her forehead gently. “I almost lost you today. You swore to me you would never leave me. You almost broke that promise.”
He watched her as she slept. There was a serene beauty about her that she didn’t have when she was killing things and saving the world. Her round lips were parted slightly as she breathed in life. She had never looked as perfect as she did lying there. He had almost lost her, and there had been nothing he could do about it. He had never felt as much pain as he did when he couldn’t get her to breathe, couldn’t get her heart to beat. He had lost a piece of himself in those few strenuous minutes, a piece he would never get back. She had broken his heart and he hated her for it. He realized in those brief moments that he loved her more than life itself. He would die to see her safe, even if it meant taking her away from this wicked, wicked existence.
She had always loved the water. Even as kids, when he had just begun learning how to swim, she would jump right in and splash around, disappearing under the water and popping back up several yards away. She was so at home there. How terrified and betrayed she must have felt when her one place of safety had turned into her tomb.
She let out a small groan and closed her mouth. He laid his head down beside her, clinging to her hand and closing his eyes. Her breath was a lullaby.
He didn’t know how long they slept. He felt her watching him before she stroked his hair. He sat up and looked down at her. She was smiling sleepily up at him. “Hi, Beasty,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied.
“I almost lost you,” he whispered, taking her head in his hands as she leaned against his chest.
She nodded softly. “I'm so sorry, Zad,” she cried softly, looking up at him with tears shining in her dark eyes. He wiped her cheek as a single tear fell.
“Shh, don’t cry, Beasty. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Unless you want food?” he said, trying to coax a smile from her.
She shook her head. “For once in my life, Zad, I am not hungry. Just tired. So tired,” she breathed.
“Okay. Do you want me to get Chantry? I will wait outside the door if you want. Or I can sleep in my room,” Zad said, standing up.
“Please stay with me,” she said quietly. Zad nodded and grabbed a pillow off the bed and set it on the floor to make a bed.
“No, up here, with me. I want you to hold me.” Zad didn’t respond. He just stared at her.
Hurt flashed across her features. “Unless you don’t want to. It's okay. I shouldn’t have—”
He grinned lazily and got into the double bed beside her. She snuggled up to him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He could feel her heart beat against his.
“Zad?” she whispered.
“Yes, Sephy?” he murmured. She moved closer to him, her lips meeting his in ferocious hunger. She tasted just as he imagined she would. Her lips were soft against his as she deepened the kiss. They explored each other's mouths and bodies, the moonlight from the window, making her skin glow like she was a goddess of the night. When she pulled away, she took his breath with her, leaving him staring at her swollen lips lustfully. She cocked her head, her midnight hair, falling over her shoulders.
“I love you Zadkiel Gethine. I almost had to die realize just how much. I’m sorry that it took me so long,” she said, her eyes glowing brightly.
He smiled sheepishly, “Last I heard, you wanted to save the world without any pesky little distractions like love.” He laughed softly, touching the ends of her hair.
“Yes, well, tasting death does tend to bring a person to their senses.”
He raised his eyebrows at her, “You are so precious, Sephera. I have loved you for so long, and I will never stop.”
She flashed him a shy smile. “I don’t want you to,” she said conspiratorially as she laid back down. He stared at her as he rested his head on the pillow.
She bit her lip. “We have much to do now that we have found all three items. I don’t want to think about what is going to come next.”
“Tonight, let’s just be here, you and me. Let me keep you safe, Sephera. Just give us tonight. Tomorrow we can worry about saving the world.” Nodding, she curled up next to him and closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Beasty,” he said, kissing her head.
Zad stared at the ceiling as he held her, not wanting to sleep, fearing he would wake to discover that this was just another one of his dreams. He wanted to savor every se
cond he had with her. He smiled, imagining infinite nights like this one, making love as the stars kept watch. A world where she was safe and happy. A world where she looked at him as she had tonight. He didn’t want morning to come.
CHAPTER 29
Sephera woke to a knock at the door. She looked over at Zad who was sleeping deeply. She smiled to herself at the memory of his lips upon hers, of his touch. She crept out of the bed careful not to wake him as she pulled the fur blanket tightly around her shoulders. She tiptoed over to the door and opened it slowly.
Daegan was standing there. He swallowed hard as he took in her appearance. He looked around her to see Zad sleeping on the bed, and frowned slightly. He cleared his throat. “I see you are well. Did you have a good night?” He tried to use a teasing tone, but it came out forced.
“The best,” she replied. “What do you need, Daegan?” she asked coolly.
“Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I brought you something to eat. And you need new boots,” he said holding up a plate of eggs and pastries in one hand and a wrapped parcel in the other. “But I see that you are busy.” He turned to leave.
“Wait!” she called after him. “Leave the food.”
Something flashed across his features, but it disappeared as soon as she blinked. Jealousy? She shook her head as she took the plate and closed the door in his face without so much as a thank you.
She sank down next to Zad, a strawberry pastry with sugar sprinkled on top in her hand. She put it under Zad’s nose like it was a smelling salt and kissed his cheek.
“Mmmm,” he groaned, not opening his eyes.
“Open your mouth,” she enticed. His lips parted, and she put the pastry against his tongue. He took a small bite, smiling as he chewed.
“Either I am incredibly famished or that is the most delicious strawberry pastry that I have ever tasted,” he said as he sat up. “Ahh, and I even get served by a lovely vixen.” He kissed her. “If I’d known that all I had to do was watch you die to get you into my bed, I would have killed you ages ago,” he joked.
Sephera’s mouth fell open. She punched him in the shoulder. “You are despicable.” She giggled as she took another bite of food.
“But you love it,” he said playfully.
They ate the plate of food and spent the morning in bed, kissing and reminiscing. It was the first time that she had ever felt true happiness. Sure, she had experienced moments of joy throughout her life. But this—this was unlike anything she had ever felt before. For the first time in her life, she had hope. Hope for her world, for her future. Now that she had glimpsed a small sliver of what her life could be like, she would do anything keep that hope and happiness alive.
She got out of bed and walked over to her bag to put on some pants. She smiled at Zad, who frowned and folded his arms in protest as she laced them up.
“Come on, naughty boy. We need to get back to the real world now. The others will wonder where we have gone.”
He groaned as he pulled his own shirt on. “No, they won’t. They know I’ve been keeping you all to myself this morning.” He growled as he threw her onto the bed and kissed her.
She pushed him off. “As much as I want to stay in bed and kiss you for the rest of the day, we need to get back to the mission.”
“Once we find Reina and get that blasted cure, I am going to make love to you, Sephera. All night and all day,” he said, kissing her hand.
Her stomach did a flip. Last night she had thought about how it would feel to be with him in that way—to give him all of herself. She had also thought about it that morning, and she was thinking about it now. She bit her lip and threw her head back. If he kept looking at her like that, she wouldn’t be strong enough to resist him. She wanted to wait, at least a little while. She pecked him on the cheek and grabbed her things. Sending him her most flirtatious smile, she opened the door and left him behind in the room.
She walked to the tavern where Chantry and Brenner sat finishing up their breakfast. She sat down, beaming from ear to ear. Chantry let out a squeal.
“Did you do it? Did you? You did, didn’t you? You are glowing from ear to ear.”
Sephera pursed her lips. “Hello to you too, Chantry. And no we didn’t, not that it is any of your business.”
Ignoring her, Chantry squealed. “I just knew it! Didn’t I say that, Brenner? I mean, especially after Daegan stormed down. I don’t think I have ever seen him so angry. But never mind him. You and Zad! AHHH! The babies you will make!” She squeaked excitedly, clapping her hands. “Wait. Did you say you didn’t?”
“Who is making babies?” Zad asked as he sat down.
“Don’t get her started,” Sephera said. He put his arm around her as Chantry gushed over them.
Sephera looked at Brenner, who smiled. I am pleased to see you have recovered, he projected. She smiled, bowing her head.
Zad told me everything you and Daegan did yesterday. Thank you. You saved my life.
He waved a hand at her. You would have done the same for me.
She felt Zad staring at her, and she turned to smile at him. “What?” she asked coyly.
He touched her left cheek, where the wound from her battle with the Shasakar had begun to scar. “I do wish you would be more careful. You have such a beautiful face. I don’t want you to have any more scars,” he whispered softly.
She cocked her head to the side. “I rather like it. It makes me look tough.”
“You don’t need to be tough. Let me take care of you, my love.”
She didn’t answer as Daegan appeared, broody as usual, and dropped all three items onto the table. They stopped talking, the severed finger a gruesome reminder of their mission. They all turned their heads toward Daegan and gave him their attention. “We need to figure out what to do with that vial of liquid,” he said abruptly. He glared at Sephera, and Zad tightened his arm around her protectively.
“Reina—or her memory—said that I need to use this,” Zad said, picking up the vial, “to unlock the item that is inside of me.”
Sephera took the vial from his hands and stared at it, turning it between her fingers. The liquid was a dark, murky substance that swirled around like smoke. “We’ve got the horse, which triggered a memory for me. It probably represents the mind.” She looked at the others, who nodded in agreement.
“And the finger would represent the body.” Chantry offered.
“So what does this mean?” she asked, holding up the vial. “Mind, body, mind, body,”
“Blood,” Zad answered “I think I need to drink that and mix it with my blood.”
Sephera shifted uncomfortably. “What makes you say that?”
He stared at the vial. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.”
“No, you can’t do that. We don’t even know what is in there,” she argued, gesturing to the vial.
He turned to look at her. “Sephera—”
“NO! Absolutely not. It is too risky!” Her voice rose.
Daegan slammed his fist on the table, causing them all to jump. “We all knew there would be risks! Just because you are screwing him does not exclude him from what must be done.” Sephera’s eye twitched. She heard Zad call her name just before she launched herself over the table, tackling Daegan to the ground.
She straddled him, screaming and punching him over and over. He pushed her off with ease, pinning her to the ground. “If I’d known sleeping with you was all it would take to become exempt from the dangers of this mission, I would have taken you to bed that first night,” he snarled.
She squirmed underneath him, trying to flip their positions, but her shoulders were immobilized by his massive hands, and her thighs were fastened to the floor by the weight of his powerful knees. Daegan’s hatred was like a spear, piercing her to her core. She spat at him, her saliva landing on his cheek. He just laughed bitterly.
Zad pressed his sword into Daegan’s back, “GET. OFF. OF. HER,” he growled.
Daegan held his h
ands up in surrender and stood up, walking towards the tavern door. He paused before he opened it and turned to her. “Mark my words, Sephera. He will ruin you.” And with that, he stalked off into the busy village.
Zad offered Sephera a hand and pulled her up. The entire tavern had gone quiet and was staring at their group with slacked jaws.
Chantry clapped her hands loudly. “Nothing to see here, folks! Just a wee bit of jealousy, a lovers’ quarrel. Nothing too exciting.” She smiled sweetly at the onlookers. She heard people scoff and mutter under their breaths at the annoying disturbance.
“Our boat back to the City leaves in a few hours. We should gather our things,” Chantry mumbled as she and Brenner made their way up the staircase.
“Sephera, look at me,” Zad said gently after the tavern’s patrons had returned to their murmured conversations. She stared intently at the table. Zad touched her chin with his index finger, turning her face toward him. Reluctantly, she met his eye. “It's going to be all right. I need to do this. If drinking the contents of that vial means we can find Reina and stop this plague, I have to do it. I would gladly do it a thousand times over if it meant that it would keep you safe.”
She held onto his hands tightly, “I just got you. I can’t, I WILL NOT, lose you,” she choked. Zad smiled.
“I already told you, Beasty, I’m not going anywhere. Even if you wanted me to, I wouldn’t leave. You’re stuck with me.”
She groaned. This was why she had distanced herself, why she had fought her feelings and buried them deep. To have tasted what life could be like only to have it taken away was the purest, most exquisite form of torture. “If that vial kills you I am going to be so pissed,” she grumbled.
“There’s my girl.” Zad laughed, kissing the tip of her nose. “C’mon Beasty, we’ve got a world to save,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her up the stairs.