Seconds drag on, and then finally we break through the surface. Sinnix pulls us toward the swim deck, and I haul myself up with Xeraphine in my arms. The sound of feet pounding on the hollow deck of the ship rushes toward us, but I don’t spare them a glance.
Once I’m fully on board with my girl, I crawl on my knees to straddle her hips and bury my face into the curve of her neck. I clutch her tightly, my arms wrapping around every inch of her, and release a scream of relief.
A body slams into mine—Sydni. She immediately wraps her arms around Xera’s head, grasping for any space she can find. Her sobs blend with her cries. “Thank you, thank you! Oh my Gods, thank you!” I’m not sure if she’s rocking us or if it’s me, but I don’t care.
Her shaking, me shaking, the world could be the one under a quake and all that would matter is that I’ve got her.
I’vegother.
I’ve got my girl back.
“Get going!” Sinnix captures my attention, and without releasing Xera, I turn to look at her. “I’ll keep the Shifter busy. Go!”
I nod and shift to pick up both my girls. I’m grateful that when I pull back my shadow, I find that it had stayed as safe as possible. The last thing I need is to be cut in half and have to deal with that thrilling experience.
After carrying them to the far side of the boat, I set them down on the floor just as we begin to move. Sydni shifts, and I carefully move Xeraphine to lay down in front of me, finally allowing myself to look at her.
I’m brushing away her soaked hair from her face when my hand slices on something sharp. It’s now that I see it—her horn. There’s only one of them, and where the other one should be, her skin is completely gone and I can see… bone. It’s cracked and dipped, and my only logical assumption is it’s where the other horn was once attached. My stomach churns with the thought of it being torn from her.
The one that is still intact is only a few inches in length, and it sits right where her hairline begins. It’s more inward than where her temples are, and curved slightly up.
As my touch moves down to her cheek, I see how badly I’m trembling, a stark contrast to how still she is. “Baby…” I whisper. “Wake up.”
“Phiny?” Sydni has both of her hands gripping tightly to her forearm, slightly shaking her.
I don’t hear her heartbeat, and I don’t know how long she’s been dead for to know when she’ll wake. My eyes scan down her naked body, andit’s now I know that too many eyes can see what they shouldn’t.
“Sydni, can you get a towel?”
She does as I ask and walks away from us. I pull Xeraphine up, shielding her with my body to cover as much of her as I can. I tighten my hold, burying my face into her neck and squeezing her tightly. The smell of familiarity slamming into me.
Beyond the saltiness of the sea, it’s her; the night sky, the scent of sweet peonies and cherry blossoms, it all hits my senses, and confirms she’s here.
“I’ve got you, little demon.” Tears fall from my eyes so suddenly, I don’t even have time to brace for them. I lean her back, pressing my lips to hers—cold and slightly parted. My forehead rests against hers as I grit my teeth, trying to hold it together. “I’ll never let them take you again, I swear.”
When she wakes up, I’ll help her piece herself back together. The parts that shattered will grow stronger, because they’ll fuse with my own being. I’ll be her foundation, and the only person who will ever break her will be me.
She will only cry forme, bleed forme, scream forme.
Nothing else in this world matters but her, and if I have to crawl on my knees to prove to her that truth, then so fucking be it.
“I love you, Xera,” I whisper against her neck. “I won’t let you go again. Never. For our eternity and its after. They’ll have to tear you from my cold, dead fingers.”
I only get a few moments alone with her when Sydni is back with a towel, which I swiftly wrap around Xeraphine.
It doesn’t take long before everyone is standing over us—Alaric, Brice, and Niyla. I don’t want to be out here with them, and selfishly, that includes my butterfly. However, I won’t push her away.
“I don’t want anyone talking to me, and until she’s awake…” I glance up at the Fallen, who has his beady eyes laser-focused on my girl. “You will stay the fuck back. Understand?”
He doesn’t respond, and fury heats my chest.
“Alaric.” Niyla nudges his arm.
“Yes. Understood.”
I lift Xera carefully and move her to the front of the boat, where there are cushions for lounging. I’m uneasy about being inside, but I want to lay her down somewhere comfortable. I don’t believe we’re out of danger—not until we’re off this damn boat and back on solid ground. That will be a minimum of three days, depending on the weather and current.
That means we are staying up here, above deck, because I won’t separate myself from my girl. I can feel her Amoro reaching for me,though it’s strange. It’s as though it’s struggling to latch on. Each time it tries, it slips. She’s trying to feed, but it’s a battle; one I hate to say she’s losing.
