I knew—fucking gods, Iknew—he wanted that.
Shewas his agenda.
His motivation.
His goal.
Butshewasmine.
“If he goes after you or Kieran,” Poppy said, her voice hoarse, “the Joining won’t protect either of you. Hecankill you.”
The thick, heavy bitterness of fear and anxiety lodged in my throat, and my heart rate skyrocketed.
Poppy.
Those were her emotions choking me. The chaotic rush of my thoughts ground to a halt as I looked at her—really saw her. Suddenly, I no longer felt split into halves. I was whole, and every part of me was focused on Poppy.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her breaths quick, shallow pants. The blood had drained from her face, making her freckles and scars stand out starkly. Her mouth opened and closed as her lashes fluttered.
I’d never seen her like this.
Ever.
I stepped closer. “Poppy?”
“I think my lungs…have stopped working.”
It had never been so easy to pack up my shit and put it aside. I was before her in a heartbeat. Taking the glass from her fingers, I set it on a nearby end table and clasped her cheek, guiding her eyes to mine. “Your lungs are working just fine,” I told her. “Just focus on your breathing. You need to slow it down.”
Her lower lip quivered, and I felt the eather in her rise violently. “I can’t feel myself breathe.”
Shit.
“It helps to count to four between each breath,” Seraphena said from behind me. “Inhale. Hold for four. Exhale for four.”
I nodded and wrapped Poppy’s much smaller hand in mine, drawing her palm to my chest. I didn’t think she heard anything Seraphena had said. “Count with me, my Queen. Take a deep breath with me and hold it for four. Okay?”
Eyes impossibly wide, she nodded jerkily.
“Inhale,” I said, taking a slow, deep breath as she took hers. I concentrated on her mark, finding the earthy warmth that was all her. “Now, hold.”One. Two. Three. Four.“And exhale.”
Poppy exhaled.
One. Two. Three. Four. “Inhale.”
She obeyed as I ran my thumb over the top of her hand. We did that until her heart slowed and some of the color returned to her face. It could’ve been seconds or minutes. It didn’t matter.
I kept her hand against my chest and my other on her cheek. “Better?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
“Good. Because I want you to hear this. You won’t lose us, Poppy.”
Ether pierced the blue and green hues in her irises, leaving the blotch of brown unmarked. “He’s the true Primal of Death—”
“Doesn’t matter who or what he is.” I smoothed my thumb over her cheek. “I won’t let him hurt any of us. Neither will Kieran. But, most importantly, you won’t.”
A tremor ran through her as she pressed her lips together.
