Flames seeped from Rafe’s wings to match the fury raging in his gut. Onyx blood dripped from the edge of his blade as he whirled the sword around for another attack. This time, the shadow beast caught the steel in its palm and held it steady. Shock poured from its mind, flooding Rafe’s, the confusion thick and overwhelming. It looked at the black fluid oozing between its scales, then back up.
Rafe dug his boot into the creature’s chest, pushing it away as the second one slowly rose from the ground, earthen magic pouring from its frame. They stared at each other for a beat, the same and yet different. He realized with perfect clarity what the shadow monster had been doing these past weeks—studying him, testing him, trying to figure out if he was friend or foe. Those obsidian eyes watched him now, calculating and intense.
The onyx creature stepped forward.
Rafe moved to block.
It ticked its head, then stepped to the other side.
Rafe leveled his blade at its throat, his message clear.
She’s mine.
Possessiveness oozed from his pores, sinking into the mental bond with undeniable authority. They wouldn’t be allowed to pass. The line was drawn, Lyana on one side and these creatures on the other—and Rafe knew exactly where he stood.
Go, he ordered. Leave now.
The shadow beast hissed, baring its teeth. Beside him, the earthen creature did the same. They moved together, communicating with their thoughts, a conversation he couldn’t hear as one slid left and the other right. Rafe yanked his other sword from his back and menacingly whirled the twin blades before his face. Behind him, magic stirred.
“Rafe?” Lyana murmured, stunned.
“Stay back, Ana.”
“I can help.”
Golden power flooded the air. Immediately, both creatures snapped their heads toward her. Hunger flared deep in Rafe’s stomach, a yearning so intense he could hardly breathe for want of her magic. It oozed with life and spirit, like air to a drowning man, promising vitality. One touch and he could drink in her power. A yawning abyss opened deep inside him, a darkness and a need only her magic could fill. It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to spin toward her and lunge, to remember who he was, the human and not the beast, his love for her like a tether in the storm, keeping him anchored.
“Ana, no—”
It was too late.
The creatures attacked.
“Cover your ears!”
Rafe lunged for them and released his raven cry. The green creature stopped cold, frozen by the power in his call. Made of shadow magic, the onyx one didn’t even pause. They crashed together, flames and darkness, claws and swords. Rafe stabbed. The creature dodged. He swung. It rolled. Sparks flashed on steel as his blade scratched razor-sharp scales. The beast was fast, but so was Rafe, and unlike its other victims, he always knew where it was thanks to their mental bond. Even though the creature was made of smoke, Rafe followed it through the night, neither gaining ground. As the green one started to stand, he released another raven cry.
“Rafe!”
He couldn’t stop to look at her. It took everything he had to stay on top of the shadow monster, to stay between them.
“Rafe!”
Her magic swelled, the golden sheen so thick he could hardly see the trees of the sacred grove. The creature became nothing more than an onyx wisp darting between rays of sunlight, her power turning midnight to midday. The sky glittered.
“Rafe! It’s fall—”
The ground gave out and her voice turned into a yell. Branches, bark, and wood grain rushed by as he snapped his wings to catch the air. The isle dropped out from under him, the canopy of the rainforest giving way to a canvas of stars. The shadow beast hovered beside him, but no one else. Lyana was alone with the earthen creature.
Rafe dove.
The monster dove after him.
Below, the forest shimmered, a golden aura spreading across the trees, wider and wider, until the whole isle glowed like a comet falling in the night.
All at once, the light blinked out.
“Ana!”
Rafe collapsed his wings, not bothering to dive or aim or fly, but rather plummeting with as much speed as possible toward the ground far below. The shadow beast kept pace. They fell, faster and faster, the wind a whistle in his ears. Against the backdrop of the dark forest, a glint of metal caught his eye. The spot grew, surging toward them, surrounded by flecks of gold. Rafe grinned as the cage flew past him, golden bars warped and twisted in an uneven circle holding the green creature inside.
Lyana was all right.
She was alive.
The isle slipped between the folds of fog, disappearing into the Sea of Mist, but not before the golden aura returned. Twice as bright as before, the spirit magic was fueled by a heart more determined than any other he’d ever encountered. Whatever she was trying to do, she would succeed. Somehow, she’d find a way. All he had to do was give her time.
Rafe flipped in midair, turning to face the onyx creature trailing him. In one deft move, he opened his wings and held out his swords. The beast plummeted into the blades before it could stop, taken by surprise. A wail filled the air, more anger than pain. Rafe sent an image through the mental bond—his sword plunging into the heart of the earthen creature. Exactly as he’d hoped, a roar surged up from below.
Darting skyward, Rafe searched for the glow of the cage in the air. It was falling now, no longer suspended by Lyana’s magic. The beast was still trapped inside, but it wouldn’t be for long. The bars were bending beneath its strength, stretching wider and wider. Rafe cut across the sky, smooth as a sharpened blade through flesh, holding his sword aloft.
Claws dug into his ankle.
His skin tore open.
Healing magic rushed to the spot as he kicked the shadow monster free. A moment later, those same talons raked across his calf, then dug into his thigh. Rafe hissed against the pain. The creature climbed him like a tree, claws taking root in his spine then his shoulders as a hand came around his neck. Rafe flipped his sword and drove the blade backward. The metal met resistance. He forced it deeper, then twisted the hilt, satisfied when he heard a crunch.
The shadow beast released him.
Rafe ripped his weapon free and spun to face the creature. It clutched its midsection, ebony blood seeping through its fingers. Hurt struck his mind, sharp and piercing, deeper than any physical pain, strung through with betrayal.
This wasn’t over.
Far from it.
Deep down, Rafe understood this battle was only just beginning. But tonight, he’d won. The demon retreated, fleeing back into the dark folds of night, and the green one raced to follow, still new to this world and willing to go where led. They’d be back. They’d never stop coming for him or for Lyana, not now.
Let them.
Rafe collapsed his wings and let the fog envelop him, happy to leave the moon and the stars behind as he raced toward the piercing pull of Lyana’s magic, still a potent elixir gnawing at his gut. By the time he reached the isle, her power was little more than a dull shimmer in the air, fading more and more with each passing moment. The land was no longer falling, which meant it must have reached the sea. He had to find her before it sank.
Hold on, Ana. Please, hold on.
He cut through the trees, passing broken branches and severed trunks, the destruction unmistakable. As he neared the city, her magic gave out. That last bit of light disappeared, leaving him blind and without the hunger to lead him forward. Wisps of vapor curled around the trees, turning the forest dark and gloomy. An eerie tingle itched up his spine as he flew past rope bridges swaying and creaking loudly in the silence. Homes were destroyed. Once-sturdy platforms were little more than splintered fragments. A few gentle cries echoed across the air, in pain and fear, their desperation obvious. Looming ahead was the familiar entrance to the massive tree containing the sacred nest of the House of Paradise, now little more than a hollow core of wood, empty of all that had once made it holy.
He found Lyana in the spot where he’d left her, white wings drooping to the ground as she swayed unsteadily on her feet. When she fell, he caught her.
“Rafe.”
She said his name as though everything good in the world were contained within the sound. He melted, the fire in his blood replaced with something just as warm, just as potent, yet infinitely more powerful. Love.
“Ana, I’m here.”
He stroked her cheek as she lifted her palm to his face and ran her fingers along the edge of his jaw. No magic lit her skin, but her touch was electric just the same.
“I did it, Rafe,” she murmured, a smile widening her lips, even as her eyes grew dazed. “I did it.”
He had no idea what she was talking about, so he just brushed his thumb across her skin and threaded his hand through her braids, holding her head up as her muscles weakened. They dropped to the ground together, Lyana’s body failing as he cradled her to his chest.
“They’ll have an isle to come back to,” she whispered, voice growing softer with each word. “When all this is over, they’ll have a place to call home.”
The last bits of her energy gave out and she went limp in his arms. Breath slid evenly between her lips as her chest rose and fell in a soothing rhythm. She was exhausted and spent but alive, and that was all that mattered. Rafe shifted them into a more comfortable position, content to let her sleep across his lap however long it took for her to wake. There was no place in the world he’d rather be and no one in the world he’d rather be with.
Maybe he was the King Born in Fire.
Maybe not.
Either way, he would never leave her side again, not unless she asked, and maybe not even then. Brighty had been right. Protecting her was what he’d been born to do. From now on, where she went, he would follow. Nothing would break them apart again.