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"Mama!"
"Take her inside!" My voice cracks as the thassir turns toward the movement, muscles bunching under its midnight hide. "GO!"
The moment Araton clutches our daughter safely to his chest, I sprint in the opposite direction, toward the forest edge. The thassir hesitates only a split second before abandoning its previous prey and giving chase to the easier target.
I can hear its massive paws thumping against the earth behind me, feel its hot breath closing the distance. I push harder,veering toward the denser trees where its bulk might be a disadvantage.
There's no time to look back, no time to see if Millie is safely inside. There's just the thundering of my heart, the burn in my lungs, and the singular thought pounding through my mind:
My daughter is safe. My daughter is safe. My daughter is safe.
23
ARATON
Millie's weight in my arms feels both too light and impossibly heavy as I burst through the door, my wings knocking against the frame in my haste. Her tiny body trembles against my chest, her tears leaving wet patches on my shirt. Every muscle in my body screams to turn around, to go after Ronnie, but the precious cargo clutching at me anchors me to reason.
"Papa, Mama's still out there!" Millie sobs, her golden eyes—my eyes—wide with terror. "The big monster?—"
"I know, sweetheart." My voice sounds alien to my own ears, stripped of its usual confidence. I set her down with more force than intended, my hands shaking. "Stay here."
Harmony rushes forward, her face drained of color. "What's happening?"
"Thassir," I manage, the word clawing its way out of my throat. "Forest edge. Ronnie drew it away from Millie."
The silent understanding that passes between us needs no elaboration. Harmony immediately pulls Millie into her arms while Adellum moves to block the door, his massive gray wings expanding protectively.
"I went to see the pretty thaliverns," Millie hiccups, her small silver wings quivering against her back. "I'm not supposed to go outside alone but I wanted?—"
"We'll talk about that later," I cut her off, unable to focus on her explanation. Every second feels like an eternity, every moment I stand here is another moment Ronnie faces that beast alone.
Fear like I've never known courses through me, turning my blood to ice. My mind floods with images of Ronnie—her fierce gray eyes closed forever, her sharp tongue silenced, those freckles I've memorized splashed with crimson. The possibility nearly brings me to my knees.
"Keep them inside," I command, already backing toward the door. "Both of them."
Adellum nods, his silver eyes unusually somber. "We will. Go."
I don't wait for further permission. The night air hits me like a physical force as I launch myself from the doorway, wings snapping open to catch the breeze. I rise swiftly above the house, scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.
The forest edge looms as a solid black wall against the dimming purple sky. Where did she go? Which direction? Panic threatens to overwhelm my training, my carefully cultivated composure crumbling like sand. I've faced dignitaries who could have ordered my execution with a smile on my face, but the thought of losing Ronnie—stubborn, infuriating, magnificent Ronnie—unravels me completely.
A flash of movement catches my eye—something large displacing the tall grass at the forest boundary. Without hesitation, I tilt my wings and dive.
The wind whistles past my face as I push my wings to their limit, driving myself forward with desperate speed. "RONNIE!"Her name tears from my throat, raw and primal, as I approach the treeline.
No answer comes.
I land hard at the forest edge, my eyes frantically adjusting to the deeper darkness beneath the canopy. The undergrowth shows signs of disturbance—broken branches, trampled ferns. I follow the trail, my heart thundering so loudly I fear it might drown out any sounds that could lead me to her.
"Ronnie!" I call again, pushing deeper into the woods. My wings catch on low branches, but I barely register the sting. "Answer me, fierce one!"
The forest feels like a living entity closing in around me, branches reaching like grasping fingers, shadows deepening with each step. Is this how it ends? After everything—after finding her again, discovering our daughter, these tentative steps toward something I've never dared name—will she be taken from me by some random predator?
I refuse to accept it. Something dark and possessive rises in my chest, a feeling I've never allowed myself to acknowledge fully until this moment.
"She is mine," I growl into the darkness, as if the forest itself might listen. "Do you hear me? She belongs with me."
A distant crash sounds to my left—the unmistakable noise of something large moving through the underbrush. I pivot instantly, wings tucking tight against my back as I sprint between tree trunks, leaping over fallen logs. The forest floor is treacherous in the darkness, roots threatening to snag my feet, but I push forward, driven by pure desperation.