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“Thank you,” I spoke, breaking the tense and worried silence between Vorzyr and I as we trekked through Meforian Forest.

We’d put Nyx to bed, something he hadn’t been happy about. But he’d needed to rest after what he’d endured earlier. Unfortunately, his insistence on coming with us and helping with the search for Ariana had been so persistent with no regard to his own health that I’d had to put a sleeping spell on him. I had no doubt I’d hear about it later in a severe way, but I was willing to face his wrath so long as he remained safe and recuperated.

“For what?” V asked, eyeing me walking beside him.

It was too dangerous to simply teleport to the site of the consecrated ground that we were headed for, because of the Celestial magic component. It could repel us when it felt our magic activating right upon it via a teleportation spell. After the hits we’d already taken earlier, we weren’t willing to take that chance. We needed to conserve our strength for when we located Ari.

“Catching me before I was crushed to shit on those rocks at the base of the mountain.”

He’d told me exactly what had happened after I’d been knocked unconscious, how he’d swept down in his dragon form and grabbed me just in time, even managing to control his new Primal Celestial Resonance ability in order to do so.

“That’s twice now that you’ve saved my life. I don’t take that lightly,” I told him.

“You don’t need to thank me, Kai. Plus, I don’t doubt for a second that you would do the same for me.” He stared at me, more concern visible—this time for me.

“What?” I asked.

“It bothers you greatly, doesn’t it?”

I frowned. “I’m not following.”

“The fact that you needed saving. Twice now.”

I grimaced at his words, at hearing them actually spoken aloud. “Yes,” I admitted. “It’s not just about theneeding savingaspect, although that’s bad enough. It’s what I needed saving from.”

“Celestial power?”

“Beings of insurmountable power that eclipses that of all others on this plane.” I sighed, then found myself telling him where that was rooted, explaining, “Before I was born, shortly after my parents got married, Draco rose. He attacked their Coven. My parents were supposed to be some of the most powerful magic-wielders in the world. But Draco’s power and abilities completely transcended even that. They would have died without a doubt if Mia Snow, Ryker Morgan, and Lucian Black hadn’t stepped in. All the power at their disposal and in that instance they were utterly powerless.”

“Wow… this explainsa lotwhen it comes to you, how you operate…somuch, Kai.”

“I suppose it does.”

“It also shows how deeply you care about and adore Ariana. Because, in spite of this, astoundingly, you’ve never considered her to be a threat to you along the lines of Draco, even though she is technically abeing of insurmountable power.”

“I always thought there should be a failsafe, just because all beings need that. But it was never about me worrying that she’d consciously hurt me. It was me considering all eventualities, including her being influenced or someone taking control of her. But, no, I’ve never seen Ariana Martel as a threat to me or anyone I care about.” I smiled at the thought of it all, ofher.“She stands apart from the rest of them.”

He beamed out at me.

“What?”

“You romantic bastard. You really hide that well, you know?”

“Less so lately, yes?”

“Yes. And I love that it’s important to you that the three of us see that from you.”

“Watch it. Stop humanizing me too much. I’m still a ruthless bastard.”

“I don’t deny that. Just not to the three of us, huh?”

“No. Not to the three of you,” I admitted.

He reached out and stroked my nape. It sent a soothing warmth through me that I hadn’t thought myself capable of feeling while all of this was happening.

“Things are different now, Kai. You no longer have to be completely self-sufficient, self-reliant, and able to defeat all foes and threats all on your own. Things have altered substantially since you first started out on your quest to obtain knowledge that could serve to defeat beings of insurmountable power.We’reright by your side now. It’s the four of us against whatever comes our way.” He brushed his lips over my cheek, lightly over the corner of my mouth too, and a peaceful groan escaped me in the midst of all of this madness and pain, the fear for Ari, and the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach for what Nyx had suffered through tonight.

And my failure to stop any of it.