Page 59 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood (Of Fae and Wolf Trilogy #2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Vad

M y shoulders ached with tension as I knelt at the bedside, watching over Briar.

I wasn’t moving until she woke, and I could beg Fate to let her pull through this with no permanent injuries or scars.

If I had found a quicker way… if I’d demanded the trials not be finished, she wouldn't be in this condition tonight.

Until her eyes opened, I wouldn't leave this spot, come void or high water. I wanted to soak in all the minutes we had left together before she was sent home.

The darkness in my bedchamber mirrored my mood and gave my shadows the room to pulse and curl. They had coiled around the bed protectively, a few tendrils near her and against her. But I held them back from fully touching her, not sure if they would make her chances of recovery better or worse.

At this point, it seemed anything I did led to something worse.

She lay in the center of my bed, scrubbed clean and bandaged, her copper curls fanned against the obsidian sheets. Physician Morlo had attended to her personally, along with one associate he said he trusted with his life.

They had scrubbed her clean, stitched her long cuts, bandaged her, and, after examining the arrow that had been stuck in her thigh, provided the antidote to reverse the effects of the venom.

The bastards who’d tried to kill her had dipped it in a venom that kept blood from clotting.

It was the same type that had been used on Rhielle, and likely my father.

Morlo had insisted that, based on what he had seen of Briar in the other trials, she would be up soon and with enough strength to attend the coronation and wedding.

He’d said it with confidence and pride shining from his eyes, as if he was watching his own family members getting their happily ever after.

He’d promised to return to check on her as soon as he completed the next round of tests on the hair sample.

He’d said, “Briar suits you well. I haven’t often thought this, but…

it seems that you were made for one another.

It reminds me of your father and mother. It’s a beautiful thing.”

It is…was.

And that had reinforced how stupid I’d been to make the vow. Understanding had struck me that, now that I had her, I had to let her go. Still, I could only acknowledge his words, unable to tell him that Briar was going home.

The tugging in my chest increased as I remembered what it had been like when my parents were together, and the pain the memories brought was enough to make me bite back a groan.

My parents’ love had been doomed, and perhaps mine was as well.

The only way to save Briar was to deny our connection and send her back.

I couldn’t even argue with Bryn, after she’d almost died yet again.

My room was decorated in black with touches of gold. Lying among the silk sheets in my massive bed, Briar looked like a brilliant wildfire gem in a setting of onyx. The black put her presence front and center in the room.

Like she was meant to stay here by my side.

I bowed my head and pressed her freckled knuckles to my lips. My beloved. Always mine in my heart for eternity. No one else could replace her, nor would I want anyone to. Our time together had been brief, but it would remain the best part of my existence, always.

Where we touched, a buzzing sprang to life under my skin, and something in my chest yanked me toward her, like a desperate need to be closer to her. In such a short amount of time, my kingdom and realm had collapsed in on itself, compressed into the shape of this wonderful woman.

Gently, I placed my hand over hers and breathed her in, savoring the scent of cinnamon and ginger along with the warmth of the hazelnut red tea.

Brushing her hair from her brow, I memorized the rhythm of her breathing and craved far more contact with her. The only thing holding me back was not wanting to harm her anymore, especially with the injuries all over her body.

Time usually didn’t mean much to me, not when I was immortal. But right now it was a paradox because I both wanted her to wake so I could talk to her and apologize, and didn’t want her to wake because, when she did, I’d have to let her go.

Bryn promised that he and one of his most trusted attendants would be waiting for us two hours from now in one of the secret passages.

I’d been annoyed and surprised to discover Bryn even knew about them, which I needed to follow up on later.

It seemed he intended to use the old portaling doorways to get Briar home, though I wondered how he had managed to restore them.

They hadn’t been in operation since my grandfather’s time.

More questions for another time. Right now, I just wanted—no, needed —to focus on Briar.

I kissed her palm and was surprised to find that her injuries had already scabbed over. I ached to pull her into my arms and kiss my way down her neck.

She stirred, her lashes fluttering.

My heart leaped, and my breath hitched. “Briar?”

Those beautiful green eyes opened, and my heart melted. In my mind, I chanted, Anything for you, my love, so long as you are safe. I had to keep repeating it so I remembered there was no way to keep her at my side now.

“Vad.” My name fell from her lips.

It cut so deep I had to restrain a pained breath.

I brought her hands to my lips, kissing them again. My eyelids slid shut while I committed all of this to memory. “How are you feeling?” I rasped, then swallowed hard.

“A lot better than I expected.” She sat up slowly, and the blankets slid down.

My breath hitched in my throat.

The simple, pale-blue nightgown Morlo and his attendant had dressed her in hinted at her figure and clung to her breasts, the scooped neckline offering a tantalizing peek of cleavage.

My fingers itched to peel it off her and examine her for myself and verify her well-being, but respect stayed my hand.

“Good,” I said hoarsely. “Are you hungry or thirsty?” I gestured toward the ebony bedside table and the carved carafe filled to the brim with spring water. “There’s water there, and I can get you something more substantive.”

“Just thirsty right now.” She picked up the carafe and drank deeply, holding it with both hands. When she set it aside, her eyes met mine, and she ducked her head, blushing a little.

That sweet shyness made my heart clench. How could any one person be so perfect? I drew my hands back as well as my shadows, trying to give her as much space as she might need.

“What about the foal? And Veralt? Do you know anything about Elias?” She tilted her head, and her mass of loose copper curls slid over one half-bared, deliciously beautiful shoulder.

My mouth went dry. I wished to explore that skin with my lips and tongue. Trying to regain my composure, I cleared my throat. “Elias’s rescue is in progress. The foal is safe in the stables with one of the gentler mares. Veralt is with Rhielle.”

Her lips curled into a soft smile. “I bet they’re happy.”

A pang of jealousy lashed through me. Had she found Veralt attractive?

He had certainly found her so, no matter how much he’d insisted that Rhielle was his cosmic force.

I’d wanted to cut his eyes out and his hands off.

But he’d gotten her out of the trial and bought me enough time to handle the councils during the final trial so that it didn’t look as if I was completely derelict in my duty.

For that—and so long as he never touched Briar again—I would reward him handsomely.

“I’m sure they are.” I curled my shadows in tighter and fought the urge to touch her again.

My wings itched and flexed, though I kept them drawn against my back.

“I am so glad you’re all right, Briar. I couldn’t see you at all until Veralt split open that wall.

” My throat thickened. As horrifying as it had been to see her get hurt in the last two trials, it had been a separate and, in some cases, worse horror to see and know nothing until the end.

I struggled to speak around the tightness in my chest. It built with each moment.

“The sight of you like that…” My voice broke, and I ducked my head.

Everything within me burned and seethed, raging that they had dared to treat her that way.

“Veralt said that you killed all the assassins who came for you. Well done.”

She shook her head, her brow creasing as she fisted the sheets. “They weren’t the ones who made all this happen. They were just hired to kill me.”

“They deserved far worse,” I growled. Her killing them was a mercy compared to how I would have butchered them.

“But what matters is that you’re safe. Physician Morlo said you would recover swiftly, but he did leave behind a jar of bath salts and dried herbs to help.

He wants you to soak in a bath for at least half an hour. And then…you’re going home .”

I tried to hide the brokenness in my voice and forced a smile to my lips, though most likely it was little more than a grimace.

I sought comfort in the knowledge that she would be with her sister and her pack again.

All those whom she loved, and she would continue to be loved here in the Shadow Kingdom for so long as I lived and beyond that, if I had any will.

The bond of the vow pressed in upon me, warning me not to break it.

Her shoulders stiffened, and she straightened. “Home?”

“Yes. I’m sending you back to Earth to live with your sister.” I met her gaze, and it took every ounce of strength I had not to rip those words back.

“For a visit, or forever?” Her brow furrowed, and her eyes blazed with questions.

“Not a visit.” I couldn’t force out the word forever . My lips refused.

That stubborn set of her mouth and the way a muscle ticked in her jaw would have made me smile if not for what we were talking about. I would miss that. I would miss everything about her.

Her nostrils flared. “Why?