Page 125 of Daman

With the magical energy flowing from me to him, my strength was waning. The edges of my vision darkened. Exhaustion threatened to claim me, but I forced myself to hold on. For him. He was too weak to bite me himself, so I made a small incision on my neck before pulling him closer and placing his mouth over the cut.

Daman latched on and drank, a moan echoing in his throat.

“That’s it,kotya.”

I closed my eyes as darkness closed in around me. The scent of warm earth and springtime enveloped me before everything else fell away.

Chapter Twenty-One

Daman

I opened my eyes to a sunlit room. Birds chirped outside the window, their light song welcoming the morning. At least, I thought it was morning. My foggy brain couldn’t process what day it was, let alone what time.

Warrin slept beside me, his breaths heavy and slow. He cradled me in his arms. I snuggled into his chest and breathed him in.

I felt closer to him somehow.

“Good morning,” said a cool voice from behind me.

I rolled over. Alastair sat in a chair beside the bed, his pale hair disheveled and dark circles beneath his eyes. As immortals, we didn’t physically age past twenty-five, but he looked like he’d aged decades right then.

“You look like hell,” I said, surprised by the hoarseness of my voice. “What are you doing here?”

“You don’t remember?”

I searched my memory, nothing jumping out at me at first. But then I recalled a dark night and blood staining the snow. The crack of lightning as Gusion died and his soul left his body. I sat up. “The battle! Is everyone okay? Where’s the key?”

“Easy.” Alastair pushed me back down on the bed. Warrin hadn’t moved an inch, still sound asleep despite my outburst. “Lazarus took the key to the celestial realm. It’s safe. All thanks to you.”

I relaxed against the pillow. “What happened, Al? Belphegor stabbed me. I should be dead right now.”

“Yes, you should be.” He nodded to Warrin. “He saved you.”

Another memory surfaced, one where it felt like my body was being torn apart and fused back together. Murmuring, an oath to share a life—a heart. My skin tingled as I remembered the fire burning in my veins as I drank Warrin’s blood. As he became a part of me.

“He bound our life forces,” I whispered, running my fingertips over Warrin’s silver hair.

“He did much more than that. He gave you half of his heart.”

My husband’s face blurred as tears welled in my eyes. “How is that even possible?”

“Very ancient magic.” Alastair came to sit beside me.

“We’reancient.”

Alastair tried for a smile, but it fell flat. His jaw tightened.

“Uh-oh. I know that face.” I sighed. “Are you about to lecture me?”

“I could slap you right now,” he said with a prickling irritation. “I told you to stay in Russia and wait for me. But you had to be stubborn as always and disobey me.”

“If I’d listened to you, we would’ve been too late to stop Asa from getting the key.”

“Perhaps.”

“Not ‘perhaps.’ It’s the truth. Pride won’t let you admit it. I was right. You were wron—”

“Fine.” Alastair hastily combed his fingers through his already messy hair. “No need to rub it in.”