Page 18

Phenex

I had never felt such terror in my entire life before Juniper slumped over in my arms. The blood in my veins had turned to ice and I felt light-headed as all the blood drained from my face. I could tell when Juniper rose her hands and released that spell that she was risking a lot to save them. Her energy was already depleted from a long, trying day and an overuse of magic without any water or sustenance. She had given every last piece of herself to ensure these strangers’ survival, and though I fell even more in love with her for it I also wanted to shake her and scream and demand she never do something so reckless again.

If she died saving those Fae… heads would roll .

My free hand rose to her face and I gently patted her cheeks, ignoring the sounds of battle as they continued to rage just out of sight. A second beast must have appeared after the first was slain, but I couldn’t focus on that when Juniper remained unresponsive. Next, I gently laid her out on the floor and checked her pulse. My heart kickstarted again when I found one, but it was weak. Fuck, it was way too weak. She needed a healer, and she needed one now.

I shouted, my neck straining with the force of my yell as I tried to grab someone’s attention. Anyone’s. I didn’t care as long as they could heal her. Except no one heard me over their own cries, caught up in the battle and bloodlust as they slayed the beasts that hunted them.

I tried again, this time grabbing the attention of the closest Fae. A tall female with pale hair that cascaded almost to the floor. She was cowering behind the rest of the group, blades shaking in her grip. Clearly she was not a warrior, but I respected her for at least plucking up enough courage to stand with her brethren.

Her gaze bounced between me, Juniper, and the battle before her, and the decision was easy enough for her to make. She darted over to us of swift, light feet that spoke of athleticism even if she didn’t apply it to combat. She knelt down before us and took a closer look at my mate, studying her with a critical eye.

She spoke, her voice high and lilting though her words were nothing more than illegible sounds to me, barely audible above the fighting. I shook my head at her, frustrated that we couldn’t communicate effectively. Thankfully, she understood the severity of the situation enough to take action. She extended her hand toward me. I didn’t understand what she was after at first, but then she used her other hand to pick up mine and pressed our palms together, wrapped our fingers, and shook firmly. Just once was all it took for me to feel the tingles of magic sinking through my skin.

A deal had been struck.

Just as soon as the magic settled inside me I felt it. Like a straw had been placed into my very soul, energy was dragged out of me at an alarming rate. I cried out, the pain of my lifeforce being forcefully taken too much for me to bear and I crumpled to the ground beside Juniper. Agony flared throughout every atom of my body and my mouth gaped open in a silent scream.

My pain didn’t matter, however, when I saw the colour return to Juniper’s face. Her cheeks pinkened, her breaths deepened and evened out, and her eyelids as she slowly roused.

When she opened those big, blue, beautiful eyes and they immediately latched onto me, the pain finally ceased. I was panting, sweat rolling over every inch of my skin and plastering my hair to my face and my clothes to my body. A chill ran over my bare chest as her breath cascaded over me, and then she gasped.

‘Oh, gods. Phenex… What did you do?’ she cried, tears gathering in her eyes before they spilled over and down her cheeks. She leaned over me, her hands cupping my face as she fussed about, but when I tried to tell her not to worry I could barely even move my jaw let alone get the words out. I was too exhausted, too relieved that she was okay.

I hated seeing her cry over me. I wanted to tell her I was going to be fine, that my energy would replenish after a good night’s sleep. That was the benefit of being a Djinn. All we needed was a bit of rest and we were good to go.

The reminder that she didn’t even know what I was or the extent of my power was one last punch to the gut as I let sleep take me, and my last thought before I sank into its warm depths was that I needed to tell her the truth. I never should have kept it from her in the first place. She deserved more than that from me, even if she was keeping secrets herself, but that was okay.

When I woke, I vowed, I would tell her everything.