Page 113 of The Last One Standing (Rogue X Ara #4)

ELORA

M y heart thundered. Lungs burned. My thighs screamed as I ran as hard as I could.

A storm swelled over the sea. Wind whipped through the camp, tearing stakes from the earth, ripping canvas from poles. Tents collapsed. Fires sputtered out or surged out of control.

The cloaking spell had broken. Souls wandered freely, which meant Rogue—Ara?—

My throat tightened. My vision blurred. I harshly wiped my cheeks and pushed my legs harder, faster.

I rounded the last tent and stopped.

Drakyth fought Adonis, but Adonis hacked at him with a sword. I saw Iaso scream, saw Lee holding her back.

But I couldn’t hear them.

I couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears.

Rogue lay sprawled on the ground in a puddle of his own blood.

Dead.

Murdered.

I stared.

Stared and stared and stared.

Then, I dropped and frantically clawed at the laces of my boots. I had to get them off. I had to grate that warm, wet feeling?—

My fingers fumbled, slipped, tore.

The boots came off, and I kicked them away, not daring to breathe until my soles met slushy mud, so cold, my toes burned.

It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t his blood.

It wasn’t Vaelor’s blood.

My feet ached as I scanned the area for Ara. Face after face. Again. Twice. Three times. I sprinted to the edge and searched what was left of the battle front.

My entire body trembled.

I swiveled to the others and screamed, “Where is she?”

No one answered.

Adonis smiled.

Drakyth sank to his knees, returned to his Fae form, and collapsed from dozens of cuts—and Adonis smiled. His brother lay dead a few feet from him—and Adonis fucking smiled.

Hot anger swelled in my gut.

I charged forward, pointing a finger at him. “ You did this!”

His smile faltered, and a familiarity nagged at the back of my mind, like we’d done this before.

“ You killed him! You killed…everyone.”

He tugged at his hair, his eyes wide. I swiped Sacrifice from Rogue’s body, flinching at the squelch.

This fury held back my poorly contained devastation. The second it was gone, I would fall apart, and I wouldn’t survive this time.

I had no intention to.

But neither would he.

He staggered away as I came at him, leveling Sacrifice at his throat.

Blood roared in my ears. “Where is she?”

He stared at me for a long moment, and for a split second, I looked at a kid—a scared, hurt kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A dark fog receded from my mind.

Memories flooded me so quickly, my head spun. My gaze fell as that night played out behind my eyes.

Adrastus hadn’t acted alone. Adonis had been there.

Adon had been there.

My heart broke all over again, the agony as raw and fresh as it had been the night Vaelor died in my arms.

Yes, this would kill me this time.

Vaelor was dead. Godrick was dead. Rogue was dead. Ewan was dead. I looked at Drakyth, and my breath caught. Drak, our old friend, would be dead soon.

I glared at Adonis through my tears.

“We trusted you,” I seethed. “ He trusted you!”

I screamed and swung the dagger. He dodged, eyes wide as saucers. I swung wildly, again and again, charging forward in a blind rage.

“Elora,” he said. “Stop. Wait!”

My voice cracked as I screamed, “Where is my daughter?”

“Saving him.”

I stilled, chest heaving. “Who?”

“Vaelor,” he said. “I’m righting my wrong. I…” He glanced at Drakyth, motionless and bleeding out. His mouth trembled. He pulled his hair again. “I-I am going to fix everything. Vaelor is coming back, and everything will return to the way it was.”

I scowled at him. “Look at what you’ve done, Adon.

Look!” I motioned to Rogue, the battlefield, and finally, his grandfather.

“Look at the destruction, the death. Even if it were possible, do you think Vaelor would want to come back to this? You used his daughter. You abused his daughter. Forced her to kill her mate, your own brother. Killed thousands in a meaningless war.”

Adonis stiffened, his mouth pressed in a tight line.

“No, Vaelor is not coming back.” I shook my head and lifted the blade again, the pain in my heart deafening. “Now, where is she?”

His resolve crumbled, one twitch at a time. His lips. His eyes. His fingers trembled. His muscles tensed.

Then, he lunged forward, knocking my arm to the side before he grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind my back. He held my arm at an awkward angle, my spine bowed, tension in my shoulder—tension he was about to rip through.

I lifted on my toes, hissing through my teeth.

Sacrifice dropped between us while its twin found my throat.

Adonis tucked the blade into the crook of my neck.

“Rogue Draki is dead, Vaelor is coming back, and I’ll finally take what’s mine—what was always mine.

” His voice rose into a ragged shout. “ I was the firstborn! It was meant to be mine. My birthright, my crown, my storm bringer. He stole it all, but tonight, I’ll set the world right again.

When the sun rises, Vaelor will live, and I will reign.

I’ll have everything, and no one will stop me. No one can. ”

Tears rolled down my cheeks. “Where is she?”

He didn’t answer—but the sky did.

Lightning struck the ridge, and she tumbled from it, end over end like a rag doll.

I tried to run to her, but Adonis jerked me back, digging the blade deeper. I whimpered, a cry burning in my throat.

She stopped rolling.

She stopped moving altogether.

“Wake up,” I whispered. “Wake up. Wake up, Ara! Wake up!”

Oh, Goddess.

Oh, I can’t—I don’t want ? —

“Where is he?” Adonis roared.

The dagger at my throat could end it all right now.

I had no one left.

My love. My father. My sister. My mother.

My father-in-law. My son-in-law.

Now, my daughter.

I don’t want to be here anymore.

I’m done…done fighting.

The first hint of dawn broke on the horizon. Color brushed over the storm clouds, the faintest wisp of light in the darkness.

We were so close.

I’ll see you soon, I said to Vaelor. I’ll see you all soon.

With another sob, I braced to push into the blade—but then, a falling star streaked across the sky.

My breath hitched.

Lightning struck that falling star, and it disappeared in a rumble of thunder.

Ara stirred.

The air electrified a second before the next crack of lightning. It rattled my bones, striking mere feet behind Adonis.

My soul ignited.

Here.

He’s here.

He’s—

“Let go of my mate,” Vaelor growled.