Page 115 of The Last One Standing (Rogue X Ara #4)

ARA

M other’s sharp wail pierced the air.

Vaelor whispered gentle words to her with a shake of his head. “I’m so sorry, sun ray. I have to. It’s not my life to live.”

“You cannot leave me again!” she cried, cupping his face with both hands. “You will not. I won’t survive it.”

He was fading. As the sun rose—as Rogue rose, Vaelor left, bit by agonizing bit.

I covered my trembling lips with my hand. “Oh… Oh, no.”

Rogue wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. His wings no longer flamed. They had returned to their dark maroon, as beautiful and massive and warm as ever.

One wrapped around me, but I shook my head and darted forward.

I collapsed on my knees beside Mother.

Vaelor met my gaze with a sad smile. “Take care of her, okay? She needs you. You need each other.”

Mother screamed again. She threw her arms around his neck and climbed into his lap. He inhaled sharply and wound his arms around her in return, closing his eyes as he laid his cheek on the top of her head.

A choked cry escaped into my palm, pressed firmly over my mouth—until I saw a flash of violet hair.

Thana sprinted through the sea of tents, bandaged in too many places, her face pale and tight with pain.

Still, she ran, and she didn’t stop until her hand plunged into Vaelor’s back. He tensed with a gasp, then she ripped out a golden strand from his body.

“I…I’ve never done this before,” she croaked through heavy pants. “But I felt you here…felt you leaving…”

Mother sat up, eyes frantic. “What do we do?”

Thana shook her head. She swallowed thickly and swayed on her feet, but Rogue caught her, helping her to sit. She did a double-take at his wings before answering, “I…don’t know.”

“I’ve seen you do it once before,” Mother said. “In Canyon. You created that…creature.”

Thana nodded. “This is diff?—”

“Do that, but stitch his life thread into my heart. Not his.”

Thana’s mouth fell open as she looked to Vaelor.

He cupped Mother’s cheek. “My love, that…that could hurt you. Worse, it could kill you.”

“We can try,” Mother demanded. “We can try, and we can be brave, because I already lost you once. I will not do it again. I will not survive it again.”

Vaelor lowered his forehead to hers. “You never lost me.”

To Thana, Mother said, “Please. Do it now, before it’s too late.”

Thana licked her lips and pulled them between her teeth. Wincing, she jabbed her hand into Mother’s chest, then pulled out her heart—a glowing one.

She inspected the organ, each pulse a flare of golden light. “I’ve never held one still beating.”

Crossing her legs beneath her, she pulled out a shimmering needle, threaded Vaelor’s life thread through the opening, and gave Mother an apologetic look.

Then, she began stitching, and the sound that ripped from my mother’s throat?—

I would never forget.

Agony, in its purest form.

Thana stopped, tears pooling in her eyes.

Mother roared, “Keep going!”

So, Thana did, and Mother writhed in Vaelor’s hold.

Rogue spun me into his chest with an arm around my shoulders and wrapped his wings around us like a cocoon. His warmth seeped into every crevice of my fragmented heart and soul—but nothing, not even his wings, could block out Mother’s cries.

I cupped my ears and sobbed into Rogue’s chest until they finally stopped. He removed one wing at a time. Icy air swept over us, sending a shiver down my spine as I wiped the moisture from my cheeks.

Mother panted in Vaelor’s lap, her body limp and eyes closed, but she smiled faintly. “I feel you…You’re…here.” She flattened her hand over her chest, then it fell to her lap as she mumbled, “You’re here.”

“It worked,” Thana said. “Both of their lifespans are linked to her…her human lifespan.”

Vaelor brushed the hair from Mother’s face before splaying his fingers in it and holding her to his chest. “ Any time with her is more than I ever dared to wish for.” He smiled at me, the edges of his eyes wrinkling. “With all of you, a human life is perfect.”