Page 42 of The Last One Standing (Rogue X Ara #4)

ARA

I held onto his hand with both of mine, gripping so hard, they trembled. Every muscle in my body was taut, a scream crawling up my throat with the effort.

He didn’t seem conscious, his body limp and fucking heavy.

We flickered in and out, traveling rapidly to the Goddess knew where. I’d never done this intentionally. It always grabbed me, not the other way around. I’d never gone into the lightning with a destination in mind, or a command, or?—

He started to slip. My fingers slid from his wrist to the base of his hand, his fingers folding beneath my death grip. He was so heavy, too heavy.

I needed a better hold, more traction.

“Wake up, Rogue! Wake up!” My words fell on deaf ears. They didn’t even sound like mine, warped and distant, like I was hearing my echo instead of my voice.

My nails dug into his skin, cutting crescent shapes into his wrist, but it wasn’t enough.

What would happen if he fell?

My eyes darted around. The world had collapsed into bright white. There was nothing below us, above us, around us.

Where were we? The sky?

If he fell, would he tumble through the storm? The lightning alone could tear him apart, but if it didn’t, there would be nothing to stop him from falling to the ground far below.

He didn’t have his wings to catch himself, and I was failing him.

He slipped farther. My nails left red streaks along his skin as I lost the leverage his thumb had given me. My hands trembled around his palm, slipping, slipping, slipping…

My scream was deafening as it ricocheted through the blinding void.

He was going to die, and it would be my fault.

Just before I lost the last few inches—before I lost him , a hand wrapped around my forearm, the other wrapping around Rogue’s, the hold solid as stone.

Two silver eyes met mine, dark hair falling over his forehead.

Where are we?

My heart thundered in my chest, louder, faster, until it roared in my ears.

Where are we?

Because this…

He looked an awful lot like… “Vaelor?”

A smile curved his lips. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ara.”

My eyes stung, tears blurring his face, and I blinked them back. I had a thousand questions, yet none were coherent, and no words would form. I wasn’t sure any words could form against the tight knot in my throat.

His eyes were warm as they crinkled around the edges, swimming with nostalgia, familiar . They flitted back and forth between mine as he shook his head. “You do look so much like her.”

“Where… How?” I couldn’t finish a thought, much less a full question. I just kept staring, shocked and in awe, desperately wishing my mother was here to see him.

“You’re in the realm of the dead. When you travel this way, you become energy. Without a physical body to anchor us to the realm of the living, we pass through the veil. That’s how storm bringers travel, because energy is everywhere, infinite, and we are energy.”

We. We pass through the veil.

Tears broke free, sliding down my cheeks.

Two storm bringers.

A father and his daughter.

My father.

“Don’t cry, love.” His smile grew sad, his head tilted to the side, brows knitting together. “Not when I can’t hug you.”

Oh, Goddess, I wanted a hug.

More tears fell before a laugh bubbled in my throat, and I wiped them away on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I?—”

“Don’t ever apologize for feeling, for caring.” He inhaled a deep breath, his gaze turning to Rogue. “We need to get him out of here. Traveling with another person is possible, but their soul can be trapped here if they’re dropped.”

I snapped from my stupor, my breathing turned erratic, but his smile returned. His gaze roamed over my face like he was committing it to memory, and for a split second, I wanted to go back in time and undo everything, to grow up with him in my life, in our life.

With a quick glance at Rogue, he dipped his chin, mischief in his eyes. “Tell Drakyth to quit hiding. There’s no need to anymore, and…” That mischief melted into sincerity. “And tell him thank you for me.”

My jaw fell slack. He didn’t have to elaborate; I knew exactly who he referred to. I just hadn’t known Terran’s true name until now.

I swallowed hard and nodded.

With that, Vaelor gritted his teeth and pulled Rogue closer to me. I sucked in a breath, wrapping my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist.

“Hold onto him, love.” His face grew distant as he fell away. “He needs it.”

“Wait!” A sob crawled up my throat as Vaelor disappeared, but I didn’t dare release Rogue to reach for him.

All that remained was his voice, a faint whisper that carried like a breeze all around me, and a sense of pride that wasn’t mine. “Brave. Just like her.”

I buried my face in Rogue’s neck.

I didn’t know where to go. I didn’t remember where we should go, where was safe, or where people would be safe from me.

Inhaling slowly, the scent of pine trees and burning logs filled my lungs, smoke and forests. I breathed him in again and again. Pressed to him, I felt the steady rise and fall of his chest, and I tried to match my breaths to his.

Safe.

I wanted to go somewhere safe, somewhere we’d been before. Somewhere we would both be safe—and the world would be safe from us.

Lightning struck, sucking the air from my lungs, but I clung to his form with everything I had, gasping, then sobbing into his neck.

Even when I felt us become physical again.

Even when we hit soft ground.

Even when the warm light of sunrise fell over us, and birdsong started, and the air, cool but not cold, swirled with the scent of wildflowers.

Even when his arms wound around my waist, his chest heaving on a sharp inhale.

I cried harder when his hand found the back of my head and held me there instead of trying to pull away.

He clung to me, too, his face buried in my hair.