Page 173 of Awakened

The fire punches into the side of the creature with the force of a freight train, forcing it away from Daxen right before it can sink its teeth into his flesh.

The basement’s bathed in the orange and red of flickering flames—wild, scorching, and alive. It cycles through me, erupting from my chest, through my blood, before exploding from my palms.

I stagger back against the edge of the altar and lift my shaking hands in disbelief. Fire still barrels through me; tiny flames lick at my skin, rolling and jumping between my hands and between my fingers. I close my eyes, willing the flames away before I lose control.

I take a deep breath. The scent of rot and decayed flowers coats my tongue and the back of my throat, making me gag.

My breathing turns labored. Sweat drips down my back. I bend over and brace my hands on my thighs, trying to breathe through the nausea.

Why am I so hot?

There’s a high-pitched ringing in my ears. My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds, just like earlier, but impossibly worse.

A hand lands on the back of my neck. Soren. His thumb brushes softly against my neck, right over my pulse point. Caelan stands next to him, both hovering over me protectively.

The ringing in my ears finally dissipates, replaced by male voices. The sounds of fighting are over, so they must have taken down the rest of the Severed.

Fingers press against my chin, urging me to look up. I blink my eyes and make out Caelan’s blurry features and the deep frown on his face.

“Idril?” Soren sounds so concerned. I want to put him at ease, but I don’t know how.

I’m so tired. I just want to sleep for a thousand years—my whole body aches, just like the days after father locked me in the basement. My muscles are stiff and brittle; every breath is a chore. Even keeping my head up feels impossible.

When something warm and thick drips from my nose and over my lips, I don’t even attempt to wipe it away. I can’t.

“Is she bleeding?” Vae’s voice sounds so far away.

Caelan swears, then someone reaches out and places a piece of cloth under my nose to soak up the blood. Strong arms wrap around me and sweep me off my feet. I blink open my eyes—which are much clearer now—and find myself in Caelan’s arms.

My head lists against his chest. I press close, seeking his scent. At first, I can’t smell anything over the decenter, but then I catch it—the barest hint of his Alpha scent. I take a breath. Then another.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Each lungful of my Mate’s scent seems to recharge me a little more. And when Soren presses in on my other side, I swear I can feel my energy returning ten-fold.

I don’t know how much time passes, but when I finally feel strong enough to fully open my eyes, I expect everyone to be gone except for the three of us.

They’re not. In fact, when my lashes flutter open, the first thing I see… is Daxen.

The way he’s looking at me sends my pulse skittering. His grey eyes are boring into my soul. There’s no cruelty. No disgust. No irritation. His eyes hold mine, and there are so many questions there. So many things he doesn’t understand.

I wonder if he can see the secret I’m hiding in mine?

“There you are,” Soren murmurs, his face appearing in my line of sight, blocking Daxen. “Are you feeling better?”

I hesitate, then shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened to me.”

Caelan and Soren exchange a long, heavy look. Then Caelan asks, “Do you remember the fire?”

“Of course,” I nod. “It was just like the wind from earlier, though. I don’t know where it came from. I saw that Severed jumping for Daxen and then…”

“Wait, A Severed was coming for me?” Daxen shoulders past his team, coming to stand in front of me.

But I’m not worried about Daxen. There’s only one person I need to check on.

“Where’s my mother?”