Page 57 of The Stolen Throne
Arching a brow, I look at my men. “What’s wrong with Dax?”
Rev sighs as he taps on Kas’s shoulder and says, “I’ll take her to the shower.”
Crossing my arms, I narrow my eyes. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what is wrong with Dax!”
They share a look before Alair gives in with a sigh and explains, “He did not handle your death well. He knows that you are alive but seeing you that way...” He shakes his head.
My eyes widen. “What’s wrong?”
“We held onto your soul while the healers tried to bring you back. They exhausted almost all their magic before your heart started beating again,” Bene answers.
Kas’s eyes bleed to black as he mutters, “We could feel each time your soul tried to slip away. Dax took the brunt of the spell since he was the one who cast it. He felt your soul, Princess. Everything you felt, he felt.”
“Everything?” I whisper.
He nods, and I try to jump from the bed. “Then I need to go to him, now!”
Rev catches me the moment I start to fall from getting up too quickly. My brain feels fuzzy and spins from the abrupt movement. “Slow down, Sunshine. Let’s get you clean first, so he doesn’t think you’re a ghost coming to haunt him.”
He swings me up into his arms, and I sigh in defeat. “I suppose you’re right. This blood is very uncomfortable.”
He hums as he begins walking to the bathroom. “Then, let’s get you clean.” He looks over his shoulder and asks, “Can someone help? I don’t think she will be able to stand on her own.”
Looking over his shoulder, I find Mir and Bene follow while Alair, Kas, and Ash get to work stripping my bed. I hope they burn that bedspread.
Imanaged to make it down the hall to Dax’s bedroom without much help. I almost tripped a few times, but the others were close behind to catch me. Taking a deep breath, I knock and wait.
There’s no answer, so I try the doorknob only to find no resistance. Pulling it open, I’m greeted with total darkness. My hands shake with nervous energy when I take a step into his room. I’m bombarded by a whirlwind of black, swirling and whipping my hair around.
“This isn’t safe, Princess,” Kas says worriedly from the doorway.
I look over at him with a smile. “I would do it for you. I am the calm within the storm, am I not?”
“Yes,” he relents reluctantly.
I give him a nod before turning back to the room. Taking a deep breath, I step deeper into the heart of the storm as I’m consumed by the black abyss. I walk slowly, trying to feel where I am going with my feet, considering I’m completely blind.
“Dax? Dax, where are you?” I yell into the deafening wind.
The wind suddenly stops, and I freeze. I look around wildly in search of Dax. I can hear each breath he takes in the deafening silence.
His voice echoes around the room as he calls, “Little Raven?”
It’s filled with so much pain and devastation. “Yes, Dax.” I keep looking around to see if the dark will recede now that he knows I’m here. “Your little raven is here. Come back to me.”
The shadows eventually start to dissipate, and in their place stands Dax. He’s looking in my direction, his inky eyes filled with so much torment as they flicker between his bright blue irises, then back to black. He’s shivering as the wisps of darkness continue to crawl across his body. His voice breaks when he says, “Don’t leave me… please… stay…”
I nod and take a step closer. “Of course. I’m here, Dax. I’m not going anywhere.”
He waits until I am only a breath away from him before he asks, “Are you real this time, Little Raven?”
I look up at him in confusion. “Of course, I’m real.”
His body trembles as he sucks in a breath. “Every time I try to catch you, you slip through my fingers. You’re suddenly just gone, leaving only feathers behind.”
My eyes sting as I see the fear in his eyes. The fear that if he touches me, he may find I’m only an illusion. I reach up and rest my hand on his cheek. “Your raven hasn’t left you.”
It takes him a few moments to realize I am touching him. But when he does, he instantly wraps me up in a tight hug. He buries his face in my neck and releases an anguished cry.