Page 80 of His Darkest Desire
Before she could say anything, before she could so much as complete another thought, Vex bared his fangs and lunged at the monster. The air around him fractured and shattered like breaking glass. From each shard, Vex emerged—a dozen of him, indistinguishable from each other, each holding a gleaming golden dagger. The clones converged on the monster, lashing out with wild, relentless attacks. The ground beneath the beast shifted and buckled as though it were being torn asunder by a devastating earthquake.
Somehow, the earth under Kinsley’s feet remained unmoving, though the world still spun around her.
The monster scrambled to defend itself from the assault, retreating out of the sunlight.
Steeling herself, Kinsley pushed away from the boulder. The wisps were speaking frantically, begging her, pleading for her to go.
She shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t abandon Vex.”
Not when he was risking himself for her. Not when he was fighting for her.
And something inside Kinsley, something powerful, something buried at the core of her soul, refused to let her turn her back on him.
The fog churned as dark, indistinct forms battled within it. Snarls, grunts, and roars echoed from the mist, all savage and bestial, but not all belonging to the creature.
The figures receded further, until she could no longer make them out.
All at once, everything went quiet, and the fog settled. The wisps also fell silent, drawing around Kinsley with their ghostfire dim.
Kinsley’s pounding heart marked the passing seconds as she scanned the mist, seeking any sign of movement, any sign of Vex.
A shadow appeared in the fog, soon taking a humanoid shape as it moved toward her with an uneven gait.
Kinsley crouched, pried a fist-sized rock from the ground, and rose, clutching the improvised weapon. If it was the monster, the rock wouldn’t help. But damn it, she wouldn’t leave him behind. And she wouldn’t die without a fight.
Holding the rock high, she called, “Vex?”
The figure swung its arm as though swatting a buzzing insect. The fog parted, rolling to the edges of the stream bed and over the embankment. Kinsley let out a shaky, grateful breath.
It was Vex.
He had one arm clamped across his stomach. His hair was disheveled, his stride was clipped, and his wings were gone, but it was Vex all the same.
The rock fell from her suddenly limp fingers. She rushed toward him, the wisps racing along to either side of her.
“Are you okay?” Kinsley stopped before him, taking in the darkened, wet fabric of his clothing. “Oh my God, you’re—”
Vex caught her jaw with his free hand, turning her head from side to side as he rapidly examined her. “Did the barghest harm you? Even the slightest scratch or bite?”
Her brow furrowed. “No.”
“I smell it, Kinsley. Your blood.” He dropped his hand, grasping her wrist to lift her arm and display her scraped palm. His eyes, wide and frantic, met hers. “More than this. Where are you hurt?”
“Vex, I’m okay,” she said calmly. “But you… Please, we need to get you help.”
“You arrived in time, magus,” said Shade. “The beast did not touch her.”
But Vex only took hold of her shoulder, forcing her to turn around. His grip tightened as he sucked in a breath. “There is bl—”
“I’m fine!” Kinsley tore out of his grip and spun to face him. “But you aren’t.”
“I will survive,” he said through his teeth.
Kinsley shook her head, looking him over again. His clothing was torn and bloodied in several places, and some of the flesh on his face was blackened and raw, having burned in the sun. And the way he kept that arm clamped across his belly suggested a more significant wound than he was letting on.
“We need to go back to the cottage to get you cleaned up,” she said firmly.
Echo brushed a tendril of ghostfire against Vex’s arm. “Come, magus.”