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down my face and I sobbed uncontrollably as
I laid my eyes on the beautifully handsome
face that ran toward me. It was full of love
and concern, and in that moment I knew it
would be okay. Whether Arrick had found
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me or I had found him, I didn t know - but
either way, I could die happy.
Chapter_16
Dear Goddess, Claire! Arrick ran to my
side, tears threatening to fall down his strong
features. I could feel his desire to hold me,
but also the fear he felt just from the sight of
me. I didn t want to know what I looked like.
Twice now he had run to my side as I
hovered on the edge of life and death.
Where am I? How did you find me?
I felt you, Claire. I knew you were nearby
and that you needed me. What happened to
you? His questions were full of worry and
concern. I watched as he yanked off his shirt
and laid it over me. I didn t feel like I had the
strength to answer, so I just smiled weakly
up at him. Stay with me. Don t close your
eyes, okay?
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I wanted to nod at him and tell him I
would stay with him forever, but I wasn t
sure if I was able to perform the actions as
much as I wanted to. I willed my body to
reply, but I don t think it responded. I felt
like I was in a dream and only slightly awake.
Before I knew it I was wrapped in a thick
blanket and Arrick was running. I was in his
arms and I felt like I was flying. Did the
portal bring me to Arrick? Could I control
the portal like I could control the stones?
That was a scary thought. I had so many
questions, but I had no strength to ask them.
We were inside a building, Arrick still
running, voices were shouting all around me,
but my eyes only saw Arrick.
He placed me on something soft and
shouted orders at the people around him,
but I couldn t understand him. Was I going
deaf? Maybe this is what death truly felt like.
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It wasn t painful or scary. It was just peaceful
fading.
Phantom sensations of hands touching
my entire body lingered on the edge of my
consciousness. Warm heat filled my body,
traveling, seeping through every vein, and
still I lay motionless, staring at him. He was
fading away, yet his eyes were still clear, still
bright.
His eyes would be the last thing I saw on
this earth. They were beautiful and revealed
the strength within his soul. I silently prayed
that I could hold onto that feeling even bey-
ond the grave. I had never put much thought
into what happened when a person died, but
if I could take one thing with me it would be
that I hoped I could hold onto the few mo-
ments of true happiness I had found in my
short life.
Finding my true parents, having amazing
friendships with Liz and Robin, being able to
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experience young love as my heart swelled
for Arrick more than it ever had before.
These were the memories I wanted to take
with me and I held onto them as dearly as I
could, as the rest of the world seemed to wilt
away.
My eyes fluttered open to small slits. Soft
candlelight glowed warmly, and my eye-
lashes broke it apart. The light seemed
brighter than it really was. My vision was no
longer fading and immediately adjusted to
my surroundings. I knew this place.
I was in my room, in my bed. Not at the
Château but at the Palace.
My eyes searched the room and found Ar-
rick. His body was slumped in a chair beside
my bed. His breath was steady. Sweat
beaded his brow. Fresh, pink scars stretched
across his wrists, and I understood. He had
fed me. I knew how close to death I had
been. He must have sacrificed so much to
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save me. I could only imagine the great
amount of blood I would have needed.
I let out a small breath and a familiar
rumble reacted from the foot of the bed.
Louie.
He cried out in concerned meows, run-
ning onto my chest to begin an immediate
job of padding and head rubbing.
Louie, I breathed tearfully. My big boy.
I m so glad you re safe. I rubbed his dirty fur
affectionately. Other than a few patches of
sizzled hair, he wasn t much worse for the
wear. I sent a silent prayer up to Nyx for this
small miracle and turned my eyes toward my
sleeping Blood Mate.
Oh, Arrick, I whispered, placing my
hand softly on his. Louie growled at having
to share my attention.
He roused in sudden surprise, his eyes
immediately falling on my face. He let out a
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relieved sigh. His smile was full of utter joy
and pain. You re alive.
I smiled back at him. Thanks to you. I
pointed to his wrists. What happened?
He leaned forward, grabbing my hand in
his and stroking it with his thumbs. I was
hoping you could tell me. I was here at the
palace and suddenly our connection
slammed into me like a bullet. I felt how
close you were and the pain you were in. He
swallowed hard, his grasp on my hand grow-
ing tighter. What happened to you?
We were attacked by The Dark. They
came sooner than we thought. We weren t
prepared, Arrick. His eyes fixated on my
mine and I felt his mind swirling with ques-
tions. I don t know the extent of the dam-
age, but I know my parents made it. I saved
them. Tears soared through my eyes again
as my words released the depth of my emo-
tions like a wound that wouldn t heal.
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What else? Worry twinged in his voice
as he sensed I was holding back.
I met him. Baal. The name tasted bitter
in mouth.
Arrick nodded like he already knew the
answer. Yes, he was here too. I shuddered
in shock and panic filled me. I opened my
mouth to ask what happened, but Arrick rose
his finger to silence me. When I got here I
watched in the shadows, trying to get the in-
formation we needed to discover when - and
if - The Dark would attack. I wasn t con-
vinced that Nicolae, or anyone for that mat-
ter could be trusted.
I don t think& I began, but another raise
of Arrick s finger silenced me once more. I
wanted to tell him that I didn t think Nicolae
was in league with the leader of The Dark.
Nicolae might have been a bad guy, but Baal
definitely wasn t the type to want a partner.
That would mean sharing power and that
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was certainly something he didn t want to
do. In fact, I guessed he was quite the oppos-
ite. He wanted to take all the power. From
everyone.
On the third night the palace was at-
tacked. At first, I thought it was another raid
by protestors until I saw them. I ve never
seen anything like them. He trailed off, fix-
ated on the image of evil he had witnessed
that still haunted his mind. It haunted mine
too. My first instinct was to run back to
Cathair and warn them, but I had made you
a promise and I couldn t just leave knowing
they were in danger. And now I know there
would have been losses either way. There
was no right choice.
No, there was. You saved lives, Arrick.
So, you did make the right choice. I wanted
to comfort him. I had wished you were there
with me during the attack countless times,
but knowing you were here, it means a lot.
Even just saving one life was worth it.
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There was such chaos. There was fighting
and screaming everywhere. He shook his
head, still not believing what had happened.
I sighed. Yeah.
Regretfully, I knew exactly what he was
talking about. I knew no matter how long I
lived I would never forget the screams. I
would always remember the pain of shear
panic that ripped through my chest and the
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