Page 10 of Urn My Love

Still, I didn’t pull up. I had only one thought burning in my mind.

Death and fiery destruction.

It was time to test whether I could die and return as many times as Amaryllis… or if my death as I entered Earth was a fluke.

Calling my magic a moment before I slammed into the ground, I braced for the shock of death and rebirth.

The instant before I hit the ground, I released part of my magic, throwing up a wall of blue fire between the men and the pegasus. Then my body impacted the earth with the force of a bomb.

Men were blown off their feet and hurled into the woods. Horses screamed, bucking the remaining riders to the ground before galloping away.

Rising from the ashes, I stepped from the crater I’d created, ready for a showdown.

The men regained their footing, then cautiously moved to block me in. They kept their guns leveled on me, and I almost smiled at the confusion and terror I saw in their faces.

The man who’d taunted the pegasus took a step forward. “What the he?—”

“I’m not from Hell, but close enough.” Liquid fire was still pumping through every cell in my body. “When I’m finished here, there won’t be anything left of you to send to Hades.”

As one, the twenty men unloaded their weapons on me. Not wanting to risk the pegasus getting injured further, I spread my wings wide, allowing blue fire to cascade over my wings like water rippling over rocks in a river. It created a bulletproof barrier.

When the men stopped to reload, I brought my wings forward, sending hungry blue fire rushing across the dry rock and barren ground.

A whip cracked, slicing across my cheek before I could stop it. As it tore through my skin, the pegasus appeared at my side, snatching the leather in his teeth and yanking hard. The man on the other end was flung over the cliff side, where his cries went on for far too long before he reached the bottom.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the remaining twenty-five men and sent fingers of fire streaking across the ground directly toward them. They didn’t have time to even scream before my fire engulfed them, devouring them until there was nothing left, not even ash.

For a moment, the night was silent, other than the crackling blue fire that was slowly dying out. The victory was short-lived as the ground beneath my feet gave a bone-rattling groan and crumbled away.

The pegasus and I were sent hurtling toward the inky abyss below. I tried to create a plan as the world seemed to slow.

He wouldn’t be able to fly, not with both his wings appearing to be broken. I knew if I shifted into my full phoenix form, I would be large enough to carry him, but there was no way I had the energy to maintain that form after the magic I’d just spent to rebirth and fight.

That left me with one option.

I’d do my best to slow our fall, and at the last minute, twist so that I landed beneath him. He should survive, and I would rebirth.

It should work.

Probably.

Dodging the falling rocks, I locked my arms around the pegasus’ neck. I tightened my legs on his back and prepared to open my wings wide. Gritting my teeth, I braced myself for the pain I knew would rip through my muscles thanks to his size and the speed with which we were hurtling toward the ground.

But a heartbeat before I extended my wings, an angry shriek pierced the night and claws hooked the pegasus’ back. We were yanked from amidst the falling boulders and carried out of the path of danger.

My muscles ached as I pumped my wings, trying to catch up with the blue-haired beauty miles ahead of me. I’d awakened with an ache in my chest and had known in an instant she wasn’t in the lodge.

Storming into her room, I caught the soured scent that told me she’d been ill again, and my heart had twisted. I should have made her leave the door open so I could hear her if she needed me.

Her spicy amber scent led me out to the open balcony, and without a second thought, I’d launched myself into the dark sky. For two hours, I tracked her through the skies, that spark of fear for her safety shifting to confused anger.

Why hadn’t she told me she was leaving? Or given me a clue about her next move?

Because you acted like an idiot and she’s probably happy to be rid of your presence.

My inner voice was brutal, but probably right. I was a brewing storm cloud, while Iolani was the dewy ground after a gentle spring rain. She was full of hope and the promise of beautiful things to come, while I was cold and empty.

Why couldn’t I just turn around and forget about her? That would be the best for both of us. She was safer—both heart and body—if she stayed far from me.

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