Page 84 of Wake the Dream

The world went dark around the edges and Kieran felt himself falling, falling. Gasping for breath and arcing away from the ground, with Illaria hovering over him.

“Breathe for me,” she demanded.

She took the air from him to snap the cords, her wings rustling out behind her, but he still ached, still burned.

“You do not get to die on me,” he heard her say, her voice trembling. “I don’t think you understand. I will go to the ends of this earth to keep you alive, and if I have to tear my way through a mob of monsters to do it, then I will. But dammit, I don’t know what to do. And of course the old Fae witch isn’t here when I’d actually agree to a favor. I... Fuck, Kieran.Drink.”

Illaria pressed her wrist to his lips.

Warmth. Warm wetness, and the air filled with the tang of copper. Her blood.

Kieran shook his head, his neck aching and head throbbing.

“You’re not exactly in a position to refuse. Drink, dammit, or else I’ll get a turkey baster and shove it down your throat.”

Therewas the woman he knew and loved. The one who refused to take no for an answer and could manhandle her way into and out of any situation. Kieran recognized the mental push, his lips opening before he realized what he’d done. His throat convulsed and hot blood filled his mouth.

Forget pissing on an electric fence. This was lightning. This was becoming the storm, becoming the tornado. He fought to stay prone, to let her finish her job before swallowing the last gush of crimson.

He coughed, breaking the contact and wiping his mouth with his filthy jacket sleeve. “How did you know?” he managed to get out. “How did you know that your blood would help?”

She looked pale, worn. But she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, her wings folding down against her body before disappearing. “I didn’t. Not all Fae blood is capable of healing. I went with my gut.”

“Look at you, embracing your intuition.” His own arms brought her closer, and he took a moment to breathe her in, his senses suddenly on high alert. This must be how Superman feels every day of his life, Kieran mused.

“Isn’t this the cutest display I’ve ever seen. Not something I ever thought I’d see, to be honest. A human with more to him than first appearances, and my whore of a sister.”

A slow clap brought his attention to a dark-haired woman standing in the spot Oona had just vacated.

“And I thoughtIhad lousy taste in men,” Yelena continued, her hands on her hips.

There was the dream—the nightmare—in the flesh.

Illaria glanced over, stiffened. “Yelena.”

“Want to give me a hug?” Yelena held her arms out wide. “I mean, it’s been a whole week since we’ve seen each other.”

The sister who had never been missing. The one who used newly made vampires for lackeys, and stole power from living beings, using it to rip open the gate between worlds.

“I knew you were here. Why keep hidden until now?”

“Would it have made any difference? Probably not. Things were going well enough.”

He heard the smile in her voice and couldn’t repress the shudder. Part of him didn’t want to know where Yelena had been, or why she’d thought to hide until now. Coming to grips with the fact that he possessed some kind of raw power was hard enough. He didn’t need to duke it out with an evil Fae.

Still, a dozen questions played on repeat as he focused on her. On the slender figure with enough menace rolling off of her to make Jack the Ripper take a step in the opposite direction.

Illaria stood her ground, giving her sister the side-eye. “But...why?”

“Why not?” Yelena snapped her fingers and a park bench slid underneath her. She sat down, settled, and sent them both a wry smile.

Kieran tried to move and found himself frozen in place. Rather than freak out, his voice wobbling as bad as his body, he strove for calm. He’d already used one set of instincts today. It wouldn’t be hard to switch modes. Would it?

Illaria would never fight with Yelena, he knew. Even when it was deserved.

“You never told me about this. Any of this.” Illaria mirrored his deep breaths.

“You wouldn’t have understood.”

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