Page 134 of Faerie Hunted

Absolutely not. Life may not necessarily mean mine—it meant me giving up someone I loved as well. But I couldn't imagine giving up the mother I’d thought I’d lost just as I got her back.

And Onyx was one of my best friends. We’d been through so much together and literally escaped an executioner’s noose. To willingly sacrifice either of them was unthinkable, which meant it had to be me.

“I’m ready to give up and go back home,” I said. “We’ll find another way.”

“No,” Livvy replied adamantly. “We’re here. I’m getting you those journals, Tavi. Let me do this for you. Once you have the spell, you’ll have everything you need to get you through. Your friends are there to care for you. You’re used to living without me anyway.”

She didn’t sound bitter. Only resigned. Stating facts.

I felt her move, felt her body lurch into motion. Noren and I shifted at the same time to block her. The direwolf threw his body in front of her, then came the sound of someone dropping to the stones. The air exploded out of my lungs.

Livvy let out a yelp of pain. She must have rebounded off of Noren. “You stupid wolf,” she spat.

He wasn’t going to let her go, that much was clear. And the feeling was mutual.

“What were you thinking?” I yelled. “You were just going to jump?”

My heart lurched into the back of my throat and choked me.

“Of course I was,” she snapped back. “I’m not going to let you kill yourself. You’re too important to lose. I’ve already done my part, Tavi. If I can help you get out of here with those journals, then I’ll do it.”

Onyx had landed beside me when Noren moved, slipping right off the direwolf’s back.

“Tavi?” He grabbed at whatever part of me was closer, my knee in this case, and I fumbled for him. “Is that you?”

“Onyx. Let me help you up. Come on. I can take your weight.”

His fingers brushed against my thigh, my arm, and finally my shoulders. Then there was fire, my blood going fireworks-bright when he pressed his lips to mine.

What are you doing?

An electric jolt cascaded through my system from the point of contact, his lips soft and the energy startling.Pack.

I thought I said the word out loud but the kiss continued, lingering and sweet. His mouth moved against mine but there was no hint of desperation, and rather than shrug him off, I sank into the sensation.

“I love you,” Onyx whispered against my lips. Into my heart and my soul. “I believe with every part of me thatyouare the answer to the wrong in our world. It’s always been you. I finally understand it.”

“What’s happening?”

Livvy’s voice, but she was far away. Livvy and Noren and the Abyss all far away. There was only me and Onyx in this sea of pure ebony night and his lips became a lifeline through it, keeping me tethered in my body when my mind wanted to fracture apart.

I clutched at him but neither of us were steady. We both shook, rattling the bones of the world.

“You love me?” I whispered back.

“I’m injured beyond repair,” he continued. He huffed out a laugh, kissed me again as though he wanted to get in as many touches as possible before I drew a line. “I’m so tired of living in constant pain. I’m at the end. There’s no going back for me.”

The panic returned and rushed through me as if I’d been dipped in acid.

My fingers looped through the fabric of his shirt.

“I believe in the old legends of reincarnation for those with shifter blood.” A hint of mischief echoed in his tone. “Something greater is waiting for me. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come back to you someday. I’ll try to let you know it’s me.”

My heart was going ninety-to-nothing. “Stop it.” A frozen numbness swept over me and I tried to swallow but my throat wasn’t working. The only warmth left in me came from Onyx and his surprise kisses.

“I’m not going to stop,” he insisted. “You risked everything to save me. And I’m still a dead man back home. I can never go back. I’ve got no future.”

“There’s always hope. We’ll find a way. We’ll heal you. I’m not going to let you do this.”

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