Page 14 of Into the Dawn
A one-in-a-million chance was better than none.
With that thought flickering through her head, she lifted the flask in a silent toast before tipping it to her lips. As far as believing it was some sort of magical cure, she wasn’t sure. However, she had nothing to lose. The worst it could do was kill her, and she was already down to living the last days of her death sentence.
The shimmering silver liquid looked pretty damn toxic, but she forced herself to drink it anyway. After she tasted a small sip, she was surprised to discover the tonic wasn’t that bad. She had expected it to be bitter, but it tasted sweet. The flavor had layers of complexity, and the sweetness faded into a slightly salty, metallic aftertaste.
Perhaps her guardian angels drank metal wherever they were from.
Strange, but not a deal breaker.
Now that she’d tested it, she drank more of the tonic. This time, she felt a slight burn, like she had just swallowed a shot of whiskey.
The male with shorter hair gently took the flask from her. “Enough for now.”
She felt a little lightheaded when she nodded. For a moment, she thought his eyes had started glowing, then she blinked, and the effect vanished. His eyes were back to being a beautiful amber hue that reminded her of molten gold.
Closing her eyes, she swayed a little and smiled as a delicious warmth spread throughout her body, chasing away the chill she’d been feeling from being outside so long. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but those would have to wait. She suddenly didn’t even have the energy to speak, and staying awake became an impossible task.
“Rest now, little one. Let us care for you,” a soothing voice whispered.
Her thoughts began to drift, the questions she had disappearing like smoke in her tired mind. As she finally surrendered to the comforting darkness, she felt herself being lifted into strong arms. She wasn’t sure where they were taking her, but as the world faded away, she clung to the hope that this wasn’t all just a dream.
Chapter Five
Dominic watched hismate sleeping peacefully on the large, canopied bed he had just tucked her into. He was kneeling next to her prone form, gently holding her small hand between his much larger palms. She was so precious and delicate, he felt like a giant beast compared to her. He wasn’t sure he deserved to touch her yet, considering he hadn’t even introduced himself properly to her.
But he was afraid she would disappear if he let go.
Finding her was a dream come true.
It was clear his mate was ill, but she was still the most beautiful female he had ever seen. She was his touchstone, his reason for existing. He understood that the moment he saw her. It felt as though his heart had started beating again for the first time since the loss of his brother and chosen mate. In that one instant, she had become the most important thing in his entire universe.
And with that came a sense of guilt.
Still, the priority was to start to heal her as quickly as possible, so focusing on that had helped him push aside his other emotional turmoil. She had felt so frail in his arms that he had been worried he’d hurt her just by carrying her inside.
He’d been a little concerned when she had passed out after drinking the magical tonic, but he started to relax again now that he saw it was already starting to heal her. Her complexion had lost some of that sallow, sickly pallor, and her cracked, dry lips looked a little fuller than they had moments ago. The dark circles under her eyes had faded to barely noticeable shadows, and her missing eyebrows were starting to grow back.
If one drink of the tonic could do all that, then it truly was a magical cure.
Now that he had time to think, he realized he should have asked exactly what was in the tonic. Not that Silas would have told him. Dominic was pretty sure the Sun God would have told him to fuck off and stop wasting his time. Perhaps it was a good thing he hadn’t been able to ask more questions. If he had, the god might not have sent them to save their mate.
Hellfire, he still couldn’t believe he and his brother had actually made it to Earth. The entire bizarre scenario, from meeting the God of the Sun to getting flung across the universe to a different planet, felt like some sort of strange fever dream. He hadn’t really had time to process everything that had happened yet, but he was better at going with the flow than his brother was.
Riding the lightning had been the most painful thing he’d ever experienced, but as soon as he saw their mate, it had all been worth it. And they had arrived just in time since it was clear she didn’t have much time left.
The thought of losing her was enough to strike terror in his heart. It had been painful losing Eron and Imra, but he knew without a doubt that he would never survive losing their new mate.
Dominic frowned as he surveyed the room. It was a pleasant space, with pale gray walls, wooden furniture, and lace curtains hanging over a wide set of windows. There was a seating area situated near the windows with a pair of cushioned chairs and a small table that was set between them. The flooring was made of planks of rich, dark wood, and there were a few more doors that seemed to lead to additional rooms.
The centerpiece of the space was the large bed their mate was currently sleeping in. The thick purple blanket covering her bed was much fluffier than what they were used to, but the fabric seemed to be high quality and soft to the touch. Instead of the light crystals they used back on Arcadia, she had a lamp on atable next to the bed that filled the room with dim golden light. There were also gossamer purple curtains hanging around the bed that were tied to the posts.
It was just that everything seemed so…small.
“Her world is vastly different than ours,”Ronan commented through their bond.
After Dominic had carried their mate into her bedroom, Ronan had insisted on patrolling around the residence to ensure there were no threats on the premises. Since they were in unfamiliar territory, they needed to keep their mate safe. They hadn’t sensed anyone in the residence, but Ronan wanted to make sure before he could be at ease.
It didn’t seem like anyone else lived there, but they needed to confirm that. They had to be careful about who knew they were there since the god had warned that humans in general were not ready to interact with other species. Because of that, they needed to blend in, though that was impossible until they spoke to their mate. They needed guidance on this new world, or they could end up doing something they might regret.
