Page 105 of Shifting Hearts 1
He stumbles toward me, one arm hanging limp. His ribs are probably cracked or broken, and his eyes are glassy but he’s still trying to protect me.Still.Even now.
Something inside me snaps.And this time, when I call the spell, I call it with myrealname. The one I buried. The one he doesn’t know.
Power answers and the ground splits beneath the creature’s feet. Roots rise like snakes, wrapping around its limbs, dragging the beast down into the earth. It fights against the grip but it’s too late.
I seal the spell with blood and the beast screams as it’s swallowed whole. Silence descends as I watch Lucian sinks to his knees.
“Emilia…”
I catch him before he falls. “I’ve got you,” I say, voice shaking. “I’ve got you.”
His head presses against my shoulder, and for once, just once, he doesn’t pull away.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean…”
“I know.”
We’re both shaking but not from cold or the crash of the adrenaline though that is part of it. But from everything we refuse to say and everything we already feel.
EIGHT
Broken Bones, Bound Hearts
Lucian
Pain is a funny thing. You get used to it. Expect it. Use it like armor. But this isn’t battlefield pain… well it is. But it’s not just broken ribs or torn muscle. This is her.
The look on her face when I said I regretted last night. Like I’d carved her open with my bare hands. And now, I’m bleeding on her floor while she stitches me up, both of us pretending like she didn’t just drag me through the forest and back from the edge of death. Again.
"You're lucky," she says, dabbing at the gash in my side. Her voice is calm, but her hands shake.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it’s true." Her tone sharpens. “That thing could’ve ripped you in two.”
“But it didn’t.”
“No thanks to you.”
I wince, not from the wound, but her words. "I wasn’t trying to die."
“You sure? Because from where I was standing, it looked like a damn suicide sprint.” Her eyes flash up to mine. “I’m not something you throw yourself in front of, Lucian. I’m not something for you shield or protect. I’m your fucking mate.”
I stare at her. The word echoes through the small room, ringing in my ears. Mate. Not an obligation or a weakness. Not a mistake. Just... truth.
And I’m still too much of a coward to say it back.
"Let me help you up," she says after a moment. I try to sit up but I can’t.
"My ribs are cracked, maybe even broken."
"No shit. I saw you hit the tree. I actually though he may have broken your damn back.”
She pulls me against her, slowly, carefully, and wraps her arm around my back. I feel her pulse through her skin. Feel her magic buzzing just beneath the surface.
“Why’d you do it?” she asks softly.
“Do what?”
