A Crown Of Fire And Wrath (The Shadow Walkers Saga #5) - Sloane Murphy Page 0,54

We’ve got enough chaos going down without adding them to the mix.

Nevin starts taking a note of what Leviathan asked for, while I keep us covered, but we keep having to move further into the camp, almost too far to be able to remain undetected. This was not the plan. I never wanted to get this far in, and I can tell Nevin isn’t exactly happy about it either, but I know for a fact that he’s as unwilling as I am to go back without the details we need.

“I think we’ve got it,” Nevin whispers. “We need to start to try and get the fuck out of here.”

I nod, and we try to move back to the edges of the camp, so we can get back, but there are a lot more demons here than when we started, and we’re so far in, that it’s going to take us a minute to get the hell out. We move as swiftly as we can, and I focus so hard on keeping the shadows wrapped around us, that I don’t see the dip in the ground. Nevin trips in front of me and falls into a weapons rack. The crash of axes and spears creates so much noise and garners so much attention, that we’re truly fucked.

I freeze as Nevin scrambles back to his feet, but I pull my karambit knives from their sheathes on my thighs, and prepare myself to fight our way out of here. This was not the plan, but I have too much to live for right now, we are getting out of here, though this will put a huge stop on all of the plans we’ve been making.

Fuck.

This literally couldn’t get any worse.

It’s like the calm before a storm, like someone inhaled and held it. The silence. The stillness. Before all hell breaks loose. Nevin and I work as we’ve trained. Back to back, using every tool in our arsenal to get us the hell out of here. It’s too tight to be able to unfurl our wings and fly the fuck away, we just need to thin the herd enough that we can do exactly that. I barely even pay attention to what I’m doing, beyond making sure I’m protecting myself a little bit more than usual. Mine isn’t the only life I’m looking out for here.

We work our way through as much as we can, when the opportunity shows itself, I wait until Nevin is in the air, and then follow suit. Trying not to focus on the aches and potential breaks in my body, just on getting back to Leviathan.

“Fuck!” Nevin screeches even as a sizzle fills the air. I look over my shoulder and see balls of fire being thrown at us from below while they ready their archers. Fuck. We’re still in range of their arrows. Nevin slows, and the burnt flesh of his wounded wing hampering him.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

The incoming spear will hit him and I move before thinking, throwing Nevin out of its path. I thought I’d moved high enough to avoid it, but instead of piercing my heart, it punctures my stomach.

No!

“Come on Amantara, we just need to get out of range, and then we can stop and get that thing out of you.” His concern barely touches me as the realization hits me.

My baby.

Our baby.

The one I didn’t get a chance to tell Leviathan about yet.

I keep my wings beating, keep the hope in my heart that my baby is okay. Angel children are so rare as it is, the thought of losing one is devastating. The thought that it’s my own fault, I’m not sure it’s something I’ll survive.

I follow Nevin up and into the distance, barely paying attention to anything but the wound in my stomach, and the beat of his wings. We don’t stop until we’re back at our camp. I was flying without saying a word, so I guess he assumed I’d be okay to get back. I don’t really remember the flight, it’s all just a blur. A numb blur while I tried to tell myself I didn’t just kill our baby.

Leviathan is waiting for us when we land, the concern on his face breaks my heart, because he doesn’t know, and if the worst has happened, I can never tell him. He will never forgive me. The pain of it will be too much.

“I’m fine,” I say to him as he reaches me, and I wince away from his touch. “I