The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,159

the pain came, it was gone.

She could breathe.

She could move.

Lyana blinked the dark splotches from her eyes, trying to understand. As her sight returned, all she saw was Rafe.

"Go," he grunted, his face twisting as golden waves of power crashed into his back and dissolved into his skin. His fiery wings were spread like a protective wall, catching Malek's magic before it could strike her.

"How…?"

"I don’t know." His voice was labored, each word more taxing than the rest. Tendrils of flame flickered in his clear blue eyes as he stared at her, his biceps clenched and his feet braced, his every muscle straining. "Go," Rafe repeated. "I'm not sure how long I can hold him."

Lyana stepped back, but she couldn’t quite turn away. Something held her entranced—something she was only just beginning to see. Every man she'd ever met had wanted to cage her. Not all of them had meant ill, but they'd been controlling just the same. Malek had wanted to mold her into his perfect queen. Xander had held her duty-bound to be his mate. Even her brother, in all his protectiveness, had wanted to rein in her spirit.

But not Rafe.

He was here, fighting with every ounce of strength he possessed to set her free. And he always had been, right from the very start. When he'd been injured, he hadn't shied from her magic. He'd let her heal him. And when she'd gone to him with a foolhardy plan to save raven lives, he hadn't shut her down. He'd gone with her. And when she'd stood in his room that night, he hadn't asked for things he knew she couldn't give. He'd accepted any part of her she was willing to offer. He didn’t take. He didn’t demand. While the rest of the world tried to tell her who she had to be, he accepted her for who she was. Even better—he looked at her as though she were already perfect.

That was what held her.

That was why she'd never been able to let him go. Not upon finding out his true identity. Not in the face of a terrible betrayal. Not even after so many weeks apart.

That was why she loved him.

"Ana," Rafe rasped. "Please."

She saw the hopes and fears swirling in his eyes, the life he was entrusting to her safekeeping. Xander. Save Xander. He was putting all his faith in her, and for that gift, she wouldn't let him down.

With Rafe as her shield, Lyana ran from Malek and all the walls he'd tried to build around her. Untamed and untethered, she took to the sky.

53

Xander

"Hello!" Xander shouted as he walked through the city streets, stumbling on debris and straining to see through the dense, shadowy gray. The ground swayed and sank, the sound of crashing waves becoming louder with each passing second. Wet air licked his cheeks, forming droplets along his skin. His clothes grew sticky and his feathers heavy with the dampness. "Can anyone hear me? Do you need help?"

"Here!" someone shouted. "I'm over here!"

Xander ran, biting his tongue to keep back a curse as he stubbed his toe on a fallen stone. His wings caught him as he raced forward. It was nearly impossible to see without the light of the moon. He'd never been surrounded by such thick fog. "Where?"

"Here!"

They shouted back and forth a few more times until Xander caught sight of movement. The man was stuck beneath a pile of crumbled stones, his legs lost beneath the rubble. He lay facedown with his wings outstretched, seemingly unharmed. When Xander got close, the man's eyes widened with shock.

"My prince," he said, trying to dip his chin even with his cheek squished against the street. "I'm honored you—"

"None of that," Xander cut him off as he knelt by his side. "Where are you hurt and what can I do? Most importantly, can you fly?"

"I think I can. It's my legs. The building fell and I couldn't get away in time."

"Stay still," he cautioned as he reached for the stones. Lifting the small ones first, he brushed as much debris away as possible. A boulder crushed the man's calves, a large piece of masonry held together with grout. The left leg was mostly untouched, but the right one was flattened beyond repair. He wasn't sure how the man was still awake, let alone aware enough to speak.

"Can you help?"

"I will." Xander frowned, staring at the bloody strips of the man's leg. He'd read books about medicinal practices, but he’d never thought he