Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,173
air until they died away and the blaze returned to my body, fading away to nothing. Smoke rose into the night sky, and I sagged, Killian racing to catch me before my body hit the ground.
“Nix!” he rasped, and I reached up and ran my fingers along his scruff-covered jaw.
“I’m-I’m okay.” I assessed myself as he helped me stand, making sure I had my balance before he released me to support myself.
I gazed up at the awed faces of my mates as guilt surged through me.
“He didn’t leave me with a choice,” I whispered, the sound barely audible over the crackling of sizzling embers.
“Ishida got what he deserved,” Damien stated, easing into my thoughts and ensuring I wasn’t beating myself up over taking a life so brutally.
I gazed at all my mates, my hearting plummeting when I realized they weren’t all there.
“Hiro? Ryder?” I gasped, my eyes instantly welling as I searched for their magical signatures, their scents, anything that would let me know they were alright.
Killian scooped me up and carried me past my other mates. Joshua, Theo, and Damien grazed their touches along my body as they settled me back onto my feet where I quickly collapsed.
Tears streaked down Ryder’s dirty face, leaving tracks down his cheeks. “I’m trying everything.” His face was broken as he held Hiro’s limp hand, his other shaking where he held it over his lover’s prone form with perfectly healed skin below. Ryder funneled all he had, every ounce of magic he held, into our mate, trying to restore his health and vitality. It was only the weak rise and fall of Hiro’s chest that told me he was still alive.
Blood coated Hiro’s stomach where Ryder had steadfastly knitted him together until his body was flawless.
My Phoenix pressed forward, and I pushed her back, a cry ripping from my raw throat.
“No! No, no, no!” I stroked a piece of Hiro’s dark hair back from his face. “Ryder,” I begged, pleaded, groveled.
“I’m trying, mikró pouláki. I’m trying,” he swore, the sincerity in his voice ringing through.
I dampened the heat in my fingers before placing them on Hiro’s cheeks, my tears coating his lips as I leaned over and whispered a kiss across them.
“Please,” I murmured, begging him, knowing my heart was unable to go through losing him. “I love you. Come back to me.”
My Phoenix keened, our power pulsing as I listened to every breath Hiro drew, trying to lend him my strength the way Ryder could give him his.
“Ryder,” Damien warned gently, but he just sniffled and shook his head, his face losing all color as he pushed his magic into our mate. “You’re giving too much.”
“I’ll give him everything I have if I have to,” Ryder vowed. I saw the way he sagged, incapable to hold himself up as his power began to wane.
“Ry…” Hiro’s breathy rasp was like music to my ears, and I sobbed as my sorrow and joy collided.
Tears flowed down my face at his deep inhale.
I fell backward, landing in the dirt, unable to breathe. Theo’s hands were a steady presence on my shoulders, holding me upright.
“I feel your power inside me. Does this mean I’m going to turn into a unicorn now?” Hiro coughed, his throat dry, words hoarse.
“Ceraptor.” Ryder collapsed next to Hiro, his muscles weak and shaking as he laughed. “My fucking God, don’t you ever scare me like that again. I… I didn’t think I’d be able to heal you.”
Hiro grasped for both of our hands, squeezing mine with his diminished strength as he turned to look over at me.
“I thought I lost you,” I admitted through watery eyes, the stress of the day bleeding away and leaving me empty.
“It will take a lot more than some fucking mutant deer to get rid of me.” His lips pulled up in a half grin, smiling as wide as he could. “I love you.” He gazed at me and then Ryder. “I tried to tell you. I felt your love for me. It’s the only thing that kept me hanging on.”
Damien, Killian, and Joshua helped Hiro and Ryder stand, while Theo lifted me to my feet. All of us were dazed and worn, but smiles crept onto our faces as we realized we were all still alive. Still together.
Cedric’s wolf met us at the tree line with our bags of extra clothes, and we dressed carefully, aware of the injuries and wounds we couldn’t mend until Ryder had rested.