Bite Of Winter (Fae's Captive #3)(19)

“Leander!” Gareth shouts. “That way’s a dead end.” He points to the right.

I rush past him and catch her scent, which spurs my steps even faster.

When I turn the next corner, I see her. She sits cradling Delantis’s head in her lap as Vanara lies to the side, her body convulsing as black streaks trace across her skin. She shrieks, but the sounds quickly die on her tongue as she folds in on herself, the darkness covering her. The proud gryphon lies on its side, a cruel slash in its chest.

Taylor looks up at me, tears glittering in her eyes.

“Are you hurt?” I rush to her as Gareth stands next to Vanara, his blade at the ready.

“No. But Delantis—”

“Your aura.” Delantis reaches up and waves her fingers around Taylor’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful. Dark and starry. I can see it now.”

“I’m sorry.” Taylor strokes Delantis’s cheek. “I’m so sorry.”

A deep red stain mars the front of Delantis’s dress, spreading from her heart.

“It’s my time.” The old fae smiles but doesn’t move, her life draining away as she struggles to catch her breath. The gryphon lets out a mournful sound as it struggles to crawl closer to Delantis, its body fading as it drags along the cold stone floor.

“Can you save her?” Taylor’s lip quivers as she turns to me. “Heal her?”

The obsidian blade lies nearby, and I can smell Delantis’s blood on it. It can kill any creature. Even a fae as old and powerful as her. There is no saving her, but I will try anything to ease Taylor’s pain.

“Gareth?” I motion him over but keep Vanara in my peripheral vision. She’s not moving, her skin turning black and desiccated. What did Delantis do to her?

“I’ll do my best.” He holds his palm out, summoning a healing spell.

“You can’t.” Delantis closes her eyes. “The obsidian has a hold on me now. I can feel it pulling me away.”

Gareth tries anyway, pressing the green magic to her chest. The blood doesn’t stop, and Delantis sighs. The gryphon cries low and weak, then fades from view.

“Please don’t go.” Taylor’s tears fall on Delantis’s white hair.

All I can do is wrap my arm around her and hold her as she holds the dying fae. The workers we passed earlier have caught up, all of them dropping to one knee as Delantis’s light fades, her long life ending as my mate cradles her close.

“The stone will protect you, young one. Keep it for as long as you can.”

Taylor strokes Delantis’s cheek. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I-I didn’t know what to do.”

“Shh now.” Delantis’s voice drops to a whisper, her breathing slow. “You did fine. I will be with you. The stone, the blade—each of them is yours, and each of them harbor a part of me.”

“No, no, no.” Taylor’s tears are coming faster now. “Please don’t go.”

Gareth toes Vanara, but her body turns to black soot, crumbling into nothing. He looks at me with stark eyes. “What magic did Delantis unleash?”

The injured fae coughs weakly. “He will send for you. Do not forget who you are. Do not reject the bond.” She opens her eyes one more time and pins Taylor with an intense stare. It’s an act of sheer will. She’s lost too much blood and is fading fast. “It will save you.”

“What?” Taylor sobs.

Delantis closes her eyes again and breathes her last breath, the light fading from her like the setting sun, and everything going cold.





“What happened?” I murmur into Taylor’s hair as I hold her close, carrying her back to our rooms as Gareth takes point, both of us attuned to any rising threats. We need to get out of here. The delicate trade deal we just struck will be blown apart by the deaths of Delantis and, to a lesser degree, Vanara.

She hitches in her breath. “Vanara came at us, and then Delantis used her magic, but Vanara had some sort of defense and slashed the gryphon.”

I hate seeing her tears and wish I could take her fear away.

“She was coming after me. Vanara wanted to hand me over to the king beyond the mountain, but Delantis defended me. And now sh-she’s—” A sob catches her words and won’t let them free.

“She is with the Ancestors.” I kiss her forehead. “The Glowing Lands were made for a fae such as her. She defended you, gave her life for yours, and defeated Vanara.”

“No.” She pulls back and looks into my eyes, her gaze haunted. “She didn’t kill Vanara. I … I think I did. I felt something when she died. Like a surge. I don’t know how. I don’t understand.”

“What did—”

“What is going on?” Beth sprints toward us, a row of Vundi soldiers at her back, their weapons drawn.

“Behind me. Now.” I set Taylor down, then draw my sword. It’s close quarters, but I’ll use it to my advantage and cut a way out of this place. The feral clamors in agreement. “Gareth, watch our flank.”

He’s already there, a blade of winter, cold and deadly.

“You slew Vanara and Delantis.” The first soldier advances, his curved blade out to his side.

Ice creeps along the floor toward him. “Vanara betrayed our truce, and Delantis died trying to defend it. Now, you can let us leave, or you can die.” I keep my voice steady, the calm before the storm.