Groaning and cursing filled the air and then movement between father and son caught my eye. I sat up straight and leaned to see around Savannah and my jaw dropped. Riah lifted his head off the ground and Olli made a confused little grumble.
The rest of The Coven were in a pile. Literally. They were stacked on top of each other like a bouquet of flowers...or like a net full of freshly caught fish all wriggling to get free. Silver body armor covered all of their bodies. It reminded me of the Seelie Knights. They cursed as they tried to move. Someone with long jet-black hair was sprawled on the bottom. Ice covered the ground and was spreading out from the pile. I spotted Tegan’s purple-tipped hair above them and heard her wild giggle.
“Not funny, Tegan,” Cooper growled from somewhere within the pile.
“Yes, it is!” She snorted. The pile wavered and then Tegan’s head poked out. She was cackling. “You’re just mad this was your idea.”
“Butterberry, you’re gonna set us all on fire, love,” Deacon said with a chuckle.
“Don’t laugh. That —” Willow hissed, “burns.”
“Whoever is on top get the hell off of us!” Emersyn shouted and then orange flames shot out from the middle of the pile.
Easton, who was near the top, picked his head up and grinned. “Hey, I’m finally on top of all of you!”
“Easton!” Lily grumbled.
The pile all groaned and magic of every color flickered. Tegan snorted. Tennessee and Kessler just shook their heads and watched.
And then little Bentley sat up from the very top of the pile, rubbing his head. “Little people should not have participated. Mistakes were made.”
Light flashed and then there was a handful of Devon’s clones standing around the pile. She held her arms out and helped Bentley down. Once he was off the pile, Tenn flicked his wrist and a gust of wind slammed into it…and they all went flying.
Riah sighed with a little chuckle and rested his head back down. “I can die now that I’ve seen this.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Saffie
“I can die now that I’ve seen this.”
I gasped and dove for Riah’s shoulder, not realizing I’d let go. “NO!” I screamed as blood poured over my fingers again. “RIAH!”
He smiled up at me and blood stained his teeth. “It’s okay—”
“NO IT’S NOT! Don’t you DARE!” I screamed. Fresh tears burst from my eyes. “I will not let you die. I will reverse haunt you, do you understand me!”
The Coven all gasped around me. I felt their magic shift into fighting mode. Their spirits turned cold and afraid, and sharply tense.
The shock of seeing them, all of them, short circuited my brain for a split second. But I could not rejoice in being home, not when my soulmate was dying in my arms. My fingers trembled – my whole body shook.
“HELP HIM!” I shrieked, my lungs burning.
“Saraphina—” he gasped and the gold lines of our soulmate mark flashed on his face.
“NOOOO!” I looked up and met Tennessee’s wide-eyed stare. “SAVE HIM! PLEASE!”
Tennessee shook himself and then leapt for us — and then he appeared crouched down right behind Riah’s head. He cursed. “Get him inside!”
Tegan materialized right beside him. She shoved her hands right into his wound, blood splashing up her pale arms. I felt a rush of magic and then Riah’s blood began pouring back inside of him. “This won’t be enough—”
“KATHERINE!” Timothy yelled in the distance and then I spotted him running into a massive wooden house.
Large warm hands gripped my arms and I flinched. Golden light poured over me and air rushed into my lungs. I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath.
“Breathe, Saffie,” Hunter whispered.
Riah coughed and blood erupted from his mouth. I screamed and tried to dive for him but Hunter held me back. Riah’s gold eyes rolled into the back of his head. His skin paled.
“NOOO!”
Riah gasped and his eyes flashed open but his skin was turning gray.
“Save him. Save him. Save him,” I heard myself whisper over and over.
“I can’t let go of this,” Tegan shouted.
“YO, Kess get the head!” Easton flew in front of me and grabbed one of Riah’s legs. “Boss, get the other?”
Tennessee leapt over and picked up Riah’s other leg. Kessler hurried over and slid his hands under Riah’s shoulders. He counted to three and then they lifted him off the ground. Riah screamed out and my legs gave out under me. Hunter caught me before I hit the ground but I barely noticed. My eyes were locked on my soulmate.
A cold wave of energy shot out of him and then blue light flashed—
“NOOOOO!” I screamed and jumped on top of him. I knew they were carrying him and he was heavy enough as it was, but I had to. He was dying. His spirit was leaving his body. “STAY INSIDE THIS BODY!”
Paulina cursed in Spanish. “GET HIM TO KAT NOW!”
In the corner of my eye I saw Cooper and Deacon grab ahold of Riah’s body but I didn’t look. My magic was weak, too weak, but I would risk Witch’s Shock if it meant saving him. I pushed with everything I had. Golden glitter spread from under my trembling hands and into his chest.
“Look at me,” I shouted through the hot lump in my throat.
His eyes found mine but the golden color was fading.
No. Please. Don’t do this to me.
I have suffered. I have sacrificed. Let me keep him. PLEASE.
The world passed by me in a blur. I saw nothing but blood and tears. Felt nothing but the searing hot pain in my chest.
“On the bed now!” A woman yelled, but I didn’t know her voice.
Tegan shouted something and then a bed appeared right under him.
And then everything went blurry. Noises faded into a solid hum. I felt my bones rattling in my body. My muscles spasmed into knots. My stomach tightened and rolled. I tried to breathe but no air would come in. My lungs were burning. The lump in my throat grew bigger, hotter.
“SAFFIE!” Tegan screamed. “GRAB HER!”
Large hands gripped my arms and I felt myself get lifted, but I saw nothing.
Rainbow magic flashed in my face.
“I call the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, to calm this spirit, heart and stone,” Tegan chanted in my face. “By flame and breeze, sand and sea, ease this soul by power of three.”
The blur vanished in an instant. I was standing at the foot of Riah’s bed while Henley helped a woman I didn’t know do…something. Tegan was saying something but I couldn’t listen, not over the heavy pounding of my pulse.
Red smoke wrapped around my face. I gasped and jumped back – and then the noises in the room crashed down around me. Deacon’s face hovered in front of mine. Purple eyes flashed. “Hear us, Saffie. Answer our questions.”
“What questions?” I heard myself say flatly.
The woman I didn’t know looked up from Riah’s shoulder. Her brown eyes were soft and kind – but fiercely focused. “What demon got him?”
I frowned and shook my head.
“I need to know what kind of demon got him so I can treat it properly—”