Serafine
A quiet whimper cuts through the haze of sleep, and I struggle to open my eyes. It’s so soft to begin with, almost muffled like it’s coming from somewhere far away. It pulls at the something deep within me, and starts to wake me more. The sound pierces the quiet of my sleep like a hook, and it tugs me back toward consciousness.
My limbs are heavy, and every muscle aches now. It feels like I’ve been run over, and left to rot in the mess. My chest is still burning, it’s a dull persistent throb now that radiates beneath my skin. Shifting slightly, I notice something, a warmth against my chest. I smile instantly realizing that the finy weight curled against my ribs is Eryx.
As soon as I know it’s him, everything awakens and my instinct kicks in. It’s stronger than any pain and cuts through anything that tries to keep me down. I open my eyes slowly to begin with and blink against the light. I look around and notice I’m in one of the cars now. The leather beneath me is warm from the sun, and the door is cracked open beside me, letting in the cool air.
I see Helena leaning over me, reaching to lift Eryx from my chest. I wake up even more at the sight and shake my head.
“Wait,” I rasp. My voice is so hoarse it’s almost unfamiliar. “She freezes with her arms halfway beneath him. Pushing myself up more, I sit upright. Every muscle screams in protest, but I ignore it. Wrapping my arms around him protectively, I lean back.
“I’ve got him,” I whisper. My thread is so dry, and it feels like I’ve swallowed too much smoke. I don’t care, though. Eryx is here, in my arms, and I’m glad for that. I need to hold him right now.
Helena doesn’t argue. Instead, she eases back into the seat across from me, her hands raised in surrender. “I wasn’t going to take him far. He was fussing, and I thought you might need more rest.”
“I’m fine,” I lie. My body is anything but fine, but I don’t want to rest. I want to hold my son. I want to feel him breathe against me so I know I’m still here, that he is too, and that we made it through. I want to just live for a moment, forget about the bad and hold onto something solid that is important to me.
Eryx stirs more and lets out another soft whimper. I shift him gently and guide him to feed, shaking my head at Helena as she holds out the bottle. If I can feed him, I will. The bottles are more for when I’m not there. He latches on easily, and just the connection with him grounds me. The storm, the chamber and the agony of watching James die all of it fades. It becomes background noise as I watch Eryx nurse with a sleepy sort of contentment
For a while, the silence in the car is perfect, and Helena doesn’t speak. She watches us quietly, her expression staying unreadable. She’s giving me the time that I need to steady myself and come back to earth, so to speak.
Finally, I look at her and decide to talk, because I know I have to. I can’t avoid things. “I didn’t think I’d wake up like this,” I murmur. “I thought I’d feel…
different.”
Helena doesn’t speak for a while. She just watches quietly, her expression unreadable, until I finally look up at her.
“You’ve been out for almost the entire day,” she says gently. “We set up camp here for the night as it was easier. You’ve been holding onto Eryx since
Xander brought him to you.”
That makes my chest tighten. “Xander?”
“He said you needed him. Said you’d know what to do with him, even unconscious. And you did. Eryx hasn’t cried since you two were together.”
I brush my fingers across Eryx’s soft hair and exhale. “He calms me more than I calm him.”
Leaning forward slightly, she looks at me. “What happened down there, Serafine? No one’s said anything. Only that James is gone and the magic’s fading.”
I close my eyes for a moment. The memory isn’t distant, it’s right there, stuck into every fibre of my being. The heat, the power and the threads burning through my veins. Gideon’s voice, that awful laugh. And then James, broken and trapped in his body with someone controlling it, he didn’t ask for.
I meet her eyes, and my voice comes out steadier than I expect. “It wasn’t James, not really. Gideon used the threads, tied himself to them so deeply that when he died, he didn’t pass on. His soul anchored to the threads and found another body. James.”
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Chapter 152
Helena’s breath catches. “That’s why he was still alive down there.”
“Yes. But it wasn’t life. It was imprisonment. James was buried under the weight of Gideon’s magic for years. Becades maybe. He was will in there li could feel him. But Gideon kept pulling him down, and silencing him.”
Her voice is soft. “And you… you tried to save him?”
1 nod. “I fought. God, Helena, I fought with everything I had. But it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t save him. I thought if they didn’t kill and harm the body be would live. It didn’t work that way. The only way to end it was to sever the threads completely. Once I did… the magic holding him fogether collapsed.
“And he died,” she whispers.
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back. “He told me he was sorry. Then he was gone. There was no bond, not in the traditional sense, but something burned inside me when he died. Maybe it was guilt, or grief. Maybe it was the threads themselves, mourning the loss of someone they once camed.”
Helena doesn’t respond right away. Her gaze flicks to Eryx, then back to me,
“You did the right thing. You freed him, Serafine. You gave him peace. That’s more than most could’ve done.”
I want to believe her. I want to believe that James found peace in those last seconds. But all I can feel is the weight of another soul I couldn’t save. My real father, my mother. The others in my old pack that Gideon would tortured, hell even my twin brother and now James as well.
“Is the magic still here?” I ask, needing to know.
“Faint. I heard Killian say something about how the threads started to disappear not long after you collapsed. They’re gone now and the cave’s empty.”
I look down at Eryx. His eyes are open, wide and unblinking as he feeds. There’s magic in him, I’ve always known that. His connection to me runs deeper than just blood. If the threads were moving through me, they’re in him too.
“I don’t want him to carry this,” I whisper.
Helena nods. “Then he won’t. Not alone at least. He has you, Serafine, and Xander. He has all of us and let’s not forget when he gets older, he will find a mate who helps with it as well.”
I press a kiss to the crown of his head and close my eyes.
For the first time since the chamber, I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, we’ve made it through the worst.
We sit in silence once again, and I wonder what happens now? If the crops are coming back, then what does that mean for me and Eryx? Are we safe, or is there still going to be people out there who want us hurt? Possibly even dead?
Helena watches me in silence for another moment, her expression thoughtful. Then she nods once and shifts toward the door.
“I’m going to go and get Xander,” she says softly. “You no doubt want to see him and I think he’s been half–waiting for you to wake up since the second he Laid you down.” She opens the door, and more air fills the car. “Plus, I should go and get something to eat as well. If you need anything, just yell.”
I watch her climb out of the car before closing the door slightly behind her. She walks away and leaves me alone again. It’s quiet in the car now except for the rustle of the wind every now and again. The is beginning to dip as well now, and the shadows are stretching across the ground.
Eryx continues to feed quietly, but he’s slowing down now. His lashes flutter against my cheek, and I can tell he’s beginning to fall asleep. Shifting gently, I cradle him more, to help make him more comfortable if he is going to fall asleep. I stare down at him, and let the silence settle around us. It’s perfect, just me and Eryx.
outh, and the quiet hum of breath along with the tiny weight of him nestled close, it’s all so real. It’s steadying, and alive. After everything, after the pain, the screaming, the fire and the magic tearing me apart, this feels like the only thing in the world that matters.
His warmth against my chest is grounding, and it’s helping me relax more, and ease the pain in my chest. The small tug of
I run my fingers through the dark strands of his hair and press my cheek gently against the top of his head. “You’re safe,” I whisper, more to myself than
him. “We’re safe.”
2/3
09:00 Fri 27 Jun
Chapter 152
The door opens again a few minutes later, and I don’t even have to look to know it’s him.
Xander just slides into the car without saying a single thing. His scent washes over me like something solid. He doesn’t speak, and he doesn’t ask how am, what hurts or if I need anything. Instead, he simply wraps his arms around both me and Eryx. One strong arm is across my shoulders, the other curves protectively around Eryx..
I lean into him without hesitation, and he presses a kiss into my temple, lingering for a breath before resting his forehead against mine. His touch is quiet. comfort, and his silence speaks louder than anything else ever could.
We don’t need words right now, he’s here… We’re all here. And for the first time in what feels like forever, I believe we might just be okay.
AD
