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“Oh, just shut up, Randy,” Piper said, her tone hardening. “You’re making yourself look like an idiot.”
“What kind of stadium is that?” she whispered to her uncle. “It’s a baseball stadium.” “Oh. How can you tell?” He gave her a funny look. Okay, obviously a dumb question. She coughed slightly.
Ash pressed gently on her back, encouraging her to resume walking. “You need sleep, Piper.”
“You can survive anything. Loss can be like chains holding you in place or a fire pushing you onward. We each choose every day what it will be to us.”
“You’re stronger than Natania could ever be.”
“Ash,” she whispered, “you know I love you desperately, right?” He drew her face up and kissed her, his mouth hot and demanding. Heat dove through her middle and she tossed the Sahar aside so she could slide both hands into his hair. “You know you are my heart and soul,” he murmured against her mouth.
Tenryu rumbled irritably, his tail snapping to one side and smacking a boulder so hard it almost tipped off the edge of the cliff. The dragon rather sheepishly pushed it back into place with his back leg. Piper pretended not to notice.
Ash’s head turned and his eyes, black and intense, locked on hers. “Don’t die,” she said hoarsely. The wind snatched her voice away but she knew he’d heard her.
Ash stepped, sword spinning toward Samael as he vanished again. She leaped forward. Three steps to reach Ash as he pivoted to protect his open flank. She dove under his flared wings, brushing his side on her way past, and rolled. As she came out of her roll, her right dagger flashed out. The blade cut through the flare of red light as Samael appeared in front of her, facing Ash. The dagger sank deep into his left calf.
Spinning on light feet, feeling as weightless as a koryu in water, she slid behind Ash, catching his eye as she passed him. In his gaze she saw surprise and ferocity, and she hoped he saw in hers the calm, lethal focus that had possessed her. This was their fight. This would be their victory.
She flowed in and around Ash like a fish darting through racing waters, her blade seeking where Samael would appear.
They moved together, synchronized and flawless, all his experience and all her instincts melding into deadly perfection.
“What’s the deal, Miysis?” she demanded as soon as he was within hearing distance. Calder and Quinn shot her disbelieving looks at her total lack of diplomacy.
“Glad to hear it. Since it’s all over now, what are you doing?” “Pardon?” “What is all this?” She waved a hand toward his small army, bottling her irritation.
Tenryu? she thought clearly. Silver child. Can I … She quickly presented her idea. You may, he rumbled, humor lining his mental voice.
Groggily, she realized she’d closed her eyes without noticing. She squinted them open. On one side, Lyre leaned against her, his head on her shoulder, fast asleep. On her other side, Ash’s head was tipped back, resting on the wall, eyes closed, breathing slow. He was asleep too. She smiled and closed her eyes again, wiggling a little closer to Ash and hugging his arm to her chest. Lyre’s warm weight on her other side was as much a comfort. With the murmur of the draconians’ voices filling the room and her two daemons beside her, she gave in to sleep.
