ELARA POV
The wind screamed past us as Kaelith flew through the night, faster than any dragon I'd ever seen. His wings barely seemed to move, yet we cut through the air like an arrow.
I sat behind Theron, one arm wrapped around him to keep him steady. Through the new bond between us—that thread of life I'd woven into him—I could feel everything. His confusion. His guilt. The way his fae healing was finally starting to work now that the poison had something to fight against.
And underneath it all, his fierce determination not to waste what I'd given him.
"Stop feeling guilty," I said quietly, my voice almost lost in the wind. "I can feel it, you know. The bond goes both ways."
"You gave up sixty years," Theron said, his voice hoarse. "Sixty years of your life, Elara. For me."
"Yes."
"That's not a fair trade."
"I wasn't trying to be fair," I said. "I was trying to keep you alive."
