🐲 Dragon and Phoenix (Path of Light and Fire Book #2) (Completed) 🐲

Chapter 19

Sabin opened his eyes and blinked. He was back in Zannick's home, in the room he and Sakima shared the other night. The tears distorted his vision, in color now, but if recent memory served him, it wouldn't be for long. He wiped the tears from his eyes as Alaina unlatched from his chest.

"What happened to Kianna?" she asked.

Sabin shook his head. He didn't feel like talking or even listening right now. He had lighted with Alaina to see his love, Kianna. He wanted to be with her for a moment, to see how she fared, but also to get away from the other Seriens. He needed to be around someone who didn't hate him.

Things had been so right, before they'd gone horribly wrong.

Kianna's chest had reopened from where Yulan stabbed and nearly killed her and she'd almost died. He trusted Ira to help her as she did before, but he had to leave and not come back. It was such a large ask of him.

She had warned him many times before to be careful and show restraint and selfishly put her at risk. He knew Alaina must have felt responsible, but it wasn't her fault. Her words were only the final straw of the weight he'd placed on her sister.

Kianna had almost died in front of him, again. With him powerless to do anything about it.

Again.

He was too drained to talk. Every part of his body felt leaden as if the earth wanted to pull him under. He was more than happy to let it.

Where is Sakima?

He'd envisioned the man as his anchor, but he was nowhere to be found. It had been some time since he'd missed a targeted landing. He could blame it on his state of mind, he was hurt and distracted, but now that he thought about it the house was too quiet.

Did something happen?

He closed his eyes and focused on his hearing. The sounds of Alaina's body filled his ears. She sniffled and her heart beat faster than normal, but she was fine.

Nothing came from downstairs.

He strained his ears and could no longer feel the air on his skin. Countless pairs of feet plodded onto dirt. The blood rushed to his ears and he could hear the sounds of the entire city. Alaina's breathing became a tornado in comparison.

He released it and opened his eyes, greeted by the 'quickly becoming irritating' gray-scale vision.

Where was this control when Kianna needed you?

"No one's here," Sabin said.

"Did something happen?" she asked. She darted outside the room, shoes thudding down the stairs.

He shook his head. There was no one down there.

I'll just get someone else hurt.

"You need to see this!" Alaina yelled.

Sabin sighed and walked down the stairs. She hovered near Zannick's square, oaken kitchen table with a knife in one hands and a letter in the other.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Here," she said. She tried to hand him the knife and he almost took it. Until he realized what it was.

Wade.

"I'm not taking him," Sabin said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm more likely to throw him in the nearest river than attach him to my waist." Just looking at Wade, made him angry. It felt like when he drew on fire, a seething rage waiting to be unleashed. "He is one of the biggest reasons your sister was hurt. He stopped me from killing Yulan several times."