Gods, he hoped he hadn’t hurt her.
Leaning forward, he took her hand and laced their fingers together. “How are you feeling?”
Please be okay, he thought.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “I feel fine. But you?—”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ve never been better.”
It was the truth. As long as she was alive and her light was still in the world, he’d always be fine. Better than fine.
She blinked, her dark gaze never straying from his.
“I… you… you let me feed from you.” She sounded like she couldn’t believe it.
“I did, and I would do it again.” He would let her feed from him daily if she needed it. Something told him this wasn’t the moment to bring it up, though. One thing at a time.
Her eyes widened. “The life-debt?—”
“Is paid,” he said gruffly, interrupting her. “I don’t want any debts between us, Viv. No vows. Nothing of that nature.”
He wanted her free of any obligation towards him, because when he asked her to stay by his side, he needed her to choose him of her ownvolition. He’d spent years feeling helpless, unable to make any decisions thanks to his debilitating illness. He’d be damned if he ever forced someone to remain with him if they weren’t wholeheartedly interested in doing so.
“I’m not sure I understand,” she said slowly. “What are you saying?”
“I—”
A shriek rose from within the chasm. The drawn-out, unexpected sound shattered the silence of Death Mountain. It was followed by a high-pitched scratching like claws being drawn along a sheet of flat shale.
Marius’s heart raced, and goosebumps pebbled his flesh.
“Did you hear that?” he asked at the exact moment that Vivienne pointed into the pit and said, “Something’s down there.”
A cool breeze blew past, and the temperature dropped. The crystals’ glow dimmed, and the darkness seemed to pulse beneath them.
Another ear-deafening shriek echoed through the space. It was a roar, an awakening, a warning to prey near and far. A predator was here, and it would not rest until it fed.
The scratching started again, and this time, it continued steadily like the beat of an executioner’s drum.
Marius’s magic thrashed in his veins.
Get out, get out, get out.
He swore. Such inconvenient timing. The rest of their conversation would have to wait.
Checking that his weapons were in place, Marius grabbed his pack and stood before turning back to Vivienne. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. Grabbing her sword, he gave it to her, waiting as she sheathed it across her back.
They shared a look as another shriek rose from the pit, and her mouth tightened. “We need to move swiftly.”
She didn’t need to tell him twice.
The silence was long forgotten as the mountain shook with angry roars. Rocks trembled, walls shuddered, and that sense of unease he’d felt ever since they entered the mountain increased ten-fold.
How long had they been in here?
Xander said he would be back at nightfall, but they had no way of knowing what time it was. They could have minutes or hours before the dragon shifter returned.
They needed to get out of here.