Chapter 25

Death would hit him hard.

Luke knew that.

Always did.

Didn’t expect it to be so.... Well, stupid. While part of him knew in these last moments, he should be angry, he wasn’t.

Irritated. He felt like this was a cosmic joke. Like Fate was mocking him for his past. Shot in the chest and falling to his death? It pissed him off that Dumol had killed him—

Thud.

He hit hard. And started to change direction.

But it wasn’t the ground that he’d hit.

Instead, he had been caught.

By Morrigan.

“What? Morrigan?” He glanced around. And oh, wow, how his chest hurt.

They were flying.

Wind whipped over him, and he would have loved it, but they hit the ground hard. Slammed into the grass, and he was covered.

Morrigan’s wings covered them both, like a cocoon.

They were beautiful.

Golden.

Shining.

Her whole demeanor was shining. She even wore a golden crown.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, and caressed a feather of her wing.

She stroked his cheek. “So are you.”

He smiled, though even that hurt. He coughed, and his chest hurt even worse.

He knew this was it.

Not how he wanted to go, but this was it.

He glanced in her eyes again. “I love you,” he said.

She stroked his face. “You’re not going to die on me,” she said with a smile, her eyes glistening in tears. “You have a future. I can see it.” Tears poured out.

“I screwed up,” he said. “Didn’t see...” He reached up. At least, he tried to, if only to touch her face again. Wipe away the tears she shed.

“You did great,” she said. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.” Tears rained down.

He smirked. Coughed.

Tried to wipe away her lie. But he couldn’t. He was too weak. The blood poured out of him.

“Only with you,” he said, and coughed. “Don’t cry.”

“Luke,” she whispered, her voice choking. “I—”

And all went dark.