25. Xavier

Chapter 25

Xavier

T he cavern was too still, the kind of silence that followed devastation, thick and suffocating. The world was falling apart around us, but it was right here in this little bubble, everything was dead, gone, ripped apart and broken.

Smoke and the sharp tang of blood lingered in the air, mingling with the acrid odor of spent magic. I knelt in the devastation, cradling Vale’s lifeless body against my chest. Her head lolled, her black hair tangled and streaked with blood and ash, stark against the pale hue of her lifeless body.

She was cold. Too cold.

I’d felt death before—seen it too many times to count. But none of it had prepared me for this.

Not her .

“Vale,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I pressed my forehead to hers. The warmth of my tears traced down her cheek, mingling with her dried blood.

She didn’t stir.

She didn’t move.

Behind me, Idris’ massive dragon form shifted, his claws scraping against stone as he paced. The cavern trembled faintly beneath his weight, the heat of his presence palpable even from here. But he hadn’t come closer.

Not once.

“She’s gone,” he growled, his voice low and guttural, vibrating in my mind through the bond we shared. “I felt her die.”

My chest felt like it was caught in a vise, his words a blade twisting deep. “No,” I rasped, shaking my head. “She’s not gone. She can’t be.”

“You think I don’t want to believe that?” Idris snapped, his voice sharper, angrier. His golden eyes burned as they locked onto mine, molten fury radiating off him. “I felt it, Xavier. She’s dead.”

“She’s not !” My shout echoed through the cavern, loud enough to make Kian, who stood silent in the shadows, lift his gaze. My grip on Vale tightened, as though holding her closer would somehow pull her back from wherever she’d gone.

“Please, baby. Please. Come back to us.”

Idris snarled, his wings flaring as he turned away. His massive form was tense, every muscle coiled tight as if the sheer force of his grief and rage would tear him apart. But he didn’t come closer. He wouldn’t. Not even as the castle rocked with another blast, as the ceiling above us crumbled.

“Idris,” I whispered, my voice clogged with tears I didn’t want to let free. “She broke herself for you. For us. And you won’t even?—”

Already I felt the surge of my power, the dam breaking as magic flooded back to us. I wanted so badly to heal her, to pull her back, but I knew it was above me now. And if he didn’t believe in her—if he didn’t trust that Fate would never be this cruel—we would never get her back.

“Stop.” His command was a growl, low and lethal. He turned his head slightly, one blazing golden eye fixing on me. “If I touch her... if I let myself believe for even a second that she could come back... and she doesn’t...” His voice cracked, the words hanging heavy in the air. “I won’t survive it.”

My throat burned with unshed tears, but I didn’t look away. “You’re her mate,” I whispered, the words raw. “If you don’t hold her now, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Idris didn’t answer. He didn’t move. He only stared at her limp form in my arms, her bloody fingers, her still chest.

Kian stepped forward, his boots scuffing against the stone. His amber eyes flicked to me, then to Vale, his expression unreadable. “She wouldn’t give up on us,” he said, his voice low and rough. “We won’t give up on her.”

“She’s already gone,” Idris muttered, the words almost too soft to hear. “I can’t—I love her too much. Please don’t let me hope.”

“She’s still here ,” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “I can feel it.”

Kian moved closer, kneeling beside me. His claws flexed, his gaze flicking over Vale’s still form before meeting mine. Slowly, deliberately, he placed a hand over her chest, where her heart should have been beating. His eyes widened, and he nodded.

“Not a heartbeat, but magic,” he murmured, his voice a mixture of wonder and desperation.

Idris froze, his massive frame going utterly still. His wings folded tight against his back as he turned, his claws scraping against the stone. He loomed over us, his golden eyes narrowing as if daring us to lie.

“Check for yourself,” I said, my voice raw as I stared up at him. “Feel it, Idris.”

For a moment, he didn’t move. Then, with a low rumble of hesitation, he lowered his massive head. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, his gaze locked on Vale’s lifeless form. Slowly, carefully, his snout pressed to her chest.

His golden eyes widened, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw hope flicker in their depths.

“It’s there,” he rumbled, his voice softer now, almost reverent. “It’s faint, but it’s there.”

Relief surged through me, stealing my breath. My hands tightened on Vale’s shoulders as I leaned down, my lips brushing her temple. “Vale, come back to us,” I whispered. “Please.”

But she didn’t stir.

Idris stepped back, his wings twitching, doubt clouding his thoughts. “She’s gone too far,” he said, his voice hollow. “Whatever’s left... it won’t be enough.”

“You don’t know that,” I snapped, glaring up at him. “We’ve all come back from the brink before. Why is she any different?”

“Because she’s dead, Xavier,” Idris growled, his tail lashing against the cavern floor. “Not dying. Not hurt. Dead. No bond, no heartbeat, no soul left to hold onto.” His golden eyes burned as they locked onto mine. “I begged her not to. I begged, and still, she sacrificed everything. You think I don’t want to save her? That I wouldn’t trade places with her in an instant? But this—this is beyond any of us.”

I looked down at Vale, my tears falling freely now. Her chest didn’t rise, her heart didn’t beat, but there was something . A flicker of warmth, a faint hum of magic lingering beneath her skin. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

“She’s not gone,” I said softly, the words more for myself than anyone else. “Not yet.”

The cavern fell silent once more, the oppressive weight of grief settling over us. Idris turned away again, his tail snapping as his gaze turned to the fight above us. “I’ve lost her—my love, my Queen, my heart. I won’t lose my kingdom with it.”

Kian rested a hand on my shoulder, his touch gentle despite the rawness of his emotions.

“We’ll fight for her,” he said, his voice steady. “Whatever it takes.”

I nodded, though my chest ached with the weight of it all.

“Stay with her,” I whispered, my heart aching, but knowing only Kian could keep her safe right then. “I’ll watch over him.”

Whatever it took, I’d bring her back. Because losing Vale...

That wasn’t something any of us could survive.