1. Nizuss

1

NIZUSS

"Your…your crown?" she stammered in confusion as I gazed up at her, taking in her beauty.

She looked like an avenging angel—fierce, deadly, and stunning. The backlight of the moon illuminated her dark wings, still splayed out behind her and draping onto the ground, contrasting the golden strands of her hair whipping in the wind.

I found it hard to focus on her question because none of that was important right now, especially if I didn't make it out of this. My kin's true secrets would be safe with me in death, so I didn't need to subject Kieran to information that could be tortured out of her. And considering everything we'd managed to hide from the angels in Alfemir…The information would be enough to bring the Archangels to their knees in shock.

I grimaced from a mixture of the searing pain in my side and the thought of her being placed in jeopardy with that knowledge. No, I could never allow that to happen.

Her hazel eyes scanned my face, searching for answers. While I wanted her to know every facet of who I was—to open myself up to her completely—I couldn't put that on her shoulders. Not after everything that was laid upon her with the reveal of her affinity.

The heat from Kieran's chest radiated into my palm, grounding me in the moment with her, and my eyes fluttered shut briefly. She deserved every ounce of peace this cruel, bloody world had to offer, if it even existed. My life would only bring further chaos to hers.

She blew out a ragged breath as her body shook beneath my palm, furiously demanding, "You open your eyes right now, Niz!"

What a demanding little thing.

My chest shook with a quiet chuckle as I opened my eyes and swept my gaze over her.

If you would have told me two years ago that an angel—a fallen one at that—would be my complete undoing, I would have laughed at the delusion of the joke. There was so much history, and so many divides, between our people. Feeling a connection to Ronan was shocking enough, but to give up my life for someone who hadn't even known what I was—someone who would never be accepted by my people to be at my side—was beyond my comprehension. I was supposed to assume the crown and marry a wyvern female capable of taking on the mantle of responsibility with me. Yet here I was, willingly giving up my life for a cause that meant so much to this golden-haired fallen angel.

I couldn't pinpoint the moment she'd coaxed my heart into the palm of her hand. Perhaps it was when I saw her failing throughout her affinity testing, yet maintaining the heart and bravery of an unyielding warrior. Or maybe it was when her eyes lit up the second they fell upon me. Whatever the case, I wouldn't change a single moment that led us to this very one.

"Better?" I mused, wishing I could drag her down to me and kiss the scrunched skin between her eyebrows that accompanied her admonishments.

I loved seeing the fire within her. Though I didn't know the depths of her life's story, it was clear as day to me that someone—or multiple someones—had crushed her beneath their heel, forcing her into a mold she never actually fit. As the days passed here, I watched her begin to emerge, like a phoenix reborn.

So beautiful, brave, and beyond what any of us deserved.

She glared at me, and the crinkle at the edges of her eyes pulled a small smirk to my lips.

"How are you joking at a time like this?"

Her astonishment shouldn't have been so adorable, but I was coming to realize that, to me, everything she did had an endearing quality wrapped within it.

It took every ounce of energy I had to lift my hand from her chest and up to her cheek. Leaning into it, Kieran cupped my hand against her skin, causing the softest smile to tug the corner of my lips up in response. I loved seeing the way she reacted to me, despite how confusing this likely was for her.

The seconds ticked by, and it felt as if the world around us fell away, leaving just us left in it. Leaving my family—my people—behind in Alfemir to follow Kieran here was a huge risk. As the crown prince, I had an obligation to my people, but the thought of her leaving without me wasn't an option my heart could handle for even a moment.

What was a throne to sit upon if my heart remained empty?

I knew she was worth falling for.

I knew she was mine .

Bliss.

That was the only word I could use to describe how it felt to have a moment of privacy between us. Yes, I knew I had a gaping wound running down the length of my body, and the warmth of my blood coating the entirety of my side didn't bode well for the outcome of this for me, but still…I was able to touch her, skin-to-skin. Finally.

"Niz," she breathed out, her eyes darting to my wound before her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I don't know how to help you. I can't carry you to the medical center myself, even with my increased strength from the runes Steele drew on my skin, and we'd have to cross the battlefield to get there. I…I…"

Running my thumb across her bottom lip, I cut her increasingly flustered words off, enraptured by how soft her skin was. They'd been pressed against my snout countless times, but through my scales, I hadn't been able to fully appreciate them.

Taking a deep, staggering breath, I lifted my free hand from the ground, bringing it slowly to my nose and tapping it as I kept my gaze trained on her. "I think I deserve a snout kiss for protecting the fallen angels, don't you?"

Surprised coated her features for a brief moment, and I was entranced by the way her mouth opened in a small gasp. If I were healed and she knew me better like this…What I wouldn't give to plunge my finger into her mouth and feel the way she'd wrap those velvety lips around it. The way her tongue would…

Her gaze narrowed as a gentle smile tugged at her lips. "I'll give you a snout kiss if you make it to the medical center. Deal?"

Her words snapped me out of the sensual daydream I had fallen into, bringing me to the present moment my body was struggling to hold on to, the void of unconsciousness calling for me with each passing second. The counter-offer from her had a hefty dose of Kieran-sass infused, but was somehow still full of warmth and tenderness. I wasn't sure how she managed it.

Truthfully, I wasn't sure we'd ever make it to the medical center, and I couldn't help the words that fell from me in response. "Perhaps it's what I need to find the energy to get there?"

I didn't want to tell her how grim this really was, not able to bear the sight of the pain it would bring her. I would maintain the facade and keep the energy between us light, until I simply faded away.

Her head tilted as she contemplated my words. She shocked me by moving wordlessly toward me seconds later. The fluttering of her lashes as she closed her eyes and pursed her lips captivated me. She closed the distance between us, seemingly to do exactly what I'd asked of her.

My stomach erupted with what I hoped was butterflies and not a rupturing organ, and I swallowed harshly. Being in this form made this feel so much more intimate, and I had never dared to dream of the chance that this might happen.

I wasn't sure when my head tilted, or if we both moved our bodies to accommodate a change of direction, but before I knew it, it wasn't my nose that her soft lips were pressed against. Shock seemed to cross through both of our tense bodies as our eyes suddenly met, but instinct took over and a rumble spread through my chest as her eyes closed once more. Her mouth opened, softening against mine and inviting me further into her touch.

Cursing the lack of strength in my body, I let her lead, enjoying every brush of her tongue and the soft, playful nip she gave me before pulling away until just our noses touched. Our breaths mingled for a moment, and I brushed my thumb along her jaw, soaking up this memory in any way that I could.

"Was that enough to motivate you to head to the medical center?" she breathed out, still playful in tone, but she couldn't hide the underlying fear that made her voice tremble.

Did I have even an ounce of strength to muster to attempt it?

"Kieran!"

The spell around us shattered, and I knew we wouldn't have another chance like this again. I barely resisted the urge to sigh in disappointment. Dropping my hand to my side, I accepted that this was so much more than I could have ever envisioned between us. It was more than enough to keep a smile on my face until the end.

She startled, pulling away from me entirely as her head swiveled to find the direction from where her name had been called. The brush out here was thick, and with being partially obscured by the lovely tree that broke my fall, we were at least decently hidden from unwanted eyes. Thankfully, I recognized the voice, but it didn't bring me the same joy it usually might.

Ronan.

While we had a deep bond—one that felt like a brotherhood to me—this revelation wouldn't be easy news for him to take. He felt deeply, and with a bad habit for knee-jerk reactions, I had no doubt this would feel like the biggest betrayal in his eyes. This would be an implosion, and I wasn't sure how far the blast radius would reach.

Her hand lifted, waving him down, but as my ears picked up on footsteps, I could tell he wasn't alone. Lovely.

Now Ronan was going to feel embarrassed in front of not just Kieran, but whomever was with him. This was going to be peachy. I let out a sigh but felt a tightness in my lungs, as if I couldn't breathe deeply. It felt as if water filled my lungs. A faint rasp echoed with the breath.

Looks like I had less time than I thought.

"Over here! We need help— now !" she yelled, the frantic tone she'd hidden from me now in full effect.

Hope had her firmly in its gnarled grasp now. How cruel to give her the idea that I could survive this. No one here had the abilities or the knowledge to heal a wyvern. While our skin appeared human-like in this form, it was entirely different. If a doctor tried to stitch me up the old-fashioned way, his needle—or any tool—would break with the force used to try to pierce my skin.

It was just entirely unlucky for me that one of the angels had a blade made of the very thing that was our weakness, a material that was guarded very closely on our lands because of that. I couldn't imagine the cost of the weapon, with its rarity, or why someone of a low enough rank to be sent to handle this battle would have one in their possession. Perhaps it was stolen, or passed down through generations, as there was no way it was new. Our lands were guarded too heavily in this day and age.

A thought sparked in my mind. Did he even realize the power he wielded with that weapon? If he did, he would have come to harm me the second I entered the battle.

The pounding sound of feet grew closer, and my eyes drifted shut, not wanting to see the confusion and eventual hurt on Ronan's face. I couldn't put this off, but dammit if I didn't want to face him like this. My lips twisted into a grimace. Time wasn't a friend to me, though, and how selfish would it be of me to not give him this truth?

It was one thing for Kieran to see this side of me. In a sense, the reveal gave me some closure to this last chapter, but Ronan…

"Kieran, what the hell?" he growled as I opened my eyes, appearing with Bastian and Gabe following closely behind. Weariness had settled into Gabe's frame, shoulders hunched and eyes sullen. Somehow Bastian looked like he'd just gotten a full twelve hours of sleep with the bounce in his step and grin on his face. Of course the fucker somehow got a boost from spilling blood.

All eyes swung onto me, and I couldn't help but lift my hand off the ground just slightly in the most pathetic wave.

Smooth, Niz .

What could I even say?

"Who is this, and where is Niz?" Ronan asked, demanded, in the same breath before scanning the area around us, as if I was hiding in my smaller wyvern form somewhere.

I really thought my green hair—that matched my wyvern form's underbelly—would have given it away. With the way his eyes kept darting toward me and away, I couldn't help but question if he was just in denial over my shift.

Silence ensued, though it was clear that Bastian and Gabe understood what had happened. They wore twin grim expressions, ones that had quickly replaced the shocked looks they'd worn for half a second upon first seeing me.

My chest clenched and a wet cough forced itself through my throat as the world spun on its axis. Wetness coated my lips, and I knew without tasting the liquid that it was blood. The tangy tastes of copper and impending death tinged my tastebuds, and I couldn't say that I was a fan of the flavor.

Kieran grabbed my hand, squeezing as she waited for me to settle before glancing back at Ronan. "This is Niz, Ronan. I saw him transform into this form at the very last moment before his wyvern form would have hit the ground."

Ronan froze as he stared down at me, brows raised and head titled before he opened his mouth, likely to deny it once more. His mouth closed and opened again as he shook his head from side to side. After a moment, he finally muttered, "No…that…that isn't possible…"

Bastian cut him off, walking to my side before dropping to rest on the balls of his feet. "You look like shit, bud."

A strangled laugh turned into a choking cough, but I couldn't help it. Bastian was definitely my favorite to fuck with in wyvern form, so I couldn't blame him for doing it in return now that he had a chance.

Anger swirled in the depths of Kieran's eyes and she reached out to swat his arm as she reprimanded, "Bastian! Read the room!"

"What, you don't want to be my friend anymore?" I joked softly, intrigued as his swirling eyes settled into a pale blue. "Here I was thinking about giving in to your attempts, at long last."

He turned his head up in indignation, showing off the crimson splatters soaked into his white hair on that side of his head. "It's too late for that. You missed out on a good thing. Once you're healed up, we'll see who's begging who to be friends. Mark my words, wyvern."

"As…" Gabe began, seeming confused and struggling to find the words. His brows furrowed, lips pulling into a tight line as his chest heaved with a heavy breath. Couldn't say I blamed him. "…touching," he finally settled on with a heavy exhale, "as this is between you both, we need to get him to the medical center, now ."

"But how are we going to get him to the medical center through the battle?" Kieran questioned as she backed up, allowing Gabe the space to lean down at my side.

He grunted as he and Bastian worked as a unit, picking me up between them as gingerly as they could. "We managed to push them back to the edge of our territory, so there's a small path of reprieve now."

I gritted my teeth, hard, trying to not cry out in pain at the way my body jostled as they began to move. I had to give it to them, though, they didn't even blink twice at carrying a naked man.

My heart plummeted as we passed Ronan. He stood, stoic, eyes glued to the spot where I had fallen, as if searching for the wyvern he loved.

"I'm right here, Ronan," I whispered in confirmation, needing him to accept this truth before there wasn't time left.

The silence was deafening as we left him behind, and the gaze I felt on the back of my head as the distance between us grew remained strong. He wasn't coming with us. He wasn't accepting this.

Suddenly the thought of him not being by my side in the end, alongside Kieran, made my chest seize, panic clawing at my mind.

"Kieran," I whimpered as a fresh wave of pain crawled through my body, causing my eyes to flutter closed briefly. "I need him there. Please."

While we didn't have the usual bond between a Tamer and beast, due to my dual nature, the side of me that was pure beast yearned for him like a part of my pack. So, as I felt the distance between us grow physically and mentally, the wyvern inside of me cried out in pain.

Perhaps it was selfish of me to expect him to be with me—after keeping my identity a secret—but I'd thought our bond might still be strong enough for him to look past it, if just for these final moments.

"I'll try," she breathed out, eyes hardening in the split second she glanced around us. Her shoulders set into a straight line and her chin tilted slightly. The look on her face screamed determination, and she offered me a tight nod before turning on her heel. "But you better fucking hang on until I get his ass there. Promise me that, Niz."

Swallowing down the bitter taste of my lie, I choked out, "I promise."

With a deep breath and a nod that wasn't convincing to either of us, she took off.

We both knew my ties to this life weren't certain with the severity of my wounds. I wanted, desperately, to promise her everything in that moment, but I knew that wasn't something I had any control over.