The moment my lips left hers, the world snapped back into focus—but nothing felt the same. My breath came in ragged gasps, my pulse thundering in my ears, and it wasn’t from the battle. It was from her.
I hadn’t planned to kiss her. I hadn’t even thought about it. My body had just moved—instinct overriding reason, driven by the sheer terror of nearly losing her. When I saw her falling toward the magma, I was frozen. Useless. My heart had nearly stopped. I knew I wouldn’t reach her in time. I was going to watch her die.
Then her wings had snapped out, catching the air, saving her at the last possible second—and my entire body had gone weak with relief.
That feeling—raw, gut-wrenching—had ripped something open inside me. When she landed, alive and burning with that impossible power, somet
