SOLANA
I didn't even realize the scream was mine until the taste of blood filled my mouth.
Colors bled together, sound fading in and out. One moment I was standing behind Roman, my hand pressed to the little girl's back, feeling her tiny heartbeat against mine. The next, there was a crack that split the air apart, and then something struck me on the chest.
"Solana." My name sounded like it hurt him to say.
I looked down first, because my mind refused to understand. The child in my arms was crying. She was safe, thank the goddess, but my dress was blooming crimson.
The pain came a second later. A slow, crawling fire from my chest to my spine. My knees buckled. Roman caught me before I hit the ground.
"Stay with me," he rasped, wrapping one arm around me, the other pressed hard against
