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Chapter 23 - CompromiseImelda’s POVEverything happened so fast. Balthazar charged towards Garren. Though he was built like a giant, Balthazar knocked him to the ground with ease. I rolled out of the way just before Garren tossed him through the air, making him slam into the desk. I was expecting magic, fire, pure power. But instead, the two men fought like humans hitting each other with nothing but their fists. Beating each other bloody. My frozen tongue finally thawed as I felt the pain across my jaw and then my ribs and back. After fighting the bond and being so far away, it crashed into me with a vengeance. Unfortunately, they were both too consumed with hatred for one another to notice what was happening. I clutched my stomach as the jolt of pain rushed through me. I ground my teeth as I forced myself through the pain, standing up.
Chapter 24 - Untold TruthsAfter we all settled on what had happened in the study, Garren decided we needed to head somewhere less conspicuous. We also knew it was to prevent Balthazar from having any more time figuring out his way through the castle grounds. After he glamoured himself again, we headed out towards the warrior building. Jumping right into asking Balthazar how much he knew and what our best strategy should be.Even though the debriefing room was large, it felt tiny with the constant glares andsnide comments everyone seemed to make towards my mate. More than a few occasions were when I had to step outside to get some air because of how uncomfortable I was becoming. I slowly walked back to the room when I heard shouting. I quickened my pace, rushing into the room to make sure another brawl wasn't about to break out.“Well, I don’t like it. Wh
Chapter 25 - Love“Remember what I said. Once we get there, we will be out in the open. We must hurry on our horses and get for cover. The giants are cruel beings, and the monsters they are tasked with keeping from ever escaping their realms are even more ruthless.” Garren instructed as we all gathered around him. My hand tightened around my horse's reins, my knuckles turning white. Reaching to grip his shoulder with the other. I felt him tense as Balthazar rested his hand on his forearm. Mildred and Hunter following after him.“Don’t let go and ready your feet for the drop.” We all nodded. I shifted my feet apart, bending my knees to prepare for the impact. Garren opened the map switching it to the realm of the giant's.“Dalir.” As the words left his lips, the world around us began
Chapter 26 - HurtI ran through the thick of the forest—the taunting of the night creatures gaining on me. My foot snagged a root throwing me into the ground. My face smacking off the dark earth, my nose crunching under pressure. I didn't have time to stop the bleeding or fix the break. I only had time to get up and continue running. I could hear the howls and snarls growing closer with each passing second.“Immeldaa.” The voice taunted as it hunted me. I was the prey, and it was the predator, a role I was never meant to play. The voice was a haunting echo mixed between demonic and a phantom whisper.I scrambled to get back on my feet. My knees threatening to collapse beneath me. I could feel my face already bruising, breathing becoming harder as my nasal passages swelled shut. My heart pounded in my chest, threatening to break through my rib cage. Sweat
Chapter 27 - MatesBalthazar’s POVI couldn’t get the way she felt against me as she slept out of my head. Every thought seemed to circle back to her head, resting on my chest. The sigh of relief she gave when I held her tight made my heart race, the warmth of her body matching mine. When I finally pushed the thoughts of her away. It was as if Terra was taunting me herself. The breeze would shift, and the smell of vanilla and chocolate would find a way to me, bringing them all back.The ride through the forest was only a temporary distraction. Once we made camp, I had nothing to keep my mind or hands busy. My thoughts kept pushing me to be near her. Talk to her, do anything to get her attention. I felt like a kid trying to earn the love of a pet. No, a pet wasn't a good comparison or was it. I don’t know an
Chapter 28 - InfectionThe familiar sparks were what continued to bring me back to consciousness as we raced through the fields. I could hear the shouts of everyone around me but was too out of it to understand anything they were saying. The constant sound of a beating heart was the only thing that really confirmed I was still here. I began to have lucid dreams, my body overheating as it fought whatever infection was trying to take hold. I felt my body shiver as blackness pulled me under once again.“Imelda.” A voice whispered.“Just a little longer.” I groaned, my voice not sounding the same as it usually did. The voice who called for me becoming clearer as they laughed.“My sweet girl. If you sleep too long, you will miss the falling stars. You don’t want to miss the
Chapter 29 - Lost Imelda’s POV Everything hurt. I felt as though I was the dummy used for sparring classes. Just breathing causes a great deal of discomfort. But the heat, the unbearable heat, was gone. I no longer felt like my skin was on fire. My body felt like it was made of lead, and it ached like I was the focus of target practice, but that all meant one thing. One thing that allowed me a chance to endure the aches and the heaviness. It meant I was alive and that eventually, I would be able to continue on with what I had set out to do. I could hear a soft snore beside me and the shuffling of footsteps on a wooden floor that sounded far away. My senses slowly began to come back to me. A new realization setting in, one I wasn’t sure I wanted to see. There wasn’t the sound of a fire burning or the sound of the trees swaying in the breeze. Instead, the ground beneat
Chapter 30 - A PromiseTwo weeks have passed since we were attacked. Two weeks had passed since we thought we lost Balthazar. It had been two long weeks since I experienced the most breathtaking kiss of my life and walked away. I have had many dreams of it since then. They would start differently but always end the same. Me turning my back on him, too afraid to see his face.When we returned, everyone was angry with him, but he was back to his usual self—laughing at the hatred and making his opinions on this travel known. The only difference now was how distant he was with me, how he would avert his gaze from me. Make sure to never speak to me directly.I thought I wouldn’t care, but I was so wrong. I couldignore how he made me feel, forget how good his skin felt on mine, but I couldn’t. It haunted my