SEVENTY NINE

My head spins. My chest seizes. All I can see is red, all I can hear is the rush of blood in my ears.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

He’s dying.

Roman is dying.

My mate is dying.

My wolf erupts inside me, feral and grief-stricken. A strangled cry claws its way out of my throat.

Only when I turn do I notice the bodies, seven of them. Two dawn mage uniforms, the rest in assassin black, sprawled lifeless on the ground. Roman had taken them all down. Alone. And paid for it with this.

“Roman,” I choke, bringing my trembling hand to his cheek. His skin is like ice, his breaths shallow, ragged. The veins crawl faster, racing toward his brain.

“I-I haven’t healed anyone before,” I sob, “I tried. I’ve been trying… it didn’t work. Ezra—Ezra, is he going to die?”

Ezra’s flame bursts into being beside me, bigger and brighter than ever. His voice is firm. “Eldora, you can do this. Try.”

My whole body shakes. My heart claws against my ribs. I place my palm against Roman’s chest. Even in unconscious