No! she wanted to scream. Stop!

Her emotions were still muted, as though she was watching a dream unfold before her. Yet she was all too vividly aware of the details. The blood spraying from Asa’s body as the villagers threw the glowing blue blade between them, hacking and stabbing into his flesh. The roars of pain echoed in her ears. The smell of smoke and coppery blood. It was all too real to be a dream, but she couldn’t make herself move.

Asa thrashed, throwing off humans as they climbed onto his body to stab kitchen knives into the wounds made by the glowing blade. The scars on his back where wings once were seemed all the more vivid with the sun gleaming down on him.

“Look at him,” Sherwood murmured into her ear. She hadn’t even been aware that he had come to stand next to her. “They’re killing him, but he’s still trying to be gentle with them. Is this the brave warrior you wanted, little flame? The man who would let himself die?”

The man who refuses to hurt others who are not in control of their actions, Willow thought, but it was different words that came from her mouth. “Why do you call me little flame? Is it just because of my red hair?”

Sherwood chuckled and swatted her butt, an action that should have had her skin crawling. “I call you little flame because that’s what you are. You have all the strength of a candle facing a hailstorm.”

Her mind twisted itself in circles as she fought the thrall. Sherwood himself said he always underestimated the strength of humans . . . There had to be something that she could slip past this spellbinding her . . . “He could be useful. Or is he too powerful for you?”

Sherwood’s expression darkened for a moment, then laughed. “A dragon under my thrall . . . Yes, he could be useful.”

The fairy spread his arms, golden sparks starting to dance along his arms. Willow tried to make herself move, to attack him. The bracelet shot out the white-hot pain. But this time, she didn’t react to it. She couldn’t. Her body stayed upright, her arms limp by her sides, her gaze facing straight ahead.

There was a sudden cry from the group of villagers. Asa’s tail whipped out, knocking them all back. He grabbed the man holding Sherwood’s blade and hurled him into a wall. The man crumpled and was still. Asa crouched down, eyes roving over the villagers as they started for him. Then, all of a sudden, he launched himself into the air like a serpent striking. Blood splashed onto the asphalt as he leaped over the villager’s heads. He landed with a shudder right beside Willow. Sherwood cursed and a bolt of lightning arced through the air.

Asa’s hand lashed out. It closed around her and instantly her body fought him. Her feet kicked and her hands pounded against his chest as he pulled her in close. But then they were running. His huge body crashed through the trees as he raced from the village and Sherwood, leaving it all behind.

***

Tall cedars swept the ground with their veil-like leaves. A creek tumbled over smooth stones close to where Asa stopped. He panted for breath, and when he shifted back to his humanoid form, it seemed like the cuts on his body spurted out even more blood. Willow gazed impassively at the flowing wounds, though she knew she ought to be feeling . . . something.

“Willow.” Asa’s hands cupped her face. “Willow, are you in there?’

Yes. Her jaw remained glued shut.

Asa started looking over her, his hands gentle as he probed. Looking for injuries? Willow didn’t know. They were far enough from Sherwood now that she was no longer fighting against Asa, but the thrall was too strong for her to have her own actions.

“Willow.” His voice was like a caress on her face. “Willow, speak to me. Please.”

He cupped her face and stared into her eyes. The worry and pain there made her heart hurt so bad it was sure to kill her. She managed to swallow and opened her mouth, but nothing came out. When she said goodbye to him, she had at least been able to kiss him. Now? She couldn’t even speak. Her arm twitched. That was the best she could do. Her eyes filled with tears, blurring his face.

“Willow . . . ” His lips brushed against hers, gently. “Whatever he did to you, I promise I’ll undo it. I will go to the ends of the earth. I love you.”

I love you, too. Willow closed her eyes. Channeling all her strength, she managed to bring her hand up. The one that had the bracelet on it. Her fist struck Asa’s chin, but she was able to hold herself there, rigidly, showing him the band.

His hands closed over her wrist. Blinding pain shot through her skull. Her brain was being fried, her body liquefied from the inside out—

And then it was over. Her knees buckled and she collapsed against him. Her whole body trembled and she sucked in deep breaths, fighting to stay conscious. Bile churned in her stomach but she choked it back down. Eventually, she was able to stand on her own two feet again. She wound her fingers into Asa’s hair and kissed him hard, trying to put all her emotions into that kiss.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

Asa smiled at her, then fell to his knees. His wounds still gushed blood.

“What’s wrong?” Her breath caught in her throat. “Why aren’t you healing? Asa, what did he do to you?”

He clung to her hand and shook his head. “Give me a moment.”

Willow dropped to her knees beside him. Her arms wrapped around his strong body, holding him upright.

After a moment, his eyes opened again. “Sherwood got his hands on a fairy blade. I haven’t seen one since the rebellion that killed Quinn’s parents and my own. It slows healing significantly and can cut through dragons like butter. A similar blade is how I lost my wings. I thought that they had all been destroyed.”

“Sherwood has been planning this for generations of dragons,” Willow replied, remembering what the fairy had told her. “He’s been stockpiling his magic or something . . . And he’s the one that started that rebellion. He’s bound to Quinn’s line. If Quinn and his unborn child die, then Sherwood will be free. He wants to destroy the world.”

Asa grunted as he pushed himself back to his feet. “We won’t let him.” His knees buckled and he went down again. His head bent and he panted, skin pale. “I’m not going anywhere. You’ll have to go. Get back to the city and tell Quinn. Warn them.”

Willow swallowed hard. She looked around but saw nothing familiar. Even the mountains were obscured by the trees. “I’d never be able to find my way there. I have no idea where we are and I was never one for exploring. Until you came, I was never more than half a click from the village.”

“You have to.”

“I’d get lost and we’d both die.” Willow rushed to a plant with cluster of white flowers. “But I do know herbs. I often treated the sheep or dogs when they got hurt. This is yarrow. I can use it to help stop the bleeding.”

She quickly got to work, collecting what she needed from the plants. Asa lay on the ground, panting. Sweat beaded his skin and tendrils of smoke rose from his gaping mouth. Willow had no idea what that meant, but she shoved aside her worries and concentrated on caring for his wounds. She talked to him as she did so, telling him about all the things they were going to do once he was better and Sherwood had been defeated.

At some point, his eyes fluttered closed. Willow feared the worst, but shortly after, the still-oozing wounds stopped bleeding. The yarrow was helping – or it was his natural healing abilities. In either case, she began to wash his body and clean the wounds to stop infections from setting in. Color returned to his face. His shallow breathing deepened.

Clouds crowded over the sun and a light rain started to fall. She didn’t have the knife or hatchet she would have liked, but Willow still managed to make a rudimentary lean-to to keep the rain away as she stayed with Asa. How many times had she built one of these to hide from severe weather with Jax curled up beside her while the sheep huddled together, bleating in complaint against the rain?

Now she lay against Asa’s body, trying to spread herself over him enough to share her warmth with him. What would happen next? She had no idea, but there was one thing that she did know.

If they were going to die, they were going to die together. And if Sherwood wanted to burn the world, he would burn first. They would not let him win.