174: Ada's POV
174: Ada's POV
Rather than realizing I wouldn’t be able to understand any of them if they all kept talking, they all seemed to continue to try to talk over one another. Calm voices became chaotic screams, and their red faces all stared at me with gaping eyes. I kicked my foot in the sand, sending grains flying in all directions. The scream that came from between my lips was primal— more like a loud wail to drown them out and make them hear me.
One by one, they all stopped talking. Once the silence had returned, I sucked in a deep breath. “I’m pretty sure I just almost fucking died, so if you all could refrain from screaming at me,” my chest heaved with each breath I was taking, “I would really fucking appreciate it.”
Nik smirked, black beard glinting in the sunlight. “None of us really know what happened. Only that you, Bryant, and Heath are completely depleted right now.”
My head whipped around until Bryant was in my view again. He held up a flask, nodding as he rolled his eyes, “No portals will be coming from me anytime soon.”
Ice and fire wouldn’t form at my fingertips on command. Shadows wouldn’t come forth when I called. I nodded slowly. “Is it just due to how much we had to use, or is it Velentaria?”
Darius shrugged, running a hand over his stubbled chin. “No way of knowing until a bit of time passes.”
“Well, I agree with Blade and Dagger on that,” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out toward the distant mountains. “We can’t stay here and recoup. Velentaria will be able to sense the magick we— actually, she was probably the one who attacked us in the first place. She definitely knows we’re here.”
“What the hell happened to the fleet you guys took with you?” Nik arched an eyebrow.
“A sickness,” Paul growled, “From tainted food or a spell. I’m not sure which.”
“And it killed everyone but you seven?” Darius’s eyes widened. When Paul nodded, Darius glanced at Nik. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
Nik shook his head, shoving his hands into his worn pants pockets. “No. A plague has been making its way through the Kingdom. We haven’t seen any survivors that weren’t Velentaria loyalists.”
“Other than all of us,” Heath said weakly.
Darius and Nik nodded in agreement. Phoenix cleared his throat. “There’s not much we can do about any of that now.” He ran a hand through his short and shaggy hair. “We need to focus on what we do right now.”
I took a shaky step toward the woods. “I know a place near here. We can stay as long as we need to.”
A hand gripped my elbow tightly as I started to walk away. I turned to find Blade holding onto me. His eyes were narrowed into little slits as he stated lowly, “No one and nowhere is safe right now.”
“This is the best chance we have,” I ripped my arm from his grasp, schooling my expression so the sharp pain that was radiating up my arm didn’t show. “It’s hidden. No one but me ever knew about it. Nik can ward it, and we can take shifts guarding.”
“We can start moving toward her. She won’t expect—”
“Heath cannot make that journey,” I cut him off sharply, loud enough for everyone to hear. “To be frank, I’m not sure I can either right now. So unless you want to leave me behind, I suggest you get on board.”
The others in the group exchanged looks. Dagger let out a whistle, chuckling as he walked over to us and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Let’s get supplies together so that we can move Heath, brother.”
Blade glared at me, jaw ticking, as his brother pulled him away. Nik, Phoenix, and Darius all stepped over to me. Phoenix placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Glad you’re alive, Ada. I’ll give the three of you a minute.”
Darius pulled me into a tight hug before I could even think of a response for Phoenix. My arms slowly wrapped around his torso, my body relaxing into the embrace. His lips pressed against the hair on top of my head softly. He released me, his grape hyacinth eyes glinting in the daylight. Without a word, he tossed Nik a glance and turned on his heel. He went straight for the distant shipwreck, trailing after his brother.
Nik’s onyx eyes met mine, and a lump formed in my throat. It was hard for me to not think of the last time we’d seen each other— when he’d been screaming after me, begging me not to go with Heath. It had felt like a piece of my heart had been torn from my chest as that portal closed behind me. The pain worsened when I realized I couldn’t tell him I was okay. It hadn’t become any more bearable with time, but I hoped I had been pretty good at hiding it.
My lower jaw trembled as my hands flexed at my sides, “Nik, I—”
“You don’t have to say anything, Ada.” he took a step forward. His hands cupped my cheeks as he leaned down, pressing his lips against mine tenderly. “I know there’s a lot we need to catch up on, and we will. But, for now, I’m okay with just being grateful that you’re alive and back with us.”
“But we really should—”
“And we will. We’ll talk about Blade and Dagger and all of the adventures you went on,” he tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, “We’ll even talk about what’s changed between you and Phoenix, because something certainly has,” his smile was slow and as soft as his voice was, “I know there is so much for us to share.”
Tears pricked my eyes. I glanced over his shoulder, at the distant shoreline where his brothers were. My heart was thudding in my chest. “I don’t think you understand how much I’ve missed having you in my head.”
Nik chuckled, placing a chaste kiss against my lips. “I also find great comfort in having you there, so I definitely understand, love.”
I managed a watery smile for him. “We should probably go help.”
“Probably.” he weaved his fingers through mine, starting across the sandy shore. “You seem a lot more capable than when you left us. Perhaps I shouldn’t have worried about you quite as much.”
“Oh, no,” I laughed quietly, “You definitely should have. But you’re also right— I am more capable. I’m more sure of some things than I was before.”
Nik arched an eyebrow, squeezing my hand once before letting go just as we reached where his brothers were. “Well, I definitely can’t wait to hear more about that.”