“I had to regain her trust,” I argued. “She would never come willingly with me if she didn’t believe I was hers,” I said, trying anything to keep him talking while I prayed to the Fates that whatever this poison was would wear off quickly enough for meto call upon my shadows and get us out of here. I had to find a way to return to Illiana.
Thames snickered. “Ah, ah, Kade, you’relying. My darkness is everywhere. It lives and breathes with me. It lives and breathes here.” He shoved a finger to my chest and let his eyes roam up and down with a gaze of utter repulsion. “There’s nothing you can hide from me. Youwantyour mate bond. Youloveher. Pathetic. It made you weak, so I will have to kill her myself.”
“If you touch one hair on her head, I swear death will seem like agift.” I pulled against the chains holding me back, but it was useless. I couldn’t move. My shadows hadn’t returned, even though they fought aggressively within me for purchase.
Without any magic, I was completely vulnerable to anything Thames wanted to do to me. But worse, I couldn’t get free of these damn chains to protect Lana.
“You know,” he murmured as he returned to his seat slowly, “I was going to kill her after using you, but how wonderful would it be to kill her in front of you. Her and that bitch Cassandra. I will watch that bond break as she dies, and you will know then, there’s no way to escape your fate.”
Thames collapsed into his chair, laughing to himself. “I like this plan. Get comfortable,” he snapped. “You’re going to be here until you die. You are my most prized possession after all, the one that has been fueled by the darkness the longest. Since the day of your birth, you have been infected with my will. You are the last and final piece I need to complete my weapon.”
“I will never go willingly,” I grunted. “It will be for nothing.”
Sipping his amber liquid, Thames looked calm and relaxed. “The amount of darkness living inside of you is more than enough, whether you’re willing or not. You alone would, most likely, be enough. The rest are merely my insurance.”
He sickened me. Sweat dampened my skin as the lava surged with each Fae continuing to sacrifice themselves below us. Suddenly, I stopped jerking against the restraints, instead trying to dig inside of myself to release my magic from Thames’s hold.
“It’s useless,” he said with a laugh. “You will be fed into the volcano, and the world will be covered in darkness. I will be king to people devoted tome. There is no sacrifice that can save Atheria this time. You’ll lose everything, and I will be untouchable against the Fates themselves.”
Chapter 30
Ian
“Idon’t understand how Lucien has magical abilities that are supposed to help us,” Lana said, hands resting on her hips as she paced around her private garden.
Still midsummer, the massive rows of hedges still protected us from any outside view despite their decayed state. Though the garden lay deadened like nature and life in Ellevail currently, it had been the only truly private place we could think of. The palace and most of Ellevail remained in a state of chaos as staff and Fae we trusted restored order.
Still, I didn’t miss the pained expression on Lana’s face when we assembled here and she took in the sight. She’d immediately wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold it together. This had been her special place with Corbin, a world they’d created together. Seeing it destroyed after losing him pained me. I could only imagine how it made her feel.
“I told you the pugron understood us,” I murmured, shrugging while trying to distract her from our surroundings. “You were the one who didn’t listen.”
Her gaze snapped to mine and she narrowed her eyes, even though her lips quirked ever so slightly. It was the closest thingto a smile I could ask for at the moment. “Understanding us and possessing some kind of magic are two very different things.”
I crossed my arms, watching her intently as she paced again. Strands of her hair whispered in the breeze, falling disheveled from her loose braid, and the dark circles under her eyes had deepened through the night.
A few hours had passed since we left the library, just as confused as when we entered. When Vivienne and Cassandra left us, they indicated we needed to meet them here at daybreak. We took that time to set up shifts for our people to bury the dead and begin cleaning up Andras’s mess of our capital. With all our stomachs rumbling, we needed to take a moment to regroup.
Kalliah managed to wrangle up breakfast. Now most of us sat along the stone benches in silence, eating various fruits and sweet breads. Storm stood stoically, tracking all of Lana’s movements, watching her as if he thought she might disappear next.
Storm and I only had a few moments to talk in between the chaos. Both of us were in full agreement on one thing—convincing Lana of our plan would be tricky because it required her to stay behind. But it was theonlyway.
Vivienne and Cassandra claimed Lucien was the key to helping us. The shock of that statement lasted all of two seconds before I remembered how often he’d randomly appeared throughout the palace.
The problem now would be ensuring Lana remained here while we made our way to Firestone. There was no other choice. Heading to Mysthaven couldnotinclude her. In the end, she would be the one to defeat Thames, and right now, she wasn’t ready for that. If we did anything to risk her life or chance Thames getting to her too soon, everything would be over.
Lana stopped pacing to stretch but immediately winced as she twisted her back.
Storm stepped forward, stopping her motions. “Your tattoo is still healing, be gentle with your movements. You don’t want to cause any more friction than necessary for at least one more day.”
“Okay, okay,” she sighed. “I’m just tired and so damn worried.”
Storm nodded. “I know. Me too.”
“Lana.” I stared at her, determined to convince her as soon as possible to go along with staying behind. “I know you’re dealing with so much right now. You’re concerned about Kade, you want to help with figuring out the weapon, but we can’t risk potentially running into Thames while we gather more details.” I sipped at the tart juice in my cup before swirling it around. I took any distraction for a break from having this conversation with the one woman who might stab me for demanding she sit anything out.
Well, except my mate. I glanced toward Raya, who gave me a small encouraging nod before looking at Lana. The fierce glare she wore appeared weaponized to kill. “Besides, you just won your home back. You’re needed to start rebuilding and to provide some stability for your people here. You are their queen. How would it look if you left again?”
“So you want me to send all of you off to destroy a weapon we know nothing about while I sit here?”
