“I don’t—” Araya’s words cut off as she stared at the fresh blood streaking his arms. It welled around the edges of the manacles, dripping over bruised and bloody knuckles. “Gods—” she stepped forward without thinking. “Whathappened?”
Loren froze as she took his hand, cradling the bruised and broken flesh carefully in her own. He’d hit something—the floor if she had to guess—hard and repeatedly. She didn’t have much gift with Healing, but she’d spent enough time with Serafina to guess that he had several broken bones in addition to the terrible wounds from the iron.
“You shouldn’t touch me,ael’sura.” He winced, his voice rough as he gently brushed her hands away. His fingers lingered a moment too long against her skin before falling away, curling into fists at his sides. “Are you alright? If he’s hurting you I will kill him?—”
“He’s not hurting me!” Araya stared at him, her eyes wide with alarm. “Youcannotkill him, Loren.”
“You protected him in my cell, too.” He growled, low in his throat. “He doesn’t deserve it,ael’sura. I saw him take your power. That kind of violation—” he shook his head, like he was too furious to continue. “Do you know what he said about you? He said he owned you—body, magic, and life.”
“Well…he does—technically.” Araya rubbed thely’ithrarune at the base of her thumb. “He’s my bond. We share power all the time. He was just a little too rough with it this time?—”
“He’s yourwhat?” He recoiled like she’d struck him, chains rattling as he jerked a step back. Something jerked in her chest, snapping tight like a thread pulled taut. His gaze dropped to her hand, fixing on the rune inked there. “You gave him your name?”
“All fae give the Arcanum their name,” she snapped, not caring for the judgement in his tone. “Jaxon purchased my bond from them—which I consented to. Trust me, it’s a better life?—”
Loren scoffed, his expression twisting in disbelief. “Fae would never give up their true names.”
Araya straightened, indignation flaring hot and bright. Was he accusing her oflying? She was nearly as fae as he was—and just as bound by the truth.
“The law mandates that anyone over half-fae surrender their true name and accept thely’ithrarune,” she said, her voice heated. “If you refuse, they torture you.”
“There are fates worse than torture.” Loren bared his teeth at her, the sharp points of his canines flashing. “You gave them the power to do anything they wanted to you.”
“I wasseven.” Her voice wavered, but she set her jaw, willing fire into her eyes as she glared at him. “They told me they wouldn’t kill my mother if I gave them my name.” A bitter laugh scraped her throat. “They lied.”
Loren froze, the chains rattling faintly as his grip slackened at hissides. His green eyes flickered with something she couldn’t quite place—anger, pity, or perhaps both. “Ael’sura—” he started.
Araya cut him off. “They killed her right in front of me before they clipped my ears and inked thely’ithrarune on my hand. Then they sent me to live at Kaldrath. The Arcanum called it a school for fae orphans…but it was more like a prison. Theyre-educatedus—anyone caught using a call name or speaking Valenya was beaten until they forgot the words. I saw it happen over and over again.”
Loren’s face darkened as she spoke, his gaze flicking to the jagged tip of her ear. He opened his mouth but Araya plunged forward, looking away so she wouldn’t have to face the pity she was certain she would see in his eyes.
“A lot of us died there. My first week, one of the older boys tried to run. They caught him before he even made it to the gates and hung him up there—as a warning to the rest of us.”
“Fae live in slums now,” she continued, the heat leaking out of her voice. “Crammed together in crumbling, damp ruins that aren’t fit for beasts, let alone people. So many get sick—or disappear. Females…the Arcanum incentivizes breeding with humans, to strengthen their bloodlines—” Loren hissed at that, but Araya ignored him. “Males are drained, worked until they break, then discarded and left to die like trash.”
“Your people are being ground down to nothing,Your Highness.” She forced herself to look up then, to meet the horror in his eyes. “So don’t youdarejudge them for giving up their names. Hate me if you want—but I willneverbe sorry for choosing a life where I’m safe and fed. WhereIget to raise my children instead of having them ripped from my arms and given to a human family—or worse, sent somewhere like Kaldrath.”
“I don’t hate you,ael’sura,” Loren said, his bright eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I’m just sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you.”
Araya blinked, startled. An apology was the last thing she had expected.
“I suggested you see a Healer,” she said after a moment, her voice quieter now.
“Don’t ask for favors on my behalf,” Loren said sharply. “I won’t have you paying the price.”
Araya scowled at him, but before she could argue the dream rippled around them, pitching her forward. Loren caught her, his arms closing around her instinctively. He surrounded her, the sudden contact sending a shock through her like she’d plunged into icy water. Something in her chesthummed, reaching?—
Loren flinched, releasing her and stepping hastily away.
“What was that?” Araya demanded breathlessly.
“You’re waking up,” Loren said.
Araya narrowed her eyes at him. That was atrickyanswer if she’d ever heard one. “That’s not?—”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t tell anyone about these dreams--especially not Jaxon. Promise me you won’t?—”
Before she could even think about answering, the dream jolted again, shattering into a thousand pieces around her. Araya gasped, dragging air into her lungs like she’d been drowning. Her eyes snapped open, her heart pounding as they locked with Jaxon’s warm brown stare.
