“Come on, Starling.” Jaxon’s hand tightened slightly on her shoulder, his tone still coaxing. “You’re not thinking clearly. You’re not a Healer, and nothing in that bag can fix this.” He leaned closer, cupping her jaw and angling her face toward him. “The best thing you can do right now is come with me so Aeron can go fetch Serafina.”
Araya stared down at Loren, her heart pounding in her chest like it was trying to beat its way free. Something inside her screamed, every instinct she had demanding that she stay, that shefight?—
“Araya.” Jaxon’s voice sharpened, slicing through the noise in her head. Her gaze snapped back to his, transfixed by the steel in his dark eyes. “You need to come out of the cell now. We need to talk—to figure out what happened here. But we can’t do that with you in hysterics.Trustme, Starling.”
He didn’t wait for her to agree, pulling her bodily to her feet.Something inside her screamed, wild and wordless. She didn’t understand it—only that walking away felt like tearing something vital from her chest. But Jaxon’s arm slid around her shoulders, propelling her forward as the door slammed closed between them.
Blood coated her face,her hands, her chest—drying into a brittle crust that cracked with every movement. Araya shuddered, pacing the workshop like a cage. When her dream had fallen apart around them, had it been because he was fighting for his life here? How could she not have realized?
“Starling.”
Araya flinched as Jaxon stepped into her path, catching her shoulders in his hands. “You have to stop, Araya. I don’t know why you’re so shaken—but this isn’t helping anyone.”
He didn’t know why—Araya stared at him, nonplussed. “A prisoner was nearly tortured to death while under our care—our authority,” she hissed. “He could still die! Why aren’tyouupset?”
“Iamupset,” Jaxon shot back, his tone laced with enough heat to make her pause. “That’s why I want to figure out who did this—but we’re not going to get anywhere if you fall apart.”
“I should have known.” Araya shook her head, hugging her arms around herself. “I should have stopped it?—”
“How?” Jaxon snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous, Starling. We both know who did this. Even if you’d suspected something, what could you have done? He’s the High Inquisitor.”
“You think it was Darian Hale,” she whispered.
“He vanished right after he cornered you,” Jaxon said, his jaw tightening. “That’s not a coincidence. He could have used his credentials to get in here—and he left Loren like that to send a message to you.”
“To me?” Araya shuddered, unable to banish the image of Loren’s abused body from her mind. “Why? I’m no one?—”
“Don’t pretend, Starling.” Jaxon wet his thumb, swiping it slowly through the blood streaked across her cheek. “You’re the one he cornered—the one he threatened. He wanted to rattleyou—and he succeeded. Now, tell me why.”
“I—he—” Araya’s pulse roared in her ears, her chest squeezing so tight she struggled to breathe. “Loren’s key to everything. If he dies, your project?—”
“Do you think I’m blind, Araya?” Jaxon laughed, a cutting, humorless sound. “This isn’t about the project—you’re falling apart because it’shim.”
“It’s not what you think,” Araya protested, the words spilling out in a desperate rush. “I don’t know why this is happening—but I’d never betray you. I’d do anything for you.”
“Anything,” Jaxon repeated. “That’s a lot to offer, Starling. Are you sure you mean it?”
“Yes.” Araya didn’t hesitate this time, her gaze never wavering from his. “I’m yours, Jaxon.”
The words hung heavy in the air between them, charged with something dangerous—but the moment was shattered by a loud commotion from the hall. Jaxon straightened, his expression turning into a scowl as boots pounded against stone. Someone swore viciously, slamming hard into the door before throwing it open.
“I said let me go!” Serafina snarled, lashing out with her foot and catching one of the guards dragging her forward squarely in the shin. He grunted, barely managing to hold on to her as she twisted and writhed like a feral animal. “If you think dragging me in here like a common criminal is going to make me cooperate?—”
“Enough,” Jaxon barked. “Let her go.”
One of the guards yanked the hood off her head, beating a hasty retreat as Serafina rounded on him, snarling. But it was Jaxon that drew the brunt of her anger, her sharp blue eyes blazing as she advanced on him.
“What the hell is this?” She demanded, rubbing at the red markson her wrists. “Blindfolded? Shackled? If you think that’s how you summon a Healer you’re out of your damned mind, Jaxon?—”
“There’s a gravely injured prisoner here,” Jaxon said flatly, unmoved by her fury. “You’re going to stabilize him.”
“A prisoner?” Serafina’s lips curled into a sneer. “Let me guess—you want me to patch him up so you can throw him back on the rack? No. Find someone else.”
“This isn’t a request.” Jaxon’s jaw flexed, and his voice dropped dangerously low. “You don’t have a choice?—”
“There is always a choice,” Serafina said coldly, folding her arms. Even with her braid mussed from the bag they’d shoved over her head, she leveled Jaxon with a look sharp enough to cut glass. “I don’t heal people so you can break them again. If that’s why I’m here, you’ve wasted your time?—”
Araya’s chest constricted as she listened, the pull inside her growing more unbearable with every passing second. She stepped forward, her voice trembling as she interrupted, “Serafina.”
