“I told you there would be a punishment for taking the girl. We have already sent word. Clause will probably be here in no time, with his favorite entourage in toe.” She turned to Erik. “A word of advice. If you actually think you care for her, leave. Unless you are already so integrated into this bunk that your absence would be noted.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”He stepped closer to me as if to make a point. His muscles coiled, ready to act towards a threat that had not yet even arrived. Too ready to act. And I was not the only one who noticed.
Iona chuckled, eyes dimming. “Tell me, if the Sidhe King decided to bend the little lamb over one of these filthy beds and make her his in front of your eyes. What would you do?”
Erik stopped breathing, as did the entire room. I reached for his arm before he had a chance to respond. His skin was burning hot. However, his gaze remained trained on his sister.
“Erik,” I said his name, hoping to earn his attention.
Iona spoke again. “Tell me, what would you do?”She had a disgusting way of getting her point across, yet I understood it for what she meant.
“I would kill him before it got to that,” he said, voice deceptively soft.
Iona chuckled. “You are a fool and if you wish to live, that is the wrong answer.”
“She is right,” I whispered, finally earning his gaze. “If you stand against him, you can’t win. Not on your own. Your conjuring can’t affect him and all he needs to do is touch you and you’re dead.”
Iona licked her lips, as though hungry by this excitement. “Not to mention what would happen to all the good people here in this room if you were to upset him too much. It would be so much blood on the hands of a dead man.” Her gaze slid to me. “A burden I don’t doubt the little lamb would take on to herself, only to be crushed by it.”
“Stop.” I snapped at her before turning to Erik. “Maybe you should leave.”
“I am not leaving you,” he turned to me, eyes blazing.
“Ari is right,” Gorm stated, joining the conversation. “If you act too rashly and your life is taken, then you can never help her when it truly matters. Instead, you would be dead, and Ari would be on her own. No matter what happens next, you must not intervene if you wish to have any hope of survival or helping Ariana.”
“You see me so weak?” Erik asked, turning to me.
“You are one of the most powerful people I know,” I said. “Yet part of being strong is knowing when you are outmatched. Alone against Clause, you are outmatched. All of us are. We need to be smart.”
“Funny.” Iona tilted her head, viewing me. “I feel like I just said almost the same thing to you before you decided to get involved in things that shouldn’t concern you.” Her gaze drifted to the girl made of bones and skin lying on the bed near me.
I gritted my teeth.Forcing myself to focus on Erik. “Clause cannot know who you are to me.” A look of confusion passed over his features before I pressed on. “He knows there is someone important to me. If he found out who you are to me.” My voice broke, sliced by fear. “That cannot happen.”
He look pained, actually pained. “Ariana.”
Iona turned, looking behind her. “Oops, looks like time is up.” She smiled, excitement twinkling in her eyes.
“Move to the back of the room, and stay there unless I say otherwise,” I instructed Erik. “Please, do not get involved. I will tell you if I want your help. Donothingunless I say.”
Strain etched into his face, flattening his lips. But he nodded.
I turned to Timothy. “Stay with Erik. Make sure he doesn’t intervene.”
Erik cared for others. He had a decent heart. If his actions would jeopardize a young innocent boy like Timothy, I hoped that he would think twice about it. Hopefully, it gave him enough pause to clear his mind sufficiently to make a decent decision.
When my gaze met with Gorm, he sent a reassuring nod, lips curving into a sad smile that did not touch his eyes.
No one else made a sound in the bunker.
I focused on the girl on the bed and stepped towards her, not fully reaching her before others walked in.
Iona moved aside, allowing free entrance. “I came to make sure no one here left.”
“Good.” Clause paced into the room. His cold gray eyesimmediately landed and remained on me. Though still gray, a potent darkness swirled within them.
The weight behind the gaze, the anger, it rendered me immobile. I froze mid-step.
Three other men entered on his heel, flanking him when he stopped. Iona remained lingering in the back, leaning against the wall, giving no indication of leaving anytime soon. Soren appeared in the doorway, stopping there, as though blocking the exit. A frown etched into his face.
