“I don’t want us to hurt one another any more than we already have,” I said, having to stop myself from approaching him, propelled by the possibility that he may actually hear me.
There was a flicker of sadness in his gaze, and I knew he would not budge from his stance. “Those attacking my castle are not just Lysian and Bavadrins, but some are Sidhe. They need to be punished and reminded of their place. I am their King, and I will not give them mercy for their actions. I will not give up my crown. But I can offer you this, to be the Queen of the Sidhe territory. Stand with me.”
We found ourselves in the same position we started in, both unwilling to budge. “A Queen without a voice. Only given the space to stand in your shadow.”
“You will have a voice, but it will match mine. For after you see the world as I do, I know we would stand together as a force others could not dream of opposing.”
My head remained high, my tone hardening. “My voice will never match yours.”
“We shall see.” He glanced at his foot. That was when I noticed the thin vine wrapped around it, disappearing beyond the mist wall. A lifeline to someone outside my barrier.
When I encircled Clause, that vine already must have connected him to one of his conjurors, making my power inert against them if Clause wished it so. I did not have time to consider the possibilities before the Sidhe King moved his leg, pulling on the vine.
From the left, a form stepped through the mist as if it werejust moisture he moved through and not a true wall. The male was Sidhe, with pointed ears. His limbs were long, willowy, making him appear incredibly tall and thin. Half his face looked freshly burned.Iver.
My power pushed past me, down the stranger’s lungs, but he did not react.
Clause didn’t utter a word before vines erupted from the man’s fingertips, lashing out at Kole and me with a speed that made them seem alive with intent. On instinct, my blades were in my hands before I’d even thought to reach for them, I slashed at the vines, but his movements were incredibly quick and unpredictable, easily evading me.
A whip of green shot toward me from the left, and I barely managed to lunge right, falling and rolling across the floor before springing back to my feet. The vines were relentless, darting and curling, striking from every direction. Each swing of my blade bought me mere seconds of reprieve before more lashed out, as though he could summon an endless supply.
They came from behind, thick, unyielding vines wrapped around my waist. I twisted, hacking at them, and they loosened briefly under my blade’s edge. Only to grow back stronger, winding tighter with each cut I made. They spread, as if a second skin, circling around my legs, my chest, my arms, encasing my hands with the blades still in them until rendering me completely immobile.
Only my head and neck remained free enough to move. Kole was in no better of a position. They too easily took control.
“That’s enough,” Clause said, stilling the vine conjuror from crushing us. Though by the looks of it, neither Kole nor I could draw a full breath any longer, our lungs constricted by the pressure.
“You care for this Lysian?” Clause asked, taking a step towards Kole. Darkness shrouded him, his intent menacing.
Panic shot through me. I shoved a wall of mist towards him in a futile attempt to keep him back, but he simply moved through it.
Gray eyes met with mine. “I will take that as a yes.” He turned back to Kole, shaking his head at him. “Look at this conjure-less fool, so weak.” He took another step. “Unable to protect himself, let alone someone like you.”
Danger emanated from Clause as his lip curled in disgust. Hatred condensed into the sharpest of blades directed fully at Kole. With me unable to do anything as time slipped away.
“You need to kill me,” I said, earning the Sidhe King’s full attention. “I will never stop fighting you. I could never love you.” Provoking him so that his focus remained on me was the only thing I could think of until one of us came up with a better plan.
Kole looked at me with wide eyes as though I had gone mad, and perhaps I had, but we needed time. He drew breath only because Clause allowed it at this point, and I was going to do everything in my power to keep him breathing.
Beyond the wall, the fighting continued. Not a single body hit the floor from either side, though Olive and Gregory seemed to have left the room.
My mind scrambled, grasping at flickers of ideas. If I lowered the mist wall, we would be emersed into chaos. Perhaps that would help or perhaps make things worse. I would release Clause without the barrier, freeing him amongst the conjurors with a deadly touch.Keeping the mist up at least kept his focus contained.
“I will never take your life,” Clause stated flatly, as his cold unyielding gaze bored into me.
“I will never stop until I take yours, then.” I stood on a dangerous edge, and instead of fear, I felt emboldened to push him farther. To show him that he did not harbor the love he believed himself to.
His eyes narrowed. “You do not mean this.”
My body shifted, attempting to move, but it was impossible with the bindings. “I doubt you would enjoy finding out which of us is correct.”
His jaw twitched as he stared at me. The space between us turned frigid enough that if I were to breathe out, I wondered if ice crystals would remain suspended in the air. Cold little shards never to dissipate, for there was no warmth left between us to melt them.
“How about you go one on one with me?” Kole said through clenched teeth to the Sidhe King. “Then we will see who is weak.” He brought the attention back to himself, which was what I was trying to avoid. We needed time to figure out a plan, not forhimto push Clause, the King with no qualms regarding taking lives. My only protection was the fact that Clause believed he loved me.
Clause turned back to Kole and took another step in his direction. “I am a King. That means I do not have to bloody my hands with filth.”
Kole snorted, his eyes burning with a challenge. “Perhaps I too do not wish to bloody my hands with filth? Someone too weak to fight his own battles, afraid of a little blood, afraid to get his sleeves stained. What a prim and proper little princess.”
