I don’t respond, and Scarlett’s hand lands on my shoulder, halting my movements.
“Everly?” she whispers, and I make the mistake of looking up into her soft green eyes.
A sob tears from my throat, and I collapse in her arms. Mia is suddenly there, her arms around me, too, holding me up.
“He . . . He . . . ” Oh my god. Something inside me is breaking. Getting air into my lungs becomes harder. “They are torturing him. I can’t wait any longer. We have to go now.”
Scarlett and Mia pull back, worry etched in their faces. I quickly swipe at my face, brushing the tears away, then scoop up the fighting gear I dropped. I storm toward the bed, throwing them down, and rip my nightgown over my head, tossing it aside. From the corner of my eye, I see Scarlett open the chamber door to whisper to either Lutin or Senka before closing it back again.
Mia wraps her arms around her middle. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“He is my mate,” I whisper harshly, tugging the leather pants over my hips and doing them up. “I won’t leave him there.”
“We aren’t asking you to,” she says, gently. “But this isn’t part of the plan.”
"Screw the plan!" I bellow, shoving my arms into the tight, dark-blue long-sleeved tunic. The leather corset is next, my fingers fumbling for only a second before I manage to lace it up at the front. I grab the leather cuffs, strapping them tight around my wrists as I stride toward the trunk where my daggers and the sheaths are kept.
A soft knock at the door jerks my attention, and I glance up to see Scarlett standing by the door, biting her thumbnail.
"I asked them to get Raiden," she whispers, voice hesitant, like she’s trying to gauge how close I am to snapping completely.
I let out a heavy sigh, dropping my head and pulling out the weapons I need from the trunk, feeling the weight of each blade in my hands. “You shouldn't have,” I mutter, my voice flat, exhausted.
The door creaks open and Raiden steps in, taking a careful stock of the room before his eyes settle on me. “What's going on, Everly?” he says gently, soothingly.
I laugh, a harsh, humorless sound, the kind that feels like it’s scraping its way up my throat. I can feel the sting of tears gathering at the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Instead, I glare at him over my shoulder. “What’s going on is they’re torturing him,” I croak, my voice breaking on the last word.
Raiden's eyes soften as he steps toward me, his movements slow, deliberate. He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him fully. His touch is firm, grounding, but it does nothing to stop the storm raging inside.
“He's strong, Everly.”
Like that’s supposed to fix everything.
“You don’t think I know that?” I cry, yanking myself out of his grip. Of course Maxon is strong, but strength has limits, and I’m terrified he's close to reaching his.
Raiden doesn’t flinch at my outburst. Instead, his hands cup my face, his thumbs swiping away the tears. “I see that fire in you,” he assures quietly. His gaze locks with mine, anchoring me back. “And we're going to use that fire to get him back. But we have a plan; your plan.”
I clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Screw the plan! Every second we waste is another second he's suffering.”
My magic flares and lashes out around us. Sparks crackle in the air, the force of my power surging like a storm barely contained. I glare at him, but he doesn’t so much as flinch. Wave after wave of magic ripples through me, striking him with all of my fear, but still, he holds on. His eyes lock onto mine, calm and unyielding, like he’s bracing himself against a tempest but refuses to move.
“You think I don’t know that?” his voice cracks with a rare flicker of emotion, raw and honest. “You think I don’t want to tear this entire world apart to bring him back to you?”
I stop, the weight of his words sinking in. For the first time, I see the tension in his shoulders, the shadows under his eyes. He’s fighting, too. But he’s right—we need more than rage. We need a plan.
“I can't lose him, Raiden,” I mutter, voice breaking again. “I can't.”
“You won’t,” he promises, his grip tightening just slightly. “Not if we do this right.”
I take a shaky breath, but the fire in me doesn’t dim. “Then we do this now. Raiden, he is hurting and I can't bear it.”
“The people need to see you tomorrow. They need to know you’ll fight for them—fight for your king.” His eyes search mine, filled with an urgency that makes my chest tighten. “If we slink into the night, if we leave without them knowing where you stand, they’ll turn on you, Everly.”
I bite my lip, the words sinking in, heavy and suffocating. He drops his hands from my face and my body slumps as the weight of it all crashes down on me. The thought of standing before them all tomorrow when Maxon is still out there suffering . . . It feels impossible.
Raiden’s arms come around me, pulling me into him before I can fall apart completely. I bury my face in his chest, my arms wrapping around him on instinct.
He doesn’t say anything more, doesn’t offer false comfort or make promises he can’t keep. He just holds me, his grip firm and steady, like he knows that I need this, to be reminded that I’m not alone in all of this. I’m not the only one carrying the burden.
