I forced myself not to react, not to curl in on myself despite the painripping through my body. Instead, Ilifted my chin,glaring up at Ashterion where he stood, his facetwisted in fury. I forced a smirk, though it was ruined by the blood trailing from my split lip. “What’s the matter, High Lord?” I rasped, my voice jagged and raw. “Upset we didn’t ask for permission before slaughtering your guards?”
His shadowstwitched. His fingersflexed at his sides,as though he wanted to strike something.Probably me.
But then his expressionflattened,features smoothing into cold detachment. “Oh, fireling,” he said, speaking as if gently correcting a child. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve dealt with worse prisoners than you.”
A low snicker. One of the guards. A second later, hisboot came down on my leg.
White-hot pain exploded through me.
I screamed, my bodybuckling, convulsing. My vision blurred. My mind blanked under the sheer force of it. I barely caught Shaelith’s curse, the way Brynellelunged toward me,only to be wrenched back by another guard.
But I heard him.
Thesnarlripped from Ashterion’s throat, dark and lethal, likethunder cracking through the corridor.
“I said enough.”
The room froze.
The guardstumbled back,the smirk wiped clean from his face.
Ashterion didn’t look at him.Didn’t acknowledge him at all.
“I want them alive,” he said, his wordsdangerous in their quietness. “Xyliria wants toplay, notdestroythem.” His shadows snapped menacingly at his feet.
Then, his gaze finally wrenched from mine, landing on the soldiers.
“Take them back to their cell.”
The guards hesitated, their fear so thick I could taste it.
Ashterion’s tonedropped even lower. “Now.”
They scrambled into action. Rough hands grabbed my arms, dragging me upright.Pain seared through my leg,but Irefused to cry out again.
I made them earn every fucking step.
Ashterion didn’t look away. He just stood there, watchingas I was hauled away.
The guardsdragged us back, their grips bruising, their boots scraping against the stone as they hauled us.
I refused to make a sound. So didShaelithandBrynelle.
Even as myleg throbbed like it had been shattered to dust.Even as my bodyscreamedfrom the dozens of new injuriesblooming across my skin.Even as blood dripped down my arms, my ribs, my lip.
We didn’t make a single gods-damned sound.
The cell door slammed open before we were tossed inside.
I hit the ground hard, agony splintering through myshattered leg.
I’d barely heard the door close when?—
“What the fuck were you thinking?!”
Linc was in front of me, his entire bodyvibrated with rage, his tanzanite-coloured wings snapping open behind him, feathers ruffling as he rounded on me, on all of us.
Darian was right beside him, his expression twisted with rage. “Are you out of your gods-damned minds?” He paced erratically, his voice cutting through the room, low and fierce. “Tell me you weren’t stupid enough to think this wouldactually work.”
