I panted, my head nodding, my own tears welling and streaming down my cheeks. Hale was right. I needed to fight this, to survive, so that Ambrose could pay for what he had done, so he could experience the same suffering he brought to the people of Nemos.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I breathed out as much as I could, focusing solely on my magic, ignoring the pain tearing me apart. My mind emptied as two words rang through my thoughts: survive this. My chest rose and fell, my breathing coming out inharsh pants. I screamed out, disregarding the shouts from the queen. I screamed until I found myself in that glacial black box, panic forcing me to ram my body into its walls over and over again. My muscles screamed, my shoulder feeling as if it was about to break, but I refused to stop until that wall shattered into pieces.
I kept going, crashing into that freezing wall, the cold numbing my skin. The sound of Vivi’s soft voice, her laughter, echoed in my ears as tears ran down my face. Backing away from the wall, I bellowed, then charged forward and slammed into it with all my strength. A crack reverberated around me, the barrier breaking away like glass.
Falling into the field, I forced myself to my feet, wiping away the snot and tears. Panting, I blinked from the bright sunlight, searching for the direction of the dying forest. My heart twisted at the memory of the path, and I swallowed hard, my hands clenching into fists as rage simmered beneath my skin. This was the last time I would allow Ambrose to take from me, the last time he would force me to harm the people I loved. I would rather die than allow him to continue his tyranny.
I pulled my shoulders back and tore through the tall grass, barreling past the flowers, my breathing ragged, my body driven by nothing but fury. My body ached, exhaustion weighing me down until I stumbled into that dying forest. I sneered at the decay, my soul filling with the wrath of a thousand suns. Lunging forward, I grabbed hold of those frozen vines andpulled.
Chapter 40
Soren
Istood on the edge of the throne room while Morg and Dryden droned on, speaking of useless nonsense with the guests of the court. Demons, shapeshifters, gods, and vampires all gathered in the palace for a celebration of Umbros’s latest victory against the shadow creatures polluting the realm. I sipped my wine, half ignoring their words as I grudgingly studied Morg. I’ve been hounding her lately, demanding answers about Cassia’s fated bullshit, only for her to snap back with empty threats.
Taking another drink, an echo of pain clenched around my heart. My hand tightened around my chalice, the glass breaking from my grip. Morg’s head whipped in my direction, my gaze colliding with hers as the ring hanging from my golden chain began to hover in the air before me.
The echo built, the ache now thrumming in my veins, and I hissed. Wrapping my hand around the chain, I pulled it from my neck as Morg rushed to me.
“What’s happening?” she breathed, her gaze darting between me and the ring, wild with panic.
“If I knew, I would tell you,” I snarled, biting back a groan from the throbbing growing in my chest.
Without another word, I called my magic to me, letting it whisk me away to Cassia’s cell. As soon as I materialized, delicate hands fisted against my shirt, pulling me toward the iron bars. Cassia’s voice was frantically yelling words I could not hear, not when I stood, frozen, unable to look away from the scene before me.
That female—my mate—hovered above the stone floor, her mouth stretched open in a blood-curdling scream. Light spiraled violently above her head, and shadows writhed beneath her, snapping and curling like living things desperate to claim her. Her eyes were open, but they were no longer the deep green I’d first seen. One burned with pure light; the other was a bottomless, devouring darkness. I swallowed, an excitement I hadn’t felt in decades taking over my entire being. The ache in my chest grew, but I ignored it as I stood, mesmerized by the power that leaked from her.
Kieran
The camp wasin an uproar when we returned. Word had somehow already gotten around about the shitshow that occurred at the palace. The survivors all stayed in the council room waiting for their turn to receive medical attention from Bryony. My chest tightened when I realized people had noticed Viv’s absence almost immediately. However, I haven’t had the heart to tell them yet. I was still reeling from it myself, too stunned by what had happened with Sybil to put into words. Orin sat a distance away; his face twisted in fury and pain.
The room went quiet when Ezra strode in. Not giving the rebels a single glance, he walked my way. Taking a seat beside me, he handed me a cold, wet cloth to wipe the dirt from my face.
“How bad?” he asked, his voice strained. When I shook my head, he released a tight breath. “How many got out?”
“The ones you see in front of us,” I murmured, unable to look away from the floor. I couldn’t stand to see how little we came back with, how many of my soldiers were left for dead. I felt his eyes on me and the question burning in them. “Sybil and Samian were fine the last time I saw them. Daelan too. But I couldn’t find Ivara.”
“Vivi?”
I closed my eyes, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose, the words becoming stuck in my throat. The shock on Viv’s face as blood poured from her chest was burned into my mind, and I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat.
“What about Ambrose?”
“The motherfucker is still alive. He even?—”
My words cut off, my breath whooshing out all at once. Falling forward, I landed on my knees, my hand clenching my chest as my lungs seized. I cried out, each breath sharp and ragged, as pain unlike anything I’d ever known tore through my body. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think except for one thing. “Sybil,” I croaked, choking on air.
Orin rushed to my side, shouting out commands. Bryony fell to her knees, her hands searching for any wounds that she could have missed. I repeated Sybil’s name, unable to say anything else.
Understanding finally hit when Ezra cursed. “It’s the mating bond,” Ezra rushed out. “Ambrose is doing something to her.”
I tried to stand, but my knees buckled, sending me falling back to the floor. Ezra caught me before I could hit the ground and carefully sat me down.
“I can transfer to the palace,” he said, his words rushing out all at once. “If he is hurting her, he will probably do it in the dungeons, away from anyone in the palace. I can go.”
I nodded, my fist gripping his shirt tight. “Help her.”
Samian
