“No, it’s okay, he’s…” Aelia trailed off as Shiva strolled straight past her, crossing to stand next to Beserkir. Keeran watched the heartbreak roll over her, and it was all too easy for him to work out what had happened. “You… you bastard!”
“You did well.” Keeran heard Beserkir say from behind him, his hand still fisted in his hair. “Did all go to plan?”
“Yes, sir, other than the explosion. But she wouldn’t be dissuaded, and I couldn’t risk arresting her at that point in case I triggered another outburst of magic.”
“You got her here, that’s all I care about.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Everything you said… was a lie?” Aelia said, her voice deathly quiet.
“A hundred gold coins were well worth a bit of acting,” Shiva leant closer to her, conspiratorially. “One might say I gave it my best shot.”
Aelia’s lips parted, a frown flicking over her brow as Shiva’s words hit home. The pair bond flared to life and a wall ofdevastation slammed into him, the hurt of Shiva’s betrayal enough to make his eyes water. But there was something on the other end of it, burning and bright and ruinous. Keeran’s jaw slackened as he saw the black ring in Aelia’s eyes turn bright silver.
“Guards,” Beserkir roared.
A wall of a dozen soldiers flooded into the room, blocking Aelia from the exit. Some held swords aloft, some had arrows nocked and ready. Her eyes met Keeran’s, and the raw power in them sent a bolt of ice through his heart.
He felt it surge through the pair bond, the only warning he had that she was about to lose control again.
Keeran reacted on pure instinct, unleashing his fire magic with a snap of his will and sending it roaring over himself in a flaming cocoon. The weight of Beserkir pressed into him, regrettably close enough to be enveloped within the shield, and his screams vibrated painfully in Keeran’s ear. He felt the barrage of Aelia’s magic against his own, rageful but uncontrolled. All he could do was lie there and grit his teeth as he shielded himself from her wrath.
He felt her magic start to wane, both against his wall of fire and through the bond. The instant it vanished completely, he withdrew the fire magic and unclenched his eyes. He shoved Beserkir off and rolled himself to his feet in one rapid movement. He needn’t have bothered, Beserkir was out cold.
Keeran snapped his eyes up to Aelia. She still stood by the door, swaying slightly. Her gaze raked across the bodies that surrounded her, mangled past the point of recognition. Keeran had seen some pretty disturbing things in his time, but this made even his stomach roil.
Only Beserkir had been spared her unique brand of death, but Aelia hardly seemed to notice.
He reached for her through the pair bond, nearly sagging with relief when he felt it still intact. He sank into her mind, feeling the turmoil she was suffocating in. She felt so fragile, like her sanity was on the brink of shattering. She latched onto him, and he wrapped his presence around her, wishing he could shield her from all she was feeling.
“What’s happening to me?” she whispered, sounding so broken he knew he needed to get her out of there. Now.
“I don’t know,” he said truthfully.
“I can’t control it,” she spoke to him through the pair bond, a brush of her lips against his mind. He nearly closed his eyes at the sweetness of it, the delicious purity of her mental touch.
“Let me get you out of here.” Keeran jangled the manacles. “And we’ll work it out, okay?”
Aelia stared vacantly at the body of Shiva, barely recognisable now.
“I didn’t kill you.” Her eyes flitted back up to him, a slight frown creasing her brow.
“No, you didn’t.” He smiled grimly, relieved the blinding light of her own magic had prevented her from seeing his. “Now I need you to get the keys. Check Beserkir’s pockets.”
She glanced at the manacles still fixing him to the floor and nodded. Her legs wobbled beneath her as she crossed the room, but she made it to Beserkir before she let them fail her. Keeran winced as her knees struck the stone, but Aelia hardly seemed to notice. She started patting him down, pulling items from various pockets until he heard the sweet jangle of keys.
She hauled herself to her feet and fumbled with the keys until she found one that fit. The clunk of it turning in the lock of his manacles was pure bliss. He shook his wrists and ankles free and spun to face Aelia, his hands hovering over her head, her neck, her arms, as he checked every inch of her. She didn’t move, buther eyes were locked onto him, as though he were the anchor in the storm he could still feel raging in her mind.
He threw his arms around her and pulled her close, wrapping his mind around hers as tightly as his arms. She hugged him tight, burying herself into him, body and soul.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered into her hair, pressing his lips against her over and over again. She’d lost Fenrir, Shiva had tricked her, and whatever magic had awakened in her had wrung her out to the point of collapse. He had to get her out of here.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Aelia felt warmth starting to seep back into her, emanating out of Keeran and breaking through the numbness that had encapsulated her. He filled her mind, the sensation as inherently him as the heady smell she was burying her face into.
She still felt weak, her muscles trembling with the effort of standing, but her mind no longer felt like it was on the verge of tumbling into insanity. So she pulled away, prying free of his arms to look down at the man who’d done this to her.
