But I noticed something important at that moment. Cyrus looked…awful.
His blue eyes, once so full of passion and intrigue, were now bloodshot and dull, while his tanned face had grown wan. The blood magic was obviously taking a toll on him, whether he realized it or not.
Did Calix? He took off before I could say a damn word to him. His rage at Cyrus’s treatment of me too great for him to hesitate. As he reached Cyrus, he was forced to zig and zag to avoid the bolts of lightning that arced out at him, Cyrus attempting to fry Calix mid-flight.
But Calix got to him despite his best efforts, crashing into him at speed and forcing the two of them to fly backward into the palace’s marble wall. They grappled, and I heard Calix’s growl as he dodged a blade. It was the same grey as the blade that got me, meaning Cyrus was armed with iron, as expected.
I let my wings unfurl, and I flew toward them immediately. I twirled my blade to get it in the right position, and as Calix held Cyrus to the wall, I flew in a rush, my blade sinking deep into his stomach. The howl Cyrus let out was music to my ears, the blood dripping from the wound a beautiful sight.
I gripped the blade and ripped it back out while Calix let go of his hold on him, letting Cyrus sink to the ground, clutching his stomach. His wavy hair was mussed from the fight and covered his face, but I needed to see his agony for myself.
When he looked up, however, instead of fear or pain decorating his face, he instead smiled widely.
My own fear came not a moment later.
Cyrus removed his hand from where it covered the wound I’d created, and the rapid healing—faster than a Fae’s even—I witnessed as the wound closed right up had to be a result of blood magic.
“Now!” Cyrus yelled, and I watched as whatever contraption he’d brought up was aimed right at us.
I watched in complete stun as a lever was pulled back, and shards of something were sent at us in a blast. Calix dived in front of me, trying to fly us away, but the shards hit him full on, and his agonized scream as we slammed hard into the ground was haunting.
I ignored whatever pain I felt from the impact and rushed to see where he was hurt. Moving him off me as gently as I could manage, I crawled onto my knees to see the damage.
Shards of iron were embedded in his skin and armor. I cursed the finger holes in my armbands. If my fingertips had been covered, I could have just grabbed the iron and started helping him right away. He couldn’t begin to heal until it was all out, and I wasn’t wasting time.
I scrambled for a solution for a moment, until I found the cape of a dead soldier nearby. The bright gold cape was obvious, even with dirt, dust, and blood all over it. I wrapped my hands in it and used it as a shield as I began to quickly pull the iron pieces out of my mate despite my shaking hands. Calix’s eyes were creased with pain, his body writhing and arching as I worked. Tears filled my own eyes, the agony in the bond too much to take.
Once I got all the pieces I found sticking out of Calix completely out of his body, I looked up, fully aware my distraction could have put us in a worse situation. Cyrus was watching us, however, and his men had clearly held back from engaging for a reason. My eyes narrowed on Cyrus, his smirking form nearly bristling with contempt.
“Asteria!” he called, a smile filled with sharp canines looking down at me. They were pitiful compared to Calix’s fangs, the effect of the chaos within Cyrus obvious. “Thisis what happens when you disobey me. Don’t you think you’ve let poor Calix suffer enough for your obstinance?”
“Fuck you, Cyrus!” I called up to him, making him chuckle as he shook his head, feigning amusement for the benefit of his people. But I could see it for the farce it was. He had been right about one thing:I did see him. I didn’t think he’d appreciatewhatI saw, however.
“Why don’t you come down here and face me like a man? Or are you too scared?” I taunted, tilting my head to the side, gaining strength from the way Calix clutched my hand. I just needed to distract Cyrus from Calix long enough for him to heal.
“Oh, you don’t want me to do that,” Cyrus said, looking down at me with a frown that was as fake as his conciliatory tone. “After all, if I die, so dothey.”
I looked at him in confusion, but he just flew down, and four guards made their way out of the palace, straight to him. Two humans were held up by the arms between them, chained at the hands and feet. My heart started to race double time, and when their heads were forced upward, I shot up from Calix’s side to my feet.
“Mom? Dad?” My voice wavered, and I cursed myself for the weakness.How the fuck did he find them?!
My hands shook, and it was all I could do to stop the rest of me from shaking, even as my claws shot out. Fear and rage were a terrible cocktail within me, smoke beginning to billow from my mouth as I considered what he could have done to them already.
I should have gone to them.Protectedthem. What use was any of this new power if I left those I loved to flounder?
Worse was knowing itwasmy fault. My fear of their reaction to the truth kept me away, and Cyrus was able to take advantage of my hesitation. I never thought that he would consider them at all, let alone go after them. But I should have. He was deranged and would do anything it took to get what he wanted.
Cyrus tutted, “Remember what I just said. You kill me, then mommy and daddy dearest die with me.”
“What the fuck do you want with them?” I demanded, “What did you do to them?”
“Now, now, Asteria. You’re in no position to make demands, are you?” Cyrus tilted his head to the side, a large smirk taking over that punchable, haughty face. “You’re going to call this attack off and come home. Where you belong.”
I snarled, Calix’s growl echoing it, but Cyrus wasn’t deterred in the least. “You’ll even have your parents here to keep you company!”
“And what about Aelius?” Calix demanded, slowly standing up from his sprawl. “You promised him her death.”
I raised a brow at him, cocking my hip as my hand curled tightly around my sword, starlight swirling around it in unruly spirals.
