Ezra stood off to the side, still distant, his gaze unfocused, his body moving on instinct alone. I frowned, wanting to reach him but knowing I couldn’t right now. My attention shifted toward the looming house ahead. I could feel Elowyn inside. Her magic pulsed wild and uncontrolled, like a scream without sound.
Then a shadowy figure appeared in front of me. I jerked back when it lifted its hand and brushed my face with an icy touch.
“Nyxthra,” I whispered.
And I swore I felt her smile.
Chapter 28
Abram
Come.
A faint whisper in my mind made me hesitate. My pulse quickened. That voice, it slithered through the back of my consciousness like smoke I couldn’t clear. Gods, I had heard this whisper before. The night that Elowyn cast the spell for a husband. It had been Nyxthra’s voice I heard repeating Elowyn’s name over and over.
“Wait out here,” I told Farris and Ezra. “I’m going to talk to Philip.”
“That’s not a good idea.” Farris tried to stop me, but I turned to her.
“It’s fine. Nyxthra is with me. I’ll call for you if I get into trouble; you keep a look out here.”
“Are you sure you’re going to remain calm?” Ezra’s brows pinched together.
“I promise, I can do this.”
Farris and Ezra nodded.
My chest tightened as I crept through the gardens, the scent of wet soil clinging to the air. Every crunch of gravel beneath my boots felt too loud. I used my magic to move inside of the house, my body materializing in the dim light. My gaze darted across the space, alert, but when I turned pain exploded across my jaw.Philip's fist connected with my face.
I grunted at the impact as I stumbled into a dining table. The legs scraped across the floor making a terrible noise. My teeth rattled.
Philip smiled at me like a fucking psycho.
“Loma’s not home.”
“Fuck Loma.” I spit at him. “I know you have Elowyn; give her to me now.” I stood up, jaw throbbing, and he grinned even wider.
“Did you not hear?” He stepped closer. “Elowyn is already in love with me.”
Something evil burned under my skin as I looked at his smug face. My fingers twitched at my sides. I didn’t want to believe that I had already lost her. My rage escaped me without warning. I lunged.
I charged at Philip, his face falling when he realized I was furious. I tackled him into a wall, but we just fell through the flimsy wood. The crash echoed through the house.
I heard my tunic tearing as Philip gripped it in his slimy hands. My heart roared in my ears.
I straddled Philip and punched him over and over. He swung up and knocked me off of him. We rolled, his elbow connecting with my ribs, my breath leaving me in a hiss. He crawled toward me, trying to get the upper hand, but I drew my foot back and kicked him in the chest.
“Fuck!” He wheezed as he rolled around the floor.
My gaze moved down to the blood seeping through his white tunic. I stepped forward and ripped it, revealing that he hadbeen stabbed. Relief filled me when I realized that the bloody knife was used on him and not Elowyn.
“Did my wife do that to you?” I smiled proudly.
“My future wife. Myfatedmate,” he snapped.
I stepped forward and pressed my boot into the wound and he screamed into the heavens. The sound made my stomach twist with a dark satisfaction.
My star mist circled Philip and dragged him to the dining room chair. He hissed at me like a wild animal as my magic wrapped around him like a vice.
