“The spell must be confined to an object or an area,” Rihan said, looking down at the blue pale blue stone in his palm. The surface was carved with a dissipation rune, used for spell breaking. “But my Tanzanite no longer works. It had one use.”
She nodded. “And the … second rule?”
“Every glyph must be perfectly in place, or the spell will break.”
“Yes … precisely…”
His gaze lifted to the glyphs carved into the walls.
Alora smiled weakly. “Douse the light.”
CHAPTER 47
Alora
The moment the wards shattered, a current of magic ruptured the air. It sent a seismic quake through the stones of the castle and the blinding light above Alora vanished. The glyphs winked out, one by one, until the dungeon fell into stillness and darkness.
Only a single candle on the desk remained.
Rihan gasped where he knelt outside the array. A small knife trembled in his hands, one of the glyphs in the stone tile slashed clean through.
A tempest howled like a raging beast outside, and the earth shook as though it had burst open. It ended abruptly and silence crept in for a breath.
Then the screaming began.
A clamor of steel and terrified shouts followed. The sound of something not human rushed the halls. The castle shook, and a monstrous roar rang out, making her heart tremble.
More blood would spill tonight.
“Go…” She urged the frightened boy. “Find your mother and hide … stay hidden until dawn.”
Her brother nodded and ran for the hidden doorway. He vanished into the dark corridor, the brick falling back into place.
The center of the room burst with a mist of shadows.
An otherworldly creature stepped through it as if the night had birthed him.
Feral, crimson eyes immediately fell on her, fangs bared in a snarl. He was terrifying, otherworldly. Horns glinted on his head, leathery wings with sharp spurs loomed at his back. A creature radiating darkness.
Yet her heart swelled with relief.
Her hands shook as she reached out for him, choking back a sob. He was already rushing toward her. The magic bindings around her wrists evaporated into smoke. She slipped off the slab, and he caught her as she sagged against him, breath shallow, muscles trembling. Her body was like a sculpture of fractured glass held together by his arms.
“I’m here, Alora.” And his guttural voice made her eyes well.
That was her name? She couldn’t recall his anymore, but her soul called for him regardless.
Mate.
This was her mate.
“Yes…” he agreed, searching her eyes. “Mine.”
The cold ground vanished as he gently lifted her in his arms. She read the contained rage in his eyes, but his every touch was gentle.
He sucked in a sharp breath, eyes glowing like fire at the sight of her battered body. The magic stolen. The glyphs carved into her chest. Her skin no longer glowed.
“He will not live to see the dawn, Alora.” Rune’s growl shook the chamber. “They will all meet the Abyss for this.”
