We all snap our gazes to her.
She and Grey have staggered to their feet. Exhaustion clings to their bodies, and they sway slightly where they stand, but their eyes are locked on Orion and Jessina.
“We’ll do whatever you want!” Hana keeps yelling, her usually so soft voice almost breaking with desperation. “I’ll open the Gold Clan’s pocket reality for you.”
“And I’ll open any portals you want,” Grey adds, dread and pain pulsing on his face as he glances down at Orion. “Just stop… hurting him.”
A victorious smile full of mockery spreads across Jessina’s face, and she twirls the knife in her hand before looking down at Orion. “What a surprise. I thought we would need to torture you to getyouto order them to obey our commands. But it looks like your people actually care about you. How adorable.”
“Get over here,” Bane commands, jerking his chin at Hana and Grey. “And open a portal.”
“To where?” Grey asks while he and Hana start staggering towards us.
“I’ll tell you when you get closer.” Bane’s black eyes shift to Draven. “Wouldn’t want the Shadow of Death to overhear.”
Outside the patch of melted iron, Draven flexes his hand and clenches his jaw but still doesn’t dare to move while the threat to my life remains.
Jessina at last releases Orion’s collar, letting him drop back down. He still hasn’t recovered enough energy to even lift his arms, so he just slumps down on his knees again. While stillholding her knife with one hand, Jessina walks over to where Isera is lying. Then she grabs her by the wrist and simply drags her across the ground. With a yank, she slides Isera the final distance until she is lying next to Orion.
Isera’s gaze searches his face, but the Unseelie King is just staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes.Eye. My heart twists in pain, but before I can say anything, Grey and Hana reach us.
Still keeping his blade to my neck, Bane tilts his head down and whispers a location to Grey.
It takes Grey three tries to open a portal. Exhaustion practically rolls off his body like waves, and sweat lines his brow. But a glittering blue rectangle at last rises from the ground.
Without warning, Jessina grabs Isera’s wrist and slides her through it. Then she plants her shoe against Orion’s back and shoves him through as well. Grey and Hana grit their teeth. But after a jerk of Jessina’s chin, they follow her through the portal.
My heart slams against my ribs as I stare at Draven.
Bleak light from the overcast sky falls down over him, and ash swirls around his calves as another wind sweeps across the landscape and whirls between the melted remains of the city.
“Draven,” I blurt out, my voice coming out panicked and full of dread, as Bane starts backing towards the portal as well. My knees scrape against the ground as he drags me with him.
That same panic and dread are mirrored in Draven’s eyes as he looks at me. His gaze darts around, searching for solutions, as Bane pulls me closer to the portal.
“Selena,” he presses out, that awful panic increasing when he apparently can’t figure out a way to stop Bane from taking me away. “I will come for you.”
There is such utter confidence in his voice that I almost believe him. But I have no idea where this portal leads, and neither does Draven. If the Icehearts take me to some remote hideout somewhere, he could spend the rest of his life searching every inch of this world and still not find me.
“Draven.” His name rips from my throat like a sob.
Emperor Bane reaches the portal.
“Selena!” Draven screams. “I will find you. I will?—”
Bane yanks me through.
And the portal closes behind us.
CHAPTER TEN
Air escapes my lungs in a huff as I’m thrown through an iron door and into a prison cell, hitting the stone floor hard. Rolling over on my back, I drag in a deep breath while Grey and Hana are shoved inside as well. Both of them are now wearing iron collars too.
Beside me on the floor, Isera and Orion are just lying there, staring up into the dark stone ceiling. Neither of them has recovered enough strength to sit up yet. Grey drops to his knees next to Orion while Hana slides down the wall to my right and draws her knees up to her chest.
“My king,” Grey begins, his hand hovering uncertainly above Orion’s arm.
“Don’t,” Orion rasps. His voice is worryingly flat and completely devoid of emotion. “Haldia will be able to fix it. As long as we get back to the Unseelie Court before the wounds have fully healed, she will be able to fix it.” His right eye is still locked on the dark stone ceiling as he once again repeats, “She will be able to fix it.”
