“Not . . . possible.”
Her hands smacked onto her hips. “Yet here I am.”
“You . . . shouldn’t be able to . . . flit here.” Damn, I was weak. How much more of this could I take? I already knew the answer. I’d let him keep draining me until I had nothing left to give.
Or he was dead, something I both dreaded and looked forward to.
“That’s hardly the point,” she said.
“How did you . . . get free?”
“Magic. I took Reyla to her room and then sought you.” Her heartfelt sigh rang out. “You need to stop doing this.”
“I won’t.”No one can flit to a place they’d never been to before,I growled in her mind.Yet you did.
You’re mine. I sensed where you were.
Also, not possible.
I love you. I’ll follow you to the very center of this world to be with you.
Tempest.Could she hear the love in my voice? Could she feel the stroke of my soul across her own?
Grumbling, she took in the manacles and chains securing me to the wall.Tell me the spell to release you.
My bindings were magicked by the king. Only he can release them.
“How about this?” She lifted her skirt and tugged my family blade from the sheath she’d strapped to her thigh. “I’m digging you out of here, love.”
“I love how you . . . continue to . . . disregard the rules.” I scanned her frame. “You look lovely tonight,” I croaked. “I didn’t get . . . the chance to show you how gorgeous I . . . find you.”
“You can show me later.” Her face furious with concentration, she attacked the wall where the chain had been secured, raking away at the stone.
Speaking in our minds took a lot less energy. Had she figured out why we could talk to each other while she couldn’t speak with anyone else?
Ivenrail will be displeased if he finds me gone, I said.
Ivenrail can suck ass.
As delightful as that idea is, and I’d love to hear you tell him this, I don’t have many friends here,I said.He’ll make Zayde tell him who helped me.
Will Zayde talk?
With the right persuasion, yes.
Fuck him.
I’d rather not.
Her snort rang out, but her eyes sparkled with fresh tears. Itkilled me to see her cry. Killed me to see her in this horrible place. She deserved a life full of strolling through beautiful meadows. A courtier who’d hold her hand and recite heartfelt poems. Not tragedy. Not someone trying to kill her. Not a lost bastard like me.
If only I could offer her that life.
All I could give her was my love and my very soul, and they might not be enough.
I don’t want him hurting Zayde, but I refuse to leave you here,she said.What else do you propose?
I hated even suggesting it.Give me a tiny bit of your power.
