“Thayden knows Elariya’s powers weren’t bound. He saw her using them. He’s threatened her family if she doesn’t marry him.”
I straightened, too fast again, but I didn’t care about the pain that shot through me.
“No fucking way.”
“Elariya agreed to come with us to rescue you, but she said she needed to get back before Thayden returned to Stormfell. Their wedding is next week.”
Holy fucking hell. “No. That’s not happening. I’m gonna kill that bastard.”
“Wolfe.” Alaric stepped forward.
“Don’t.” I held up a hand.
“You need to listen to me. Right now, we don’t know what’s going on. All sorts of shit is hanging over our heads. You were nearly killed, and it’s clear Thayden had help from high places. We need to find out who that is.” His gaze hardened. “Don’t make the mistake of severing a lead. And don’t think they don’t already know we rescued you.”
My mind went straight to Zyrra—her damning face, her taunts, her sneers.
She was part of the darkness. She would’ve reported back that I was alive. That I was still a threat.
“What if Thayden talks?” Garrick asked.
“Wolfe and Thayden both have something over the other, but his crime is worse,” Alaric cut in. “He tried to kill Wolfe. That’s punishable by death if it’s exposed—and the dragons are witnesses. Running his mouth would cost him his life.”
“If Thayden doesn’t talk, then Dreynthor won’t be a problem.” Garrick shrugged. “I say we kill him.”
Alaric cut him a hard stare. “Thayden is more useful to us alive. If we kill him now, we learn nothing. A dead man cannot lead us to his master.”
“I get that, but what about the wrong he’s done?”
“Damn it, Garrick, I want to kill him as much as you, but why fuck up an opportunity? Especially when we’re grasping for answers. We can kill his fucking ass after we get what we need.”
I saw where he was going with the argument, and it made sense. But how was I supposed to just let Elariya go?
“You can’t ask me to allow my girl to marry someone else.” I pinned Alaric with a hard stare.
“Wolfe, it’s just part of a plan. You know she belongs with you.”
“She does. And what about the ring? We know how to find it. If she returns to the mortal land, that stalls everything.”
“Don’t make it sound as though you only have to speak two words and the ring will appear.” Alaric frowned, flipping his palms up in frustration. “It’s not that simple. It’s dangerous for Elariya to be in Galaythia right now. You were going to send her back to her family when her memory reset. That was the plan.”
“But Thayden wasn’t part of that plan.”
“But now that he is, we have to factor him in.” Alaric gave me a hopeless stare, one that told me he was choosing duty and sense over heart. “Elariya should return to the mortal lands. Sending her back will make Thayden think he has leverage.”
“And what if he’s in council with the enemy?” I challenged. “He’d know I’m alive. Then there is no leverage.”
Alaric’s stare didn’t waver. “That’s exactly why we let him believe he’s won. If he’s reporting to someone, he’ll do it when he thinks he’s safe—when he thinks you’re gone and Elariya is back where he can control her.”
He leaned in slightly. “Thayden may not even know who fed him that power. But he’ll reach for that power again. And when he does, we follow the trail. We don’t spook him. We don’t cut the thread. We use him. And once we know who’s behind him, you get her back—and you protect her family.”
I dragged a hand down my face. “You’re asking me to give her up. That’s a hard thing to even consider.”
“You wanted to keep her safe, Wolfe.” He riveted his gaze to mine. “This is how you do it. We should never have had to drag her to somewhere like Morgäven. And we nearly didn’t make it.”
The ache that bloomed in my chest was different from the one caused by the wound. Guilt crawled under my lungs and squeezed its miserable way inside.
Elariya could have died trying to save me. None of that was right. But giving her up wasn’t right either.
