"I should leave—" he started.
The floor trembled beneath them.
XXIII.
DANTE
Books rattled on shelves, and the lights flickered in patterns that set his nerves on edge.
He was on his feet before the second tremor rolled through, his shadows automatically reaching for her arm to steady her as she stood. He released her immediately and moved to the massive windows overlooking his domain. In the distance, where his territory met the neutral zones between courts, a pillar of sickly yellow light rose into the twilight sky.
The ward network was hemorrhaging power. He could feel it like a wound in his own flesh.
Damn it all.
"What is that?" She'd followed him to the window, standing close enough that her shoulder nearly brushed his. Either she didn't understand the danger, or she'd stopped caring.
The latter, most likely.
"Ward-lock failure." The words came out clipped. Distance, severity, and how swiftly the cascade would spread if left unchecked. His mind sorted through the variables with ruthless speed. "Major one."
Another tremor rolled through the palace, strong enough that he felt it in his bones. The barriers were screaming.
"How major?" Her voice held steady through the tremors, and when he glanced at her, she was already reading the situation. Weighing risks and costs as though she'd spent lifetimes making such decisions.
She hadn't.Decades at most. A handful of mortal years learning to survive.
"If it's not contained within the hour, the damage will spread to adjacent sections." He turned from the window, already moving. His shadows raced ahead, clearing the path to his study where the emergency equipment was stored. "The cascade could take down half the neutral zone's infrastructure."
Souls would pour through the breaks. Reality would fracture at the seams. The other Death Lords would scramble to contain the damage, and they would all know it had occurred in his territory, under his watch.
Unacceptable.
"We need to get there."
The words stopped him cold.We.
He turned slowly. The casual presumption in that single word made his jaw clench even as his shadows leaned toward her.
"I need to get there." He kept his voice level through considerable effort. "You're staying here."
She'd be safe here. He wouldn't have to divide his attention between repairs and keeping one fragile mortal alive.
Her chin lifted in that stubborn way that meant she was about to make his life harder.
"I'm going with you."
"Absolutely not." The refusal came out as a low growl.
She was already heading for the door, shoulders set with determination that showed she'd made her choice, and arguing would be useless.
Impossible creature.
He crossed the space between them faster than human eyes could track, placing himself directly in her path. He loomed, using every advantage of height and presence. The Reaper. Not some mortal she could sway through sheer determination.
She halted, but she didn't retreat. Just looked up at him with that unflinching gaze that made frustration tighten in his chest.
"You've been training me," she said. "I can help."
