“Touch her and I’ll break your mind before you can draw another breath.”
The male paused with his fingers an inch from Sylaira’s arm.
She whirled, relief softening her features at the sight of me. If she ever looked at me like that when she wasn’t in danger, I’d fall to my knees in thanks to our Radiant Mother.
I smacked the desperate thought away and focused on the task at hand.
“Issaraeth,” he stammered, leaping back like he’d been branded. “I didn’t realize–”
“No, you didn’t,” I snarled, stalking forward.
The three froze like prey that saw their death in the dark. True fear flashed in each pair of weak-shaded irises.
“Sir, we’re sorry. We were just–”
“On your way back to work?” I lifted a brow, daring them to say otherwise.
“Yes, sir, we shouldn’t have stopped. Nothing will keep the trees back but us,” the third laughed nervously.
I said nothing, fingers flexing at my sides, while they took healthy steps back.
“We’ll be going now,” the smart one said, grasping the two who had been flirting with my mate and giving them a tug.
“Run.”
I didn’t need to Command them for them to obey. They took off, nearly stumbling over an uneven stone. Satisfaction curled through me as one ran smack into a passing donkey.
Dragging in a breath through my nostrils, I forced myself to regain control before I faced Sylaira.
When I did, her mouth was open. “I–” she started, then cleared her throat. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
I stepped closer, the rest of the word disappearing. Sun highlighted flecks of deep blue amid the otherwise glacial hue of her eye.
“You think I’d let them lay a hand on what’s mine?” The claim rasped out of me before I could cage it.
“You keep saying I’m yours, but I never consented to that.” Sylaira’s words didn’t land with their usual bite. That almost made it worse.
The statement lingered between us. But I refused to take back what I said.
She was my mate, and I had a duty to her too. And that included protecting her from lecherous males as much as the ones who sought to take her from me.
“Let’s go.” I lifted the lip of the wagon and slammed the pins into place.
Then, I rounded to the front and unhitched the horses. The familiar motions did nothing to soothe the riot of emotion inside me.
It wasn’t until we were far, far out of the settlement that the vines constricting my chest eased.
And for the first time, I wondered if there was a possibility that Sylaira could change her opinion of me.
And if letting her see a fraction of the real truth might be the very thing that destroyed me.
28
Iwas at war with myself, and no one had ever taught me how to fight a losing battle. The previous winter, I’d been in the midst of the defense of our realm when the Demons were weeks away from taking Sivy, and still that was nothing compared to the struggle I faced now.
Sylaira unraveled me. She saw me to my core, even when I tried to hide it. Her words were swords and salves.
And after watching those males surround her, flirt with her? Surrendering to the cold embrace of numbness was impossible. The ice that encased my emotions had shattered, and the warming water was rising fast enough to drown me.
