Elias pressed his lips together before nodding once. “I’ll be back.”
When my eyes closed again, I didn’t try to force them open. I heard the soft sound of the door opening and closing, and behind my eyelids, the lights flickered off. There was a brief moment of relief as I was taken back to the darkness of my own mind, but not even that lasted long.
I felt the prickle of his presence in the back of my mind, too familiar now as he entered my thoughts.
What’s the matter, little brother?he whispered, voice chilling and painful as it reverberated through my head.Don’t you trust me to take care of you?
I drew in a deep breath that rattled in my lungs and released it slowly.Leave,I thought.Get out of my head.
His chuckle made bile rise in my throat.But don’t you want to know the secret Sable kept from you? I uncovered it finally, you know. And your mate…she’s not too happy about it.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Before I could respond, the door to my cell opened again, the lights coming on.
I kept my eyes closed as I listened to Elias talk to the healer. The whole time, Dante was there, his presence remaining hidden within me.
Would he let me speak? Could I even warn them?
“He is terribly weak,” the healer said, her voice soft. “It’s worrying. You think this has something to do with…?” She trailed off, but I felt her move closer.
I could kill her through you, Dante whispered, making my stomach twist sharply.I could kill them all with you as my weapon, little brother.
I tried to open my mouth to warn them off, but no sound would leave my lips.No,I thought, heart pounding, crashing against my already sore ribs.Don’t.
He chuckled again. When the healer moved closer, I tried to open my eyes, lift my head, but I was trapped in my own body.
“Wait,” Blythe said, her voice hard. “He’s here.”
The air stilled, tensionfilling the cell.
“Leave,” Elias said, hopefully directing that at the healer. “You aren’t safe in here.”
“But he needs?—”
“He needs you gone,” Blythe cut in, stopping the healer completely. “Is there anything we can give him?”
There was a beat of silence, silence that had Dante pressing further into my mind, silence that had the aches in my joints and bones worsening the longer he remained present.
“Give me a few minutes. I’ll brew something for him.” Then she was gone, taking her healing energy with her. The door to my cell closed again, though the lights didn’t go out this time.
“You coming out to play, Dante?” Elias said. “Or have you weakened Adrian too much?”
The way Elias was trying to goad Dante made him angry. But my brother didn’t assume control.
Maybe he couldn’t. Elias was right that I was weak. I’d weakened myself too much in the Old World, and when we returned, I’d done little to refill my magic reserves. Whatever Dante was doing now only made it worse.
Which he knew. So, I wasn’t sure what he wanted now. Did he need me weak? Dead, even?
Of course I don’t want you dead, Dante said, his voice, even in my head, starting to sound strained.I’m only looking out for you.
I didn’t bother responding or calling him out on how ridiculous that sounded. He wouldn’t be trying to kill me if he werelooking outfor me.
Fingers, cold and almost soothing, brushed my temple. I stiffened out of fear, not for myself, but for Blythe.
The words that came through weren’t Dante’s, sparking even more terror within me. It clamped tightly around my chest, striking at my heart without remorse.
You can follow his mind, Adrian,she said, her voice soft.He might be able to enter yours, but he opened a gateway. You can slip into his. He just doesn’t think you’re capable of doing it. He thinks you’re weak.
Blythe’s fingers fell away as she stepped back. She said something to Elias, her voice gentle and quiet, but I couldn’t hear her over the thundering beat of my heart.
