Dark fury burned within him, demanding justice. “Wait here.”
His brother and his battalion of warriors appeared, along with Allatus.
Daén frowned at the rumbling lands. “An earthquake?”
“No.” Allatus snapped.
“The island!” Leya shouted at the same time, color flooding her face. She flung her hand out to the sea. “He said they caused the first one to sink!”
The bastard!
His brother and his warriors vanished.
“You fuckers were responsible for that tragedy?” Rage beat a new warpath through Aerén. He strode across, then stopped, realizing why the rebel wasn’t moving.
The flickering rope around thecaenibecame corporeal, revealing the Auras trapping the rebel, hauling the asshole higher and higher.
Leya grasped his forearm with icy fingers. “Aerén—”
“Tell the Auras not to kill the bastard. Reprisal is mine.”
Her gaze pinned on the serpent, she said softly, “Don’t kill him, please.”
The flat, diamond-shaped head swayed to her.“He would…killssss you,”its sibilant words echoed in the wind.“Musssst die.”
“Just for a few minutes,” his mate whispered to the beast.
The coils tightened, and the rebel grunted, unable to fight the creature.
Aerén drew closer and stopped when the monstrous serpent spat out a deadly hiss, nailing him with an unflinching stare, its slitted pupils like dark holes.
He had to make this quick. Aerén pinned the rebel with an icy stare. “Where is the sorcerer?”
“Fuck…off.”
It seemed suffocation wasn’t enough to terrify him.
“Guess you need a little help to remember. It’s also payback for hitting my mate.Twice!” Aerén let his deadly ability wrap around the rebel’s throat like a lasso, the crackling lightning rope tightening further. The asshole’s face contorted and darkened. Blood vessels streaked his eyes.
“I…don’t…know—”
The rebel’s mouth stretched wider in a soundless scream.
Aerén growled. The bastard sorcerer would do that, cause a block, making sure his secrets were never spilled. These fools so blindly followed him but never lived beyond their use.
The serpent’s body quivered. Its coils strained like a spring as it tightened its hold on its prisoner. Aerén let go of his hold on the rebel. Bones crackled and crunched. The Auras tossed thecaeniinto the air, and its tail lashed out, slicing him in half. Blood gushed as his decimated body fell to the trembling land.
Vae. The Auras was fucking scary.
Aerén flung out a lightning bolt, incinerating the body, the wind blowing the ashy remains out to sea.
Leya stood where he’d left her, feet braced on the shuddering grounds, a hand on her mouth.
“Our rules are harsh when found guilty, Leya. We are a people with great strengths and powers, ones that must be used with caution. We do not terrorize or harm the innocent. But I will kill any who think to hurt you.” He drew her to him.
She exhaled sharply. “They would have destroyed another island and killed more people if you hadn’t ordered the evacuation.”
“I know.” Aerén glanced at the island in question as the ground continued to tremble. “The Auras feels the same protectiveness toward you as I do. Now I know you’ll always be safe.”
