The rebel collapsed to the sands, groaning. “I’m g-going to enjoy watching y-you get tortured before you die, a-asshole—”
A massive, booted foot rammed into the rebel’s head, and he flew back, lights out. “Yeah. Must have a bit of the jerky foot, too.” Lykon scratched his head.
Since they were lads, Lykon always had a mile-long protective streak, even though Aerén could kill anything with just a smidgen of his power. But right now, he was as fucking helpless as a babe with his deadly ability locked down.
“Take them to the cells,” he snapped. “I’ll deal with them later.”
His enforcers dematerialized with the cursing rebels. Aerén pressed his fingers to his pounding head. Thosecaenirebels knew Leya was here. He wanted to rampage through all their hideouts and blitz each fucking one—
“You okay?” Thiorr asked quietly.
No. Am fucked in the head.
“Yeah.” He pressed a hand to his side. At the stickiness smearing his palm, he didn’t have to look to know the damn demon wound had started bleeding again.
He wiped his hand on his pants. “Let’s go. Na’Tol is a dead land. Let’s make sure whatever dwells there is dead, too.”
CHAPTER21
“Can I help?”Leya asked, shutting the kitchen door behind her.
Jisele’s head snapped up, and the kitchen came to a standstill. She blinked like Leya had asked her for the keys to the castle coffers.
“I could cut up stuff for you,” she offered with a smile.
It seemed to pull the woman out of her shock. “No, my lady, everything is under control. After what happened yesterday eve, you should rest.”
What? Jisele couldn’t know the friction between Aerén and her… Oh, right, she meant the damn ghost.
“Would you like a snack? Lunch will be ready in an hour or so.”
“No. I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Come, my lady,” Mihr said from Leya’s side, giving her a sympathetic smile.
As they walked out, Leya clenched and unclenched her hands at the continuous prickling while restlessness crawled beneath her skin like fire ants. She hadn’t seen Aerén since the awful fallout last night. If he was avoiding her, she couldn’t blame him. But Mihr had mentioned he’d gone to the city that morning, something about meeting the tenants afterward, which always took hours.
He’s a prince. He has things to do, not hang around here twenty-four-seven.
The hole in her chest didn’t care about any reasoning, and grew deeper.
Mihr opened the door to a smaller sitting room with enormous windows. Late afternoon sunlight cast a sparkling shimmer over the calm lake some distance away.
“It’s so beautiful.” Sighing, Leya smoothed her hands over the flowing, tonal teal-blue gown Mihr had insisted she wear.
“Aye, our world is lovely,” Mihr said, melancholy tinging her voice. “As our magic fades, so does hope. Our matings cannot be blessed without the sacred, missing Stone of Light, and having a family will become a distant memory.” Her pretty eyes misted. “We long for babes, to hear the sound of their laughter, to hold their soft bodies close. To love them…”
Leya’s heart twisted hard hearing that again. “I’m so sorry, Mihr.”
“It isn’t your fault.” Mihr straightened, wiping away the sadness with a curve of lips. “If you have no need of me, my lady—”
“Mihr, please call me Leya.”
“Oh no!” the woman gawked in horror. “You’re a Chosen. A revered being, selected by our ancient magic.”
How I wish it were true, then I could help you all.Leya wrapped her tingling palms around her waist.
“Anyway, I must go into town. I have an errand to run for Jisele.”
