I try to rise, but agony lances through my side.
Lachlan is already up and moving. He rushes toward me, rage burning bright in his eyes. Before I can manage to pushmyself upright, he drives his knee into my chest, pinning me to the ground. Pain explodes through my body, and his hand closes around my throat.
“I suppose I can just kill you first,” he snarls, his face twisted with grief and fury. “Then I will slice your human whore to pieces.”
I bare my teeth, but my vision begins to blur, and his fingers tighten. Air. I need air. I never knew Lachlan possessed such physical strength, as I always bested him as we sparred in the fields of Frostfall, but it would seem that rage and grief have given him an edge of power I never imagined possible. Try as I might, I am unable to throw him off.
Through the bond, Isabel’s terror crashes into me, loud and frantic.Gideon!she screams inside my head.
Hearing her voice in my mind helps cut through the haze. I grasp Lachlan’s hands, trying to pry them from my neck. Blood roars in my ears and my vision keeps blurring, but I won’t let myself pass out.
Suddenly, Lachlan glances over his shoulder.
Through the bond, I sense Isabel is moving. She’s pushed herself to her feet. I can’t see her, since Lachlan’s blocking my view, but I know she’s walking and clutching her ribs.
Finally, she appears on the left side of the cave, kneeling on the floor, her hands searching for something. The blade, I realize. She’s looking for my blade.
But before she can find it, Lachlan releases my throat and rises in one fluid motion. Ice fills my veins as he pivots toward her, the knife flashing in his hand.
“For Maelissa,” he hisses.
For one terrible heartbeat, I fear I am too late.
He lunges.
Nooo!
With a roar, I surge upright and summon every shred of winter magic I possess. I flash between them just as Lachlan’s blade slices across my forearm instead of Isabel’s throat.
Ignoring the pain, I seize his wrist and twist hard. His bones crack, and his agonized screams echo off the cavern walls. The knife clatters to the floor.
Before he can recover, I withdraw a smaller blade from my weapons belt, driving it beneath his ribs, plunging it straight into his wicked heart.
His eyes widen in shock, then all signs of life leave his face. He collapses at my feet. My brother. My only sibling. Dead.
I turn at once to Isabel. She’s on the floor again, holding her center, her hands pressed against her ribs. I drop to my knees before her, already holding out my hands, already summoning healing light.
After flashing twice in quick succession, I’m nearly drained of energy, my reserves of magic fading. But I draw in deep breaths and think of the ussha on the snow-covered mountain. The forest is teeming with it. The lifeforce of fae magic. It’s here. So close.
Isabel whimpers, then winces.
Gods, I cannot bear to see her in pain.
If I could take all her pain upon myself, I would not hesitate.
I continue drawing upon my powers, and finally, the blue light emanating from my palms becomes brighter. She sighs softly, a sigh of relief, and through the bond I sense that her chest is no longer aching, her ribs and bruises healed.
Still holding my palms over her chest, I look her up and down. Her clothes are dirty, her dress torn in several places, and her hair is disheveled. Thankfully, I don’t see any visible cuts or bruises. Cautious relief rises from within.
But then, through our bond, I sense the ache at the back of her head, and I quickly direct the healing light all over the area, not stopping until I sense the discomfort has faded.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No, I’m not hurt anywhere else,” she whispers, her voice hoarse. Tears fill her eyes. “Oh, Gideon.”
“Little moth,” I breathe, gathering her into my arms. “I have you.”
CHAPTER 25
