“It certainly has been a very, very long day,” Lorcan said as he loosed a long breath. “My mind has been spinning non-stop. It’s as if something inside of me is trying to break free of a spell.”
Reyna’s breath froze. Her hope poked up its head. Had this actually worked? Had they somehow gotten through to him? Slowly, Reyna rose into a crouch, ready to spring into action if she must.
“You know…” he continued, tapping his ears. “Like a voice in the back of your mind always following you around. And it talks to me. About you, actually, Reyna. I might not be fond of you, Reyna, but that voice surely is. And it’s asking me if it can come out to play instead of me. Perhaps I should listen to it. It’s begging so sweetly, and I am so very tired of fighting against it.”
Reyna glanced up at Thane.
And then Lorcan hissed. “Is that what you want me to say? Babble on and on about how you’ve convinced me to turn back into a pathetic, little thing who can’t even rule his own kingdom without getting cursed or killed.” He dug the blade deeper into Thane’s neck and bit into skin. Blood pooled on the dagger. “Well, it won’t work. He’s not in here!”
Lorcan raised the dagger over his head and slashed it downward at Thane’s throat. Reyna screamed and leapt forward, slamming into the air king. The blade scraped his cheek as they fell. They tumbled away from Lorcan, falling into a heap halfway across the floor. Thane groaned and slammed his hand against the wound. The scent of burnt flesh filled the air.
“Pity he isn’t dead,” Lorcan said, stalking toward them. “But he will be soon.”
50
Lorcan
Lorcan could see everything, and there was nothing he could do to stop any of it. The Cursed One was fully in control now, and he’d pushed Lorcan so far into the depths of his soul that he knew he’d never make it out again.
Chunks of time were missing from his memories. He knew he wasn’t forgetting anything. He just wasn’t seeing them in the first place. The world was slowly slipping away from him. The Cursed One had lied about a lot of things, but there was a measure of truth in his words to Reyna about the curse itself.
Soon, they would no longer be separate entities. Lorcan would lose his grip on himself, and he would vanish into the darkness of the magic. The Cursed One would be the only one left. Even if Reyna fixed everything, it would not bring him back.
He’d be gone.
A shout of desperation tore through him as he watched the Cursed One raise his blade and bring it down on Thane. His heart shuddered to a stop; his hands could do nothing to prevent anything anymore. He saw Reyna push Thane out of the way. The blade only scraped his cheek, but it would still wound the hell out of him. With an Iron Dragon, even the smallest cuts were brutal. The pain would last for weeks, if not months.
But he was alive, Lorcan thought, his heart pounding.Thank the gods for Reyna Darragh.
His whole chest ached just thinking about her. She had returned to him, again, even after everything he’d done to her. He’d had a momentary flash of control earlier in the day, and he’d ordered his guards to stop her from coming into the tower. He wanted to spare her life. The Cursed One was so determined to kill her he’d waited all day on the throne for her to show.
And yet she kept coming. The guards had been unable to stop her.
But there was nothing she could do to save him.
His time had run out.
The Cursed One stalked toward Reyna. Lorcan ground his teeth and tried to hold him back. But he kept moving forward, his gaze locked on where she’d tumbled onto the floor next to Thane. She leaned over the air king, fear and worry flickering across her face.
“Did you really think that Thane Selkirk could talk me out of killing you?” The Cursed One spoke through Lorcan’s familiar voice, but there was an edge to it that was entirely foreign.
Reyna whirled on him and leapt to her feet. She held her sword up before her. There wasn’t even an ounce of fear on her face. Lorcan couldn’t help but smile. That was the one he loved.
“You’re right. I hoped he’d get through to you.” Her eyes narrowed, and there was a flash of pain hidden in the silver. “But you’ve answered a very important question for me.”
Lorcan laughed. “And what’s that?”
That flash of pain ripped through her eyes again. “You’re right. There’s nothing left of Lorcan anymore. He never would have raised his blade toward Thane. Me? Maybe. Thane? Absolutely not. So, you weren’t lying. He’s gone.”
Her voice cracked on the last word, and everything within him ached to reach out toward her and tell her that it would be alright, that he was still here, that he did love her the way she loved him.
She thought his love for her couldn’t break through the curse.
Because he’d betrayed her all those months ago.
That was different, he wanted to shout.That was then, not now!
Suddenly, the Cursed One lifted his blade and swung it at her head. Reyna’s eyes popped wide. They’d been talking. She hadn’t expected him to attack. With a gasp, she ducked down, but Lorcan could see it wasn’t fast enough.
