As I came back to myself fully, I saw the damage I had wrought. There were scorch marks where the ring of fire was, and a burn mark where the body had been. The other body was still tied to the wall by vines.
Griff dropped to my side, taking my hands in his as if on instinct.“Deep breaths, Princess.”
His words resonated through my chest as I did as he said. One breath in, one breath out, concentrating on the weight and warmth of his hands on mine, providing my heart and thoughts the tether they needed.
“Are you injured?”
I shoved aside all the thoughts that were tumbling around in my head.“No. Neither of us are.”
It was only then that I realized we had been speaking mind to mind this whole time.
“How?”I asked in wonder.
“Now is not the time to figure it out. What do you need?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
And for the moment, I would be. I would handle my emotions at a later date.
Griff gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me, but he understood.
Freya returned to the girl. Speaking to her in soothing tones, she healed the worst of the pain. When a man in a green cloak moved to help them, the girl shied away. Freya motioned him to leave.
I shook off Griff, who kept his distance as I approached the girl. “How can I help?” I asked Freya in a low voice.
At my words, the girl’s head turned to me, her eyes low and covered by her hair. “Thank you, your highness,” she said in a shaking voice.
Of all the times to be noticed as the fucking princess.
She clasped my hand. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t appeared when you did.”
That calmed some of the rage and guilt inside of me. It was worth it, to defend an innocent. An innocent who had no one else. But tonight, she hadme.
But she wasn’t done. “His eyes went dark, so dark. Like night.”
My blood ran cold.
Freya looked at me at the same time I looked at her. And then we both looked down at the hand clasping mine. I reached out with my body channel and felt Freya doing the same. I found no hint of darkness in her, and with a quick glance, I knew Freya agreed. Was it possible that Cillian, that those in the faction, were being controlled by the darkness itself? Was the darkness already insidethe castle?
Freya wiped her sweat-soaked brow and told me softly, “We need to get her to the healing wing.”
I looked her over and saw the burn marks, the skin scorched away in multiple places. There was no way she could stand.
“My name is Lexa,” I told her softly. “What’s yours?”
“Aoife,” she gasped through the pain.
“Aoife, there is a man here I trust with my life. With anyone’s life. Will you let him carry you?” My voice was gentler than I thought possible after what I had just done. She recoiled at the thought, but I gently stroked down her arm, infusing my touch with calm from my soul channel. “I promise you. I will be right by your side the whole time. Freya and I both will.”
She stared at me with wide eyes, and I motioned for Griff to approach.
“Aoife, this is my friend, Griff. I promise you are safe with him. He’s…” I paused, searching for the words to explain who he was to me, to convince her to let him help her. “He’s who I trust most in the world,” I said in a whisper. “He would die before letting harm come to you.”
Her eyes never left my face as he gently picked her up, careful of her legs. I just hoped I was worth the trust in her eyes as Griff carefully carted her to the healing wing.
Later,much later, Griff got me back to my rooms. I collapsed on the sofa, my head bowed forward, staring at the floor. The emotions I had shoved aside returned with a vengeance. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking—hands that had commanded power to squeeze the life from two men. I pressed them between my knees, trying to make the tremors stop.
Griff sat next to me, close but not touching. I was terrified that if he touched me, I might shatter completely.
