The most menacing whisper he'd ever heard slithered out from the Phaedra's bared teeth. “If you ever have the misfortune to find yourself anywhere near her, then run. Run for her life because I will punish her for every second she's in your presence.”
Such cruelty in his eyes.
The laughter and snickering faded, and the Phaedra's voice boomed off the walls, echoing in Zayne's mind. “If I cannot have you, thenshenever fucking will.”
Silence bent its knee to the Phaedra's will, and the entire world spun only at his direction. His power felt absolute.
None of that mattered. It didn't matter that Zayne sacrificed every bit of his own power and that he'd rendered himself entirely useless, lying helpless in the Phaedra's captivity. Weak and dying. Zayne wouldn't allow him to threaten her.
“You'll never… t-touch…”
The Phaedra waited, allowing Zayne to finish, looking more amused than ever when his voice failed, and he couldn't muster the breath to finish his threat. The threat he meant more than any other uttered before.
Pain ate away at him ruthlessly. Darkness crackled at the edge of his vision.
“It's no fun when you pass out, boy.” The Phaedra jabbed his finger against Zayne's forehead, voice mocking. “Stay awake and finish your pathetic threat. I'm dying to hear what you plan to do to me.”
A low growl built in his throat, the sound so breathless and weak that it was barely audible. Pathetic.
“Poor thing.” Long fingers snaked into his hair. “This is only the beginning. It's going to get so much worse for you. But you chose this for yourself.”
Darkness was spreading over his vision. Zayne croaked in enough of a breath to wheeze out two words while looking into the Phaedra's eyes. “Fuck… you…”
A snort. The Phaedra shook his head. “Don't believe me?” He raised his fingers and snapped. “How about a little taste of what your future holds?”
In his bleary vision, he saw Nadia emerge from shadows that slithered around her to suck her back in and destroy her.
Shock jolted through him.
He was hallucinating. Or dead.
What was she doing here?
“She's the reason you're alive,” the Phaedra said. “She came to help you with your foolish plan and stayed behind to take care of you. How selfless. I wonder if that makes up for her fucking your brother.” Another disgusting chuckle.
Nadia couldn't be here. This couldn't be real. She wasn't involved in this.
For the first time in three years, Zayne looked into the eyes of the woman he'd planned to spend his life with, and knew the Phaedra was right.
This all just got so much worse.
“Nadia…” Zayne strained to keep his eyes open.
Why? He needed to ask her so many questions.
“Get control of your heart rate,” Nadia said. “It's beating too hard for your condition. If you want to help me, you have to slow it down and survive.”
Her words tumbled around in his mind as he struggled to make sense of them. Everything was fading. Zayne tried to calm his heart, but he couldn't have just freed Kira only for Nadia to end up in the Phaedra's clutches.
“Zayne,” Nadia said with a sharp voice. “You can do this.”
He groaned and managed to look at her again, not fooled by how strong she sounded when tears coated her swollen eyes.
“Let… her…” Fuck, he couldn't muster the breath.
“Go,” the Phaedra finished for him with a smirk. “I don't think I will. I like Nadia. I've missed my time with her. But you really shouldn't worry her like this. She obviously loves you very much, and you're not looking very good.”
He rose, hovering over Zayne again.
