by Elena Lawson
Finn’s wings twitched, “And where does her family live?”
The healer only just finished telling him before he raced from the room. I didn’t have to ask to know he had gone to see for himself if that was, in fact, where she had disappeared to.
“Thank you,” I said to Loris’ back, “I will tell the queen of your… eagerness to help find her friend.”
I had the gratification of watching her shoulders tense at the subtle threat before I left her to her devices.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liana
The groan of a heavy door opening woke me from a half-in, half-out slumber. But it wasn’t my door. I moved closer to hear. The shuffle of boots on stone. The clatter of metal and a single word.
“Please,” she said. And I thought I recognized the voice, even muffled as it was through the walls, “What is it you want?”
No answer came for her, and I listened to the door shut, and the heart wrenching sounds of quiet sobbing.
It took me a moment, but it couldn’t have been anyone else. I knew that voice, I’d just never heard her so upset. Her words high-pitched. Cracking.
It was Aisling.
My skin iced over, and I had to bite back the immediate urge to call out to her. So she would know she wasn’t alone. But then a key turned in the lock on my door and it swung open, the ancient hinges squealing in protest.
So bright. It was so bright I winced, my eyes burning.
He tossed a tray to the ground at my feet, the clatter of steel against stone rang in my ears. I blinked enough to see a chunk of crusty bread and a handful of dark berries scattered over the floor.
“Verbane berries,” Valin said, “I heard you like the taste.”
I squinted through the rays of light from his lantern, at last finding his ugly face. I felt the fire in my core heat. It tried to build on itself, but even with the door open, the bindstone did its duty. I could do little more than produce a small flame on the palm of my hand before it winked out—the heat taken with it.
Valin’s eyes widened at the sight of the flame, and I reveled in what I thought was fear turning down the corners of his mouth. But then his gaze wandered to the shackle at my ankle and he smiled wickedly.
“So much power,” he jeered. Stooping down to my level, but still, just out of my chain’s reach. He leveled a heated stare at me, “The king will be pleased with my work. Thana was a great disappointment to him. But I won’t be.”
“What are you—”
I started, just the sound of Thana’s name enough to have me crumpling, but he tsked, speaking over me, “You see, fair Liana, I’ve brought him three mighty gifts to aid in his campaign. And when the king returns from amassing his forces, I’ll revel in watching the fall of the last queen of Night.”
The flames at my core rose again, mingling with the ice vying for dominion in my veins. “You’re a monster,” I shouted at him. “You’re just as mad as he is.”
Valin stood, “Stupid girl,” he said, “The only mad one here is you. And when the first snows fall, we’ll take back what belongs to him.”
And he closed the door, leaving me screaming every profanity I could conjure after his retreating back.
I waited until I could no longer hear the echo of his footfalls. And until I was able to calm my wild breathing and clear my adrenaline addled mind. Then I moved back to the door as close as I could. “Aisling,” I called through the slit between the wood and the floor.
“I knew it was you!” she called back, relief flooding each of her words, “But, if you’re here that means—”
She started, not having to finish her sentence. We both knew what it meant. By now someone had claimed my throne—likely my father as king regent.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, “How long have you been here?”
“I—well I’m not sure. Maybe three days. Valin—he put something in my drink. And then I—I couldn’t move,” she paused, and I held my breath, “But I could feel everything,” she sobbed.
And the weight of what she implied settled in my stomach like a swallow of acid. My eyes pricked with tears for the horrors I couldn’t imagine she’d had to endure. All alone. Because I asked her to find out what Valin was hiding. Would she even be here if I hadn’t put her in that position?
“And then,” she continued, “I feinted. I don’t remember how I got here. Are—do you think they’re going to kill us?”
I hauled in a shaking breath, calming the tremble in my bones, “No,” I said, as calmly and as strongly as I possibly could. “We just have to be patient. Alaric—he’ll come for us. We will get out of here—get home.”
We were silent after that, and I wondered if she knew I was lying.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Finn
Aisling hadn’t been within the walls of her quaint family home. Her mother was quick to ask when she’d left the palace and shout orders at her son to ready his sister’s room. I hadn’t had the heart to tell her Aisling wouldn’t be coming home. At least, not anytime soon. The news wasn’t a shock to me or to any others. But Kade and Tiernan hung their heads with guilt.
Alaric had sent them to make sure of the young healer’s safety. And they had failed.
“Edris, welcome,” Alaric said as the male prowled into the queen’s parlor. I itched to leave. Hated being in there. It felt empty without her.
The previous King Consort nodded to the captain before taking the in the room, “Where’s the queen?”
“That’s what we’ve brought you here to discuss,” Alaric said, gesturing for the noble lord to sit.
I had pushed Alaric to do it. Request Edris’ help. The queen’s lack of presence at court wouldn’t escape the notice of the nobles, and they’d be quick to question the word of her guard. But not Edris’ word. They respected him. Even wanted him to wear the crown. If he said Liana was simply away, the nobles would accept it as truth.
We were just lucky he had returned to the palace early from his hunt.
“She isn’t here,” I said, and he turned his icy blue stare on me.
His brows knitted together, “Then where is she?” A note of worry in his tone.
I didn’t know much about Edris, but I knew the decision to send Liana away at birth would have been more to do with her mother. I doubted Edris had any say in it. And now, seeing the tension in his jaw, and the way his eyes widened in worry—I knew it to be true. He cared for her. He would do what they asked of him.
Alaric, likely having sensed his emotions, cleared his throat before saying in a very calm, level voice, “The queen is away. Touring the northern villages. She wanted to meet more of her subjects.”
That had been Tiernan’s idea, and I had to commend the male for his cunning. The nobility at court wouldn’t look for her there. They wouldn’t dare set foot in the northern villages. The place where Kade and I were born.
The dirt streets and general non-splendor would sully their pretty gowns. Tarnish their ignorance. They didn’t want to see it. Because they didn’t want to know just how poor a person could be. Or how even in the darkest places, there was still joy to be found. I’d found my joy in reading—Kade in setting fires and watching the townsfolk scramble to put them out. We had our vices.
No, they wouldn’t go there. But they would commend the queen for her bravery, and her charity.
Dawning flashed over Edris’ features. He knew it was a cover, and not the truth. His gaze fell from Alaric’s, “And how long is she to be gone?”
“We don’t know.” Kade grunted. “As long as it takes.”
Edris nodded solemnly, “I understand. Just—just bring her back safe, will you?”
Alaric stood and Edris dragged himself to his feet. The captain shook his hand, “On my honor. I will bring your daughter home.”
The former king consort didn’t say another word before he left the queen’s chambers in a daze. Not more than a moment after he’d left, Alaric pulled on his cloak, “Get ready,” he barked
, “We leave here in ten minutes.”
I shook my head, sighing. Liana’s in the Wastes. That was all we knew. We didn’t know where, and the Wastes were vast, filled with forests and mountains and decaying cities and towns.
Was I the only one who’d done the math? It would take months to comb over the entire thing.
“We have no idea where she is,” I said, hating how my guts twisted and frost pricked to life in my chest, “The Wastes are too vast—we’ll never—”
“Then we better start looking,” he growled, glaring into my eyes.
“Finn’s right,” Tiernan stated, “We need more to go on or we won’t find her before—I mean, she could already be…”
Alaric’s chest visibly tightened, and he jabbed a finger into Tiernan’s chest, “She isn’t dead,” he howled, “I would know if she were.”
Kade crossed his arms, and I could see his rage coming out in the feint glow in his eyes. Here we go…
“How would you know that?” Kade demanded, “It’s impossible for any of us to know that.”
Alaric slumped into a chair, clasping his hands together, “It’s not impossible for all of us.”
He wouldn’t have done it… would he? But I could see it written all over his face. He had done it. He’d bound himself to her. And I had it on good authority he’d consummated the bond, too.
“I’ve already done it,” he whispered, “I bound myself to her while she slept. She doesn’t know. The bond hasn’t been reciprocated.”
Kade’s palms glowed red with heat and I watched him fight to control it. “You what?”
The captain shot a retort back at my brother, but I wasn’t listening anymore. It had been my idea. I’d approached them only days ago to see if they agreed. I had suggested we all bind ourselves to her, and that she bind herself to us. There was no reason it couldn’t be done. And I had found proof that Morgana had actually done it—bound herself to her five males.
It would allow us to see through her eyes. Speak to each other’s minds. The bond was a tether of sorts. Connecting one to soul to another. We’d always know where she was. There would be a permanent pull if she weren’t with us. We’d feel her pain. Sense if she were in danger.
It made sense.
“Can’t you see how lucky we are?” I said, and Kade narrowed his eyes at me, but my brother knew me—he knew I said nothing unless I had a damned good reason to.
And I did. I had considered every possible outcome before ever having suggested it. I had little—if any—experience where the Immortal Bond was concerned, or even a care to learn more about it. It wasn’t something I’d ever truly considered doing.
But that research included what could be done if Liana turned us down. The others may not have done it, but I would’ve bound myself to her, anyway.
“What do you mean?” Alaric asked, shoving away a disgruntled Kade.
I racked my brain to remember all the details. I’d read about a similar situation. Where a female had bonded herself to a male she loved, but he hadn’t returned the sentiment. The bond went only one way. It was incomplete. Within the tattered scroll contained her testimony, written into ballad.
The gist of it was that visions of her unrequited love plagued her every time she closed her eyes to sleep. And how she longed for the day he’d die so she would feel it, as she’d felt his pain before, and know her nightmare had ended.
That’s it.
“You had better start explaining,” Kade growled, his fists clenched—flames licking over his knuckles and up his forearms.
I smiled. I felt lighter than I had in what felt like an age. “He will know if she dies. He will feel it if she’s hurt.”
“But the bond—it’s incomplete,” Tiernan argued.
I shook my head at him. “It doesn’t matter. He’s tied himself to her. Whether she knows it or had reciprocated it. It can’t be undone.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Alaric barked, “I already knew I’d feel it if she died. Bond or not.”
“It’s more than that, Alaric. What you did can help us find her—save her. But first, you need to go to sleep.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Liana
The minutes have blended into hours. I’ve lost track of them in the dark. I had no way of knowing how much time was passing or if it was passing at all. It could have been hours, or it could have been days. I wasn’t sure. Had I slept? I couldn’t remember.
I spent all that time fighting against the bindstone walls surrounding me. Gently coaxing my Graces one at a time. Over and over and over again. Each time I seemed to be able to draw a little more power than before. It was working. I was building a tolerance to the bindstone, just as I’d built a tolerance to verbane all those years ago.
But each time it got harder. I became weaker. Exhausted.
Still, I couldn’t conjure the full power of my known Graces. But a small flame or a sharp shard of ice could be all I needed. I just had to wait for the right moment.
The clomping of wide soled boots preceded the sound of the lock in the door. A male stood there, and I hurried to adjust my sight to the onslaught of light. His wings shrouded me from the brunt of it. He set a metal tray on the floor and shoved it to me with his boot. More water, and what I assumed was a wrapped piece of cheese. So, it had been a full day. I couldn’t see them feeding us more than was necessary.
He stood there, his dark blue eyes alight with amusement. I knew in an instant—he was the one who’d taken me. Likely also the one responsible for nearly drowning Finn. The one who had tried to capture me before.
The Draconian beamed with pride at his prize. “Valin told me to tell you, you should make peace with the gods. The king will be back soon.”
My jaw clenched. I wondered how soon, exactly. How many more days would I spend in darkness before meeting my end? Could I take the kind gown with me?
I needed Finn. He was the one with all the good ideas. If he was here, he’d know what to do.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?” I hissed at the male, my skin bristling at the touch of his gaze.
His brows raised, “Feisty,” he said in approval, then sighed, seeming to consider something, “Such a waste.” He pursed his thin lips, moving a bit closer. Further into the cell.
I swallowed, recognizing the look in his eyes and not liking it one bit. I drew on my Graces. Shoving down the fear in favor of anger and fire.
He clasped his hands at his front, gazing down at me. His eyes roved over my curves, lingering around my breasts. “To destroy such beauty before the flower has even been plucked.”
My stomach flipped. I swallowed back the bile rising, burning my throat.
I knew what he wanted to do. I could see it in his eyes. And I was sure it wouldn’t stop him to know that I was no virgin.
There would be no calling out for help. There was no one to help me. Only me and him. I’d be damned if I let the bastard get what he wanted.
“Such a waste,” he said again, his voice a suggestive caress. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
I felt the flames at my core. They heeded my call, growing the more danger I was in. I spread my legs, lifted my chin to the male hovering over me.
He licked his lips at the invitation, kneeling. His cold hand circled my upper thigh, and I resisted the urge to recoil. Letting it fuel my rage instead.
That’s it. Just a little closer.
He reached for his trousers, lips parted in anticipation, as he freed his cock.
The Draconian leaned in…
And I lunged. I grabbed him by the face, fingers splayed over his cheeks. Push. I fed the fire through my palms. Rewarded with a howl of pain and the repugnant and yet oh so gratifying smell of burning flesh.
I was shoved back. Could barely see through the haze of smoke when he struck me. His knuckles connected with the bones in my jaw and my feet left the floor. My body sailed across the cell and I landed in a heap against the wall. My face and hip bones
throbbing.
“Bitch!” he shouted and then the light vanished, and I heard the lock click into place behind him.
“Pig!” I screamed back at him, panting. I spat blood onto the floor, trying to get the putrid coppery taste from my tongue.
I had already begun to swell from his blow, but I didn’t bother even trying to heal the small wound. I’d need to conserve my strength for Ricon’s return.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alaric
Healer Loris was a hag of a woman, but I had to admit, she knew what she was doing. Her sleep elixirs had been helping me fall asleep, and stay asleep, for weeks—since before what had happened with Thana.
It was the only way I seemed to be able to keep my eyes closed without incessantly worrying about her. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my men. Any of them would lay down their lives for her—even Tiernan. Though I didn’t know him as well as the others, I felt the depth of his feelings for Liana. It was how I knew I could trust him, and why I granted him his request to join the queen’s guard.
No, it wasn’t them. It was that if something did happen, and I wasn’t there to help stop it, I would never forgive myself.
So, though the others were surprised, I think we were all glad I had a cache of the elixir at my disposal. I took double the recommended dose and was asleep within minutes.
And it had worked. But deciphering the meaning of the vision proved a challenge.
“I couldn’t see anything,” I told them after they’d spent near an hour trying to rouse me from the drug induced slumber, dragging my limp form from my bed to the table in the main barracks. And it wasn’t a lie.
I couldn’t see.
“But I felt the cold,” I said, remembering the way I had—she had shivered, swallowed, “I felt the stone beneath her, and I could smell damp earth.”
My teeth clenched, and a vise kept the air from my lungs. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the rest. How I felt the iron biting into her ankle. Her fear pouring into me, rushing over me. And her anger. The emotions left a stain somewhere in my mind. Tore a hole in my chest.
