She kissed his cheek. “Kell, hang on. Please keep fighting.” She hesitated before saying the words she’d always found so hard to say before. “I love you.”
Kell answered with a sharp gasp, and she knew he’d heard her.
“That’s right, Kell. I love you, and I’m not ready to lose you. Help will be here soon. Please don’t give up.”
She pressed her forehead against his and kept repeating those words over and over again.
***
Dev pushed the last rock out of the way, creating an opening large enough for him to pass through. They’d almost cleared the debris from the last quake when a larger one sent them all scrambling for cover. The taint of Nelos remained long after the dust cleared, and his heart feared the worse.
Varrik came up to him, a trickle of dried blood cutting through the grime on his face. “I’m not going to rest until I know she’s safe.”
But what if we’re too late? What if Nelos succeeded? He shoved his fear aside. “I feel the same way. Let’s go.”
He heard the Empress and his father behind him, but he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. His gut told him something bad had happened, that a god had died tonight. The question was—which one?
They came to a wooden door hanging loosely on its hinges. When he opened it, his heart skipped a beat.
A large room lay on the other side, similar to what Arden had shown him. Only now, the room had caved in, taking a section of the imperial gardens above with it. And somewhere under all that was Arden.
Lady Luck, please be on my side tonight.
“Where do we start?” Varrik asked.
“I have no idea.” The destruction was so vast, it buried any trace of her. He rubbed his chest, wishing he could soothe the ache forming inside it. As he ran through his options, one stood out. “Do you still have her necklace?”
Varrik pulled it out from under his shirt.
Dev held the pendant and focused on Arden. The months he’d known her seemed to fly past in a blur. Every smile. Every glance. Every saucy comment. Every fight. Every moment he’d held her in his arms. He’d give up everything just to have one more of those moments with her.
“Dev?” a voice replied out in his mind.
He shook his head, sure he’d dreamed it all up. But then he heard her muffled voice again, this time from underneath the rubble. “Dev, are you there?”
Relief washed through him, and he released the breath he’d been holding. Arden was still alive.
Varrik raced toward the source of her voice. “Help me get to her.”
Dev joined him in pushing back the rocks, the patches of sod and the broken pieces of a fountain that had once graced the garden. His fingers ached and bled, but he continued digging like a thirsty man desperate for water.
“Look out,” Marist cried as soon as she entered the room.
A ball of golden mist rose from the rubble and raced toward him. A rush of magic flew past him, locking the ball up in a silver cage of magic.
The Empress walked past him, her face strained as she focused her magic on the ball. The silver ring returned to her eyes, and her magic intensified. When she spoke, her voice was not her own. It rang with the power and authority of a goddess. “I’ll deal with Nelos. Get the Soulbearer out of here as quickly as possible.”
The air left Dev’s lungs. What secrets did the Empress hold?
His father joined them, pulling him back to the task he was given. Levitation spells lifted the heaviest pieces out of the way. As they got closer to her, he could hear her saying, “Hang on, Kell. They’re coming. They’re digging us out right now.”
He was fine until she said, “I love you, Kell.”
Dev froze, his pulse pounding through his weary body. A primal scream built up inside his chest, but he refused to release it and let everyone know his anguish. He’d waited too long to tell her how he felt. And despite the bond between them that supposedly was built on love, she was uttering the very words he longed to hear to another man.
“Snap out of it, Dev.” His father jostled him. “We’re almost there.”
He resumed digging. The first glimpse he got of her was her tattered dress. They moved out from there, slowly revealing a leg that was bent at an odd angle. Then the first strands of her yellow hair appeared. As they removed more of the debris, he realized she was lying on top of Kell.
“Arden, are you hurt?” Varrik asked.
She shook her head. “Just please hurry. I don’t know how much longer I can keep the shield up.”
Dev reached out to touch her but ran into the invisible barrier of magic which buzzed along his fingertips. How she’d managed to keep her shield up against the layers of rock that cover it astounded him. He swapped a glance with his father, who seemed to share the same impression.
They finally cleared the rocks that presented the largest threat and reinforced a wall of magic around the surrounding rubble to keep it from caving in on them. Dev crouched beside her. “It’s safe to lower your shields, Arden.”
As soon as the buzzing vanished, he swooped down to take her into his arms. The sensation of her breath on his neck was the closest thing to paradise he’d ever known. He held her close to him, thanking the gods over and over again for keeping her safe.
But then she pushed him away, and he saw her tear-streaked cheeks. “Dev, we have to heal Kell. He was wounded, and I couldn’t…” Her voice faded into a sob.
As much as he wanted to take her away from this place and never let her go, he couldn’t ignore her grief. He handed her to Varrik and leaned over Kell. The prince’s breaths were shallow, and blood spilled out from his mouth. A bright red stain bloomed across his chest.
Dev pressed his hand against the wound. Warm blood bathed his skin. He sent a small thread of magic to explore the severity of the wound and winced when he saw the damage. It would be so easy to say he couldn’t do anything to save the prince and eliminate his rival, but his soul rebelled against the idea. It stood against everything a knight was supposed to be.
Kell opened his eyes and stared at him. They both loved Arden. And they both deserved a chance to see which one she would eventually choose.
Dev poured his magic into Kell. A thick purple substance bathed the inside of the wound, preventing him from knitting up the torn tissue of Kell’s lungs. A tremor rattled through his body as he continued to heal the prince, warning him that he was approaching the limits of his power. Blots of blackness slowly spread in front of his eyes.
Someone pulled him away from Kell, breaking his spell and leaving him stunned for a few moments. As the world came back into view, he saw his father bent over the prince, finishing what he couldn’t. Two other robed figures had joined the Empress off to the side, their hands raised as they tried to contain the ball of golden mist with magic. Varrik knelt next to Dev, watching him with a creased brow.
And a small arm was wrapped around his chest, holding him close to the person behind him. “Thank you, Dev,” Arden murmured in his ear.
He covered her hand with his own, pressing her palm against his heart. Tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep, he would ask questions. Tomorrow, he would piece together tonight’s events into some coherent structure. But right now, all he cared about was knowing the woman he loved was safe.
“You know I will do anything for you,” he said.
She squeezed him tighter. “Yes, Dev, I know.”
Chapter 32
Dev bolted from the bed as soon as he realized he wasn’t in his normal chambers. “Where’s Arden?”
Someone shoved him back onto the mattress. The pale light of dawn concealed the person’s face in the shadows, but there was no mistaking his father’s voice. “Calm down. She’s safe in her quarters.”
Dev leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his thighs while he waited for the room to stop spinning. “What happened?”
“You were weak after trying to heal Kell, so I decided to bring you here so I can keep an eye on you.” A
lamp flared to life, illuminating the room with magical light. “Forgive me if I want to take care of my only son.”
“Were you able to help him?” The question startled him. All these months, he’d viewed Kell as a rival, and now he found himself wanting to know the prince lived.
Arano nodded. “Whatever wounded him was coated with a type of poison. I can only assume it was the serum from the Flower of Lireal, but it made healing him difficult. Once I was able to remove it, then things stitched up nicely.”
“And Arden?”
His father sat in a chair beside the bed. “Arden is… caught in interesting circumstances.”
Dev snapped his head up. “What does that mean? She’s alive, right?” When his father nodded, he asked the one thing he dreaded. “She’s sane?”
“Very much so. Almost too sane, considering what she did last night.” His face grew serious. “It seems your little Soulbearer tried to destroy Nelos.”
Dev sucked in a breath through his teeth. “And the consequences of her action?”
“They remain to be seen. The Empress was not amused, however, and I think it has nothing to do with the destruction of her gardens.”
A note of bitter laughter broke free. “Now they understand why she’s called Trouble.”
“Indeed.” His father pulled out his pipe and started to pack it. “The Empress has ordered her to remain in her chambers until we sort this mess out. I was able to convince the Empress not to bind Arden in the mithral chains, though.”
“How?”
“By bringing you here,” Arano said with a grin. “Arden was worried sick about both you and Kell, and she won’t go anywhere without knowing you’re well.”
“You’ll only keep her contained for so long.” He stood, his sore muscles protesting the slightest movement. “I should go see her, let her know I’m all right.”
His father lit his pipe and nodded. “Perhaps you should.” The mischievous twinkle in his eye told him it was all part of his plan.
Dev exchanged his dirty, torn clothes from the night before for something clean and went to her quarters. The sun was rising over the palace walls, bathing the gardens in its pale golden light. Stillness hung over the grounds as though the world was still recovering from last night’s turmoil.
Dev found two guards standing on either side of the door when he reached the Soulbearer’s quarters. “You can go now. I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave.”
The two men exchanged glances before following Dev’s order.
Inside, Arden paced the main room, her arms crossed over her chest. She stopped when she saw him. “Dev!”
He almost fell backwards when she flung her arms around him. So far, though, she appeared as normal as the day he met her. He indulged in enjoying the warmth of her body pressed against his for a few moments before he pulled her away. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “I’m just irritated. They won’t let me leave here, and they refused to tell me anything about you or Kell. I was worried sick all night.”
He searched her face from the wrinkled brow to the bottom lip that jutted out in the slightest of pouts. No signs of insanity. No signs of injury. No signs of any lingering damage from everything she experienced last night. “Arden, answer me truthfully—did you kill Nelos?”
She took a step back, chewing her bottom lip and lowering her eyes. “Define kill.”
He silently cursed. “Did you even think about the backlash you’d get from that?”
The yellow-green halo in her eyes flashed, and her mouth pressed into a hard line. “He was trying to kill me and Loku. It was kill or be killed, and I wanted to make him pay for what he did to Kell. Besides, I didn’t completely destroy him—just his body.”
Dev closed his eyes and tried to count to ten. He only made it to eight before he realized there might be some hope of getting her out of this mess. “What do you mean by not completely destroyed?”
The halo flashed again, and Arden replied, “I could have destroyed Nelos’s soul, but if I had, the world would’ve tipped into total chaos. So I merely destroyed his body, and now he’s in the same predicament as Loku.”
Dev crossed the room and sat at the table, rubbing his face. I didn’t sign up for this.
Arden followed him. “Cheer up, Dev. I told the Empress the same thing, and she said she would have to find a suitable Soulbearer for Nelos. When she has, I’m sure I’ll be cleared of this soon.”
“For once, I’d like to be able to take you somewhere and not have to worry about you getting kidnapped or nearly killed or destroying an entire city.”
She gave him a playful shove. “Hey, I’ve never destroyed an entire city—just part of one.”
A wry grin formed on his lips. “Can you promise me you’ll stay out of trouble for a while? Please?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“I can’t make any promises for Loku. And when you consider every time we’ve faced danger, it was because of him…”
Dev fought hard not to laugh. Her Milorian blood was showing. If he wasn’t careful, he’d find himself protecting a politician instead of a Soulbearer.
“Anyway,” she continued, “now that I know you’re well, I want to see Kell.”
His heart lurched, and her words to the prince last night haunted him. She loved Kell, not him. And now, she wanted to leave him for the prince. He stood, catching her arm as she turned to the door. “He’s fine.”
“Have you seen him?”
“No, but my father told me Kell would recover.”
Arden tried to wiggle free from his grasp, but he held tight. “Please, Dev, I need to see him and know for myself.”
Her plea deepened the ache in his chest. She didn’t seem that concerned about him. It was a fool’s dream to think that she would ever care about him. And a bittersweet blessing, too, for he could hopefully let go of his feelings for her one day. He released her. “Fine, go to him.”
Instead of running out of the quarters, she stayed where she was. Her brows drew together. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He tried to turn away, but she stilled him with a touch of her hand on his chest.
“No more secrets, Dev.”
He covered her hand with his own, but refused to meet her eyes. Could he tell her that he loved her? Would he be willing to bear the pain when she apologized and told him she loved Kell instead? It was so much easier to pretend he didn’t care. “I suppose you’ll be accepting Kell’s proposal now.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because I heard what you said to him last night.” There. He’d gotten it out there without revealing his feelings.
She leaned into him, her body pressing against his, and lifted his chin so he was forced to look at her. A soft smile played on her lips, and a strange light glowed from her blue eyes. “Yes, I might have told Kell I loved him, but I can’t marry him. My heart already belongs to someone else.”
His breath caught. Did I hear her correctly?
She pulled his head closer until her lips brushed against his in the slightest of kisses.
Dev’s pulse jumped. All he ever wanted was right here in his arms, and yet, he couldn’t enjoy it. His vow nagged at the back of his mind like an old crone, reminding him how he couldn’t let anything distract him from his duty. He rested his hands on her hips and pushed her away. “Arden, I can’t.”
“I know, but I can.”
There was nothing light or hesitant when she kissed him again. Her lips crushed against his, begging him to return her affection. And how could he resist? He drew her closer to him, holding her so their bodies fit perfectly together, and kissed her back. It was even better than he remembered from that drunken night. The softness of her lips, the sweetness of her mouth, the sensation of her soft curves molding to the hard planes of his body—everything was ten times more potent than he’d imagined. He fell deeper and deeper into the dizzying spiral until he finally was forced
to pull away and take a breath.
Arden pressed her forehead against his, the heaving of her chest showing the kiss had affected her in the same way. Then she broke free of his embrace and gave him a wistful smile. “I can be patient.”
Then she turned and left the room.
A shudder formed deep within his gut, growing as it spread into his chest and his limbs. He collapsed into the chair, his hands shaking at the intensity of his emotions. By Jussip, he never dreamed a simple kiss would’ve affected him this way.
But it was more than just the kiss. Arden loved him, too.
A cry of frustration welled up inside him. As long as he was bound to protect her, they could never be together.
He sat there in the silence before he finally decided what he needed to do.
***
Arden snuck into the palace, careful to avoid any guards. The Empress may have ordered her to stay in her quarters, but that didn’t mean she had to obey. She was born a Ranellian, and even though she now knew of her Gravarian bloodlines, she wasn’t quite ready to bow down before the Empress as a loyal subject.
It was easy enough to slip into Kell’s room. He lay sleeping in his bed, his face peaceful but pale. The slow rise and fall of his chest was a stark contrast to the death rattles she had to endure listening to last night.
Relief flooded her veins. She pulled up a chair and waited until he stirred before stroking his cheek. “Good morning.”
He smiled. “Good morning, my dear.”
Those words used to make her heart skip a beat, but they were nothing compared to the way her heart pounded when Dev kissed her this morning. One more sign that she’d made the right decision, choosing Dev over Kell. But she still felt warm affection for the prince.
She brushed a piece of hair back from his forehead. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now that I see you.” He rose into a sitting position. His open arms beckoned her to join him.
She remained where she was. It was time to distance herself from him, to make it clear that there was no hope of reigniting their relationship.
A Soul For Chaos (The Soulbearer Trilogy) Page 28
