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He stalked out and Naya exhaled. Maybe it was the impending battle, but he was particularly cruel today. This was completely unnecessary and barbaric, and since the dagger cuts didn’t show, why did he do it?
She thought back to after her Haze, when he was trying to coax her back out of her dampened mood. It had seemed like he cared about her then, but maybe that was just about him. He wanted her praising him and adoring him, like she’d been in her Haze state, and maybe fucking someone who didn’t care either way bruised his ego, so he did what he needed to get her out of her shell. He took her to a forest that was so similar to hers, there was no way she was not going to engage. Was anything he told her even true?
He was about to unleash his cruelty upon her family.
She stood by the mirror as each moment passed. Maybe he was just wasting her time. But then something began to happen. First scars appeared, faint and slight, but they followed the lines that he had carved. Slowly, they became bolder and uglier and raw. Then the skin unknitted, turning into fresh wounds, lines of red all over her face. They started to bleed, painfully and abundantly, like he had just freshly cut the blade into her. Blood flooded down her jaw, trickling down to her chin; her face was wet, aching, and raw.
Naya cried out in alarm. This was the proximity magic. He had gone to the ruins knowing that each step he took away from her revealed what the blade had done—what he had done to her face.
Horror descended over her; she realized he did this so she could never leave—this was his true prison for her. She’d have to be near him all the time not to bleed.
Disgust rocked her more than her anger. He hadn't changed a single bit, all this time. He had been keeping her satisfied with his cock and his mouth and his fingers. Softening her to him so her stupid instinct would make him seem safe. But he was a monster, a beast like he'd always been. And now he was coming back to collect a last fuck from her.
Naya seethed. She wasn’t going to let him get away with this cruelty again. He’d proven that he didn’t really want a true mate, even his care for her had been selfish. She would let him come back to her… let him think she’d been subdued. And then she would find a way home and prepare to destroy him. If she bled out and didn’t survive the battle, at least she would have warned Papa and Mama, Uncle Torin, the twins, and Lonn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
She waited until the next day. As soon as Akoro left, Naya bathed him off her. He’d been particularly aggressive in soaking her with his seed last night. She searched his room for anything that might be useful. He’d threatened that he would kill her father imminently, but she doubted it would happen so soon, especially with such a large army to transport. Hopefully, she would be back home by the time he was ready to attack.
She headed downstairs and out into the courtyard. This time, no one tried to stop her, no guards even followed her. Her face began to tingle, but she doubted she would have an open wound just yet.
She walked out into the city and navigated to the west, not as far as the ruins, but close enough in that direction, and then, sending out her awareness as far as she could, she searched for magic. At the same time, she began weaving an incantation using the Ancient Tongue this time, pulling magic toward her, forcing it to seek her out, and hoping it responded to this language.
As she spoke, magic appeared, and her heart lifted. She could feel it again! It lurched toward her haltingly, like a reluctant animal looking for scraps.
Encouraged, she continued, using more powerful words and phrases, pulling the energy to her. It was being impacted by the resistance from the edge of the city; she needed it to break that resistance, and once it did it would rush to her.
She was still nervous about what would happen when the bolt reached her, but for now she just kept casting, focusing hard until she began to sweat. She was so focused that she didn't see or hear anyone around her. All that was important was claiming the magic.
Finally she felt it lurch and pick up speed. It must have passed through the ruins. It sped toward her, crashing into everything in its way—buildings and people. Screams and smoke and death were all around her once again. Tears filled her eyes, sobs in her throat that her nightmare had returned, but she couldn’t let that distract her. As it approached, she began to do what she had done before when Lili was there. She jostled with it, grappling, using her will to mold and fold.
It was incredibly wild, but she approached it with curiosity and firmness, and after a few long, strenuous moments, wrangled it into submission. Once it no longer fought her, she was able to create a portal.
Envisioning her father, she directed the magic to find him. Usually he’d be in his office or in the Great Hall or with Mama. Since she’d been gone, he could be anywhere. He had magical protection around him, but this magic was so potent that it should still work.
She wove the portal, knitting the magic together until it was a shimmering light in front of her, and then stepped through.
Suddenly she was in her Papa's office. He sat in his chair, a wary look on his face. He looked exhausted and grayer than the last time she’d seen him. When he saw her, he shot up and rushed around his desk. "Nayara!"
She quickly unraveled the magic behind her, trying to be careful with it, but when it dissipated, half of the room was scorched in its wake, but that didn't matter. She was finally with her father.
Her face immediately began to bleed, blood pouring from her open, fresh wounds now that she was so far away from Akoro. At the same time, her body began to seize and convulse, no longer under her control, and she groaned as the white fire began to burn her from the inside out.
Papa’s face contorted with rage and horror, he grabbed onto her as she dropped to her knees.
“Papa," she said, gasping, her mouth filling with blood. "He's coming."
