Page 258 of Blade of the Nightking

The door tore from its hinges, slamming into the far wall with a deafening crack that shook the room.

Thalassis's magic shattered. The smothering force disappeared, and I collapsed, wracking coughs tearing through me as blessed air flooded my lungs.

A towering figure stood framed in the doorway.

Rìan.

His face was contorted with rage, silver blazing through his eyes with such ferocity that they seemed almost molten.

He stepped into the room. The air around him hummed with power, the very walls seeming to shiver beneath the force of his magic.

Then his gaze found me.

Huddled against the wall. One arm clutched protectively across my bare chest, the other held the bone knife in a trembling hand, its point still trained on Thalassis. Angry bruises were already blooming around my wrists where he'd grabbed me.

It was like watching an explosion that never reached the surface. Savage fury battered the walls of his control, its only evidence the terrible stillness that settled over him.

For one terrible heartbeat, all I saw was the Dark Prince. And he was terrifying.

Rìan strode straight to me, dropping to one knee before me. His eyes fixed on my face, never once straying to the bare skin I struggled to shield with my shaking arm.

“Are you hurt?” His voice was as dark as midnight.

"N-no."

His jaw tightened. Without a word, he caught the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head in one swift motion, exposing the smooth planes of his chest and the hard ridges of his abdomen. He held it out to me.

I took it from him, my fingers closing around the soft fabric, and pulled it over my head. It was still warm from his skin, carrying the familiar scent of worn leather and wild wind.

"Aedric," Thalassis stammered. "This isn't—this isn't what it looks like."

He took a defensive step toward us, and I flinched. Rìan saw.

His nostrils flared.

He rose, as powerful and inevitable as an avalanche. Whatever excuse Thalassis had been about to offer died in his throat.

One heartbeat, Rìan stood before me. The next, his hand was around Thalassis's throat. He ripped the High Lord off his feet and drove him into the wall with a crack that shook the chamber. Splintered coral rained to the floor.

Rìan's lips peeled back from his teeth in a vicious snarl. "You touched my woman."

Thalassis's sandaled feet kicked uselessly against the wall, both hands tearing at the iron grip crushing his throat. Panic replaced every trace of arrogance.

"Aed—" He choked violently. "Aedric... please..."

Rìan's fingers tightened.

"If... if I die..." Thalassis wheezed, his eyes bulging. "The barrier... Pelaga..."

My blood ran cold. If Thalassis died, the magic sustaining Pelaga would fail. The sea would reclaim the city.

"Let it drown," Rìan growled.

My stomach lurched.

"No!" His shoulders stiffened at the sound of my voice. "Innocent people... you can't. Please!"

He didn’t move, his hand locked around Thalassis’s neck.