Page 276 of Blade of the Nightking

"Shield!" Thalassis roared, panic shattering the command. "SHIELD!"

The sea answered. A monstrous wave poured onto the beach, engulfing him in a wall of water. Blue light flared beneath the surface as he skelded into the depths, and then he was gone.

The guards fumbled, dropping their iron weapons as they scrambled to weave protective wards around themselves.

Too late.

I closed my eyes and lifted my arms—not in anger, nor vengeance, but with the calm inevitability of nature itself—and released the power straining beneath my skin.

A concussive wave exploded from my body, slamming outward with the violence of a collapsing mountain. And then—nothing.

I breathed in the sudden silence. Warmth drifted across my face in tiny droplets, featherlight against my skin. They gathered upon my lashes, kissed the corners of my mouth, alighted upon my face and chest so gently I scarcely felt them. I stood without moving, savoring their delicate touch.

I opened my eyes.

Where the guards had stood only a heartbeat before, a fine crimson cloud hung suspended in the sea air, slowly unfurling across the beach before settling gently over the rocks, the scrub grass, and the waiting tide.

Not a body remained.

Not a bone.

Not even a scrap of cloth.

Only a bloody mist.

CHAPTER 58

Idropped down beside Rìan and unbuttoned his shirt with steady fingers, peeling the bloody fabric away to expose the wound beneath. His chest bared to me, I studied the ragged hole where his shoulder met his chest without so much as a whisper of concern.

Not human concern, anyway.

The Eidra inside me writhed in mounting distress at the sight of our mate, frantic at the life ebbing from him—at the danger it posed to us. His blood pulsed sluggishly from the wound, each one weaker than the last.

Rìan watched my face carefully through glazed eyes as I frowned over it, trying to determine what would heal it.

"How are you feeling?" he croaked. He knew. I was feeling nothing.

"Fine." I lifted the bolt, turning it between my fingers. The iron coating had splintered away on impact, leaving flakes embedded in the wound.

"It acts like a slow-release poison this way," he rasped before a cough tore through him, flecking his lips with blood.

"What a mean thing to do."

A breath of laughter escaped him, quickly swallowed by a groan as pain seized his chest. His hands started toward the wound, and I batted them away.

"Hold still."

I gathered the silver light into my hands until they shone brighter than the rest of my body, then pushed it into him, willing his torn flesh to knit itself back together. The Eidra lunged eagerly into him, only to recoil suddenly. A hiss slipped through my teeth.

"It won't go in."

"It can't," he panted. "The iron won’t let it."

"What do I do then?"

He met my gaze, defeated. "I'm sorry I'm taking you with me."

"Quiet." My eyes remained fixed on the gash. "There must be something I can do."