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With one final push, she felt her mind disassemble. It fell apart like the petals of a flower, only to be reconstructed again, one at a time.
When she opened her eyes, the starry backdrop was gone, replaced by a dirty alleyway. Killian stared eagerly down at her.
A smirk grew on his full lips, a fire igniting in his eyes. “You did it.”
Chapter 53
- Killian -
The moment Sera opened her eyes, Killian knew it wasn’t the seer looking back at him, but Elyse. Her soft countenance shifted into something fierce as her lilac eyes darkened.
“You did it,” he said, unable to help the smile that spread across his lips. He offered a hand to Elyse and helped her up from where she sat in the alleyway.
Elyse stumbled a little as she stood, and Manny touched her elbow to steady her. He stared at Elyse—at Sera’s face—no doubt studying the same change Killian had noticed.
“How do you feel?” Killian asked.
Manny took a step back and let her stand on her own while Jaime stood watching, brows knitted with concern.
Elyse blinked and shook her head. “Strange,” she said as she lifted a hand and examined it. “I forgot how much longer Sera’s limbs are than mine. Devil’s dick, she’s a giant!”
She flexed her fingers, curling and uncurling her hands into fists, and walked around the alleyway.
“What are they doing to you in there?” Manny asked with a thick coating of concern.
“It’s nothing,” Elyse said quickly—too quickly. “They have me chained in a room. Sera will be fine.” She glanced at Killian for the briefest moment before averting her gaze.
She was lying. Whatever they were doing to her, she didn’t want Manny to know.
Manny either didn’t catch on to the lie or was too eager to get Sera out to bother discovering the truth. “Here,” he said, thrusting a tiny vial at Elyse. “It’s a smelling salt. Sera said it would help if you’re still feeling groggy.”
She took the vial from him and clumsily uncorked it, then held it beneath her nose. She sniffed briskly and turned her head to the side, scowling at the scent.
“That’s foul, but it’ll work,” she rasped.
Whatever was in the vial seemed to do the trick with only one whiff. When Elyse faced Killian again, her eyes were wide and fiery, and she stood taller.
“Is everyone ready?” she asked, glancing at each of the men. She looked as if she might bolt into the Bastards’ hideout without warning.
“One moment,” Killian said as he dug his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a small vial—the one item he had retrieved from his mother’s house. He handed the vial to Manny, who quirked one eyebrow at him.
Manny accepted the vial and studied the words on the label: ANTI-HEX POTION. A curious Elyse peered over his shoulder before her eyes shot to Killian.
“You kept it?” she asked, breathless.
Killian smiled. He’d wondered if she would recognize it—the potion he’d bought from her the day they’d met.
“Of course I kept it,” he said softly.
She smiled back at him, holding his gaze, a thousand unspoken words exchanged between them. Yes, he had kept it. Just as he’d always held hope for her, for them, even when he hadn’t acknowledged it.
“Enough making eyes with my woman,” Manny quipped, breaking the tender moment. “Why are you giving this to me?”
Killian turned to his friend. “I’ll do my best to shield both of us, but just in case, I think you should drink this.”
Elyse nodded her agreement. Manny didn’t argue. He hadn’t exactly been helpful during the skirmish at Jaime’s estate. He was probably grateful for the added protection.
Once Manny had downed the potion, they all looked to Elyse. Her expression was cold, her brows drawn nefariously. A part of Killian reveled in that look, eager to watch her take revenge. He had once pondered the extent of her powers, believing that she was capable of burning the world down but that she would never dare to. Now he understood the folly in that theory. Elyse would turn the world to ash for Sera, and for him.
