“Youdisgustme.”
Vael flung out a hand. A bolt of lightning cracked through the air and slammed into Thorne, hurling him backward.
Thorne hit the stone, hard—but he didn’t stay down.
“You tell my brother,” Vael snarled, “that I’m coming. And I will take back what’s mine—no matter the cost.”
He dropped something—glass? A crystal?
It shattered.
Black smoke exploded outward, thick and choking, devouring the light.
“Send Elira my love,” Vael called, his voice smug through the haze. “Tell her I’ll see her again…soon.”
“You stay the fuck away from her!” Thorne roared, surging forward—
But Vael was gone.
The smoke collapsed in on itself, curling into nothing.
And we were too late.
Chapter45
Elira
I was scared. Truly scared.
Not the kind of fear that came with battle or pain—this was deeper. Older. The kind of fear that crept in when someone you loved stopped being someone you knew.
At first, I tried reason.
“Finn, please,” I said gently. “Let me go back. Phoenix is hurt—I can help him. Please.”
“No, no, no,” he muttered, dragging me faster. His grip tightened like iron cuffs. His eyes darted left and right, wide and wild.
“You can’t go back. I’m sorry, you just… can’t.”
I tried to dig my heels in. “Where are we even going, Finn? You know they’ll find me. They always do.”
His gaze snapped to mine. “Not if we go into Darkmoor.”
I froze. “Darkmoor is impassable.”
“Not for us.” His voice rose, almost gleeful. “We’ll disappear. Like ghosts. No one will follow.”
“Finn…” My voice broke. “You’re hurting me.”
He stopped.
Turned.
Pulled me close—too close. His hands shook on my arms, breath coming in harsh gasps. His eyes—once warm, once safe—were empty now. Hollow.
I didn’t know this boy.
He wasn’t the one who held me through nightmares.
