“I know that, Shay. And I will do all that I can—”
“This wasnothis fault!” I interrupted, too furious to remain quiet. I did notcareif she was grieving. I knew how much guilt and grief Rian was already choking down over Sage, and I wouldnotallow her to pile more on.
“Nuala—” Rian began to protest my defense.
“No! She doesn’t get to blame you without knowing the facts when all you have done is try to protect people, and she has done nothing!” I maintained furiously. I felt almost feral as I squirmed in his hold to get turned around so I could face Sage’s sister. “Rian almostdiedfighting Sylvan Elves to try and protect Sage!” I shouted at them.
I saw their faces drain of colour before Rian wrapped his arms around me to lift me off my feet and turned me away from Shay. I might have continued to fight, but the fire went out of me theinstant his lips pressed against my ear as he spoke softly to me.
“Nuala, I can take it,” he whispered.
“Maybe so, but you shouldn’t have to!” I insisted as he set me back on my feet again.
“This is part of being a leader. When people are upset or scared, they need someone to blame,” he assured me.
He released me before I could respond just as Darragh appeared in front of me. The shifter raised his brows in a way that suggested he was either impressed or amused.
“Time to go,” he told me.
I nodded reluctantly and glanced over my shoulder to see that Rian had walked over to the fire to retrieve theteine ceangal. The moment he pulled the red-hot stone from the fire with heat resistant hands, its colour began to fade until it looked like an orb made of black glass.
I could tell Shay wanted to protest, but thankfully for her own sake, she bit her tongue this time because she had exhausted all of my patience.
“We need to borrow the stone if we are to discover who is listening to the Sua,” Rian told his moody cousin.
“Take it,” said another voice, drawing my attention to where Carrick and his wife were now standing in front of their tent. Sage’s mother was clearly devastated, but she raised her chin in determination. “Get answers, Rian.”
Rian inclined his head in thanks to his aunt and then held out a hand to me, which I took eagerly. He conjured a portal to take us home and tugged me with him toward it. I was obviously not the only one eager to get away.
Although I did not resist the urge to shoot a venomous glare at Shay just before we disappeared.
She was just another bully, and Ihatedbullies.
Chapter twelve
THE FACE OF HATRED
Ornella
“You are a coward,” I snarled once Arren was satisfied that my power had been suppressed and removed his hand from my mouth. “We both know my magic is far superior to yours, which is why you cannot face me honourably.”
“You speak of honour,kinslayer? I wouldn’t even need my magic to snap every bone in your body, but please tell me more about howIam inferior.”
There was a time when his violent words would have terrified me into silence, but I knew my power now. I also understood the truth of his fear and jealousy and hatred, which was why I could not help but laugh at him.
“Be that as it may, the only reason you can even put hands on me is because my power is suppressed. So can youactuallybe superior if you have to disable people to subjugate them?” I pretended to muse.
My cousin was momentarily stunned by the clapback, since his threats had always shut me down before.
“I would like to see you speak like that to your father. Or to your husband—”
“He’snotmy husband!” I snarled with such a visceral reaction that it made me tremble as my magic tried to riot and was subdued by the powder.
I will not allow them to do that to you.
Cathal’s promise, hissacrifice, echoed in my mind in a dizzying mantra that was nearly drowned out by frenzied screams from a bloodthirsty crowd. I saw his face again, one of my most precious and painful memories of the last time I had seen him whole and unbroken. When a slave scaled the walls of the arena to stand between me and the cruel male intent on marking me before the entire Tiarnaí. When he ran across sand stained with my maidenhood to challenge one of the most powerful males in our realm.Knowinghow it would end for him. When he put himself between where Laisren stood and where I lay destroyed with bruised skin, broken bones, and a shattered heart.
The memories and the unbearable anguish of that day might have paralyzed me as they always had in the past. But my nervous system seemed to have a new response to being overwhelmed. I could almost smell that comforting scent of white oak and autumn spice.
