A small mote of hope rose in Serenna’s chest. If she could reach the open window, she could…What?Jump? Run through the snow? To where?She had no idea where she was and the prince wouldn’t either now that she was tethered. Serenna’s heart fell at the realization that she was stranded here.
Trapped under this mountain of a warrior’s chest, Serenna drew in ragged breaths. She battled to fill her lungs beneath his smothering bulk, assailed by scents of cedar and the frigid air. Fenn’s ember eyes burned into hers as the wind subsided, black blood welling from a slice on his cheek.
Serenna blinked, ripping her attention away from his unnerving stare.Why did he protect me?Before she untangled that thought, she thrashed wildly like a snake pinned by a spade. “Get off me!”
Fenn’s lip curled around his fangs despite his eyes not matching the scorn as they swept over her, like he wasconcerned. Clambering off of her, broken glass slid from the back of his armor, clinking to the stone.
Pushing herself to sit on the floor, Serenna jumped as a boot thudded next to her hand. A bolt of terror shot down her spine, impaling her to the ground.
Lykor.
CHAPTER 22
LYKOR
Lykor burrowed his claw into the elf’s armor, yanking her to her feet before dragging her through a portal. On the other side, the volcano’s sunless depths swallowed the cavern’s dim torchlight. He closed the rift before Kal or Fenn could follow.
As if provoked by the darkness, the elf went rabid, striking out with her limbs. The girl began to fight in earnest, like she wouldn’t let him take her alive.
DRACOVAE’S TITS!
Lykor’s vision pulsed while she screeched like a strangled bird, the shrill sound bouncing around the stone hallway. He would’ve used rending to restrain her, but Aesar had restricted his access to that ability.
Again.
Lykor swiped at their Well, attempting to snatch control of his shadows, but to no avail. He resorted to steering the girl ahead of him so that her flailing fists couldn’t connect with his face.
I intervened before the coercion did any lasting harm,Aesar said.You’ve already done enough damage by stealing her magic.
YOUR INTERFERENCE WASN’T REQUIRED.
Allowing the elf access to portaling wasn’t an option. Not after she knew of their location. Besides, her loss was their gain, but Aesar refused to recognize the benefits. Augmenting an ability they already possessed only strengthened that talent. With her added power, he’d be able to stretch his reach further across the horizon when the time came to portal jump across the Wastes.
But before Lykor could siphon the rest of her Well, the girl had called out for Vesryn, helplessly plunging him into the compulsive magic’s nightmare.
You will give portaling back to her,Aesar fumed, irritably cramming a strand of silver hair behind a pointed ear.
Even if the visual of Vesryn in his skull didn’t trigger the destructive magic, Lykor still flinched before his irritation began to boil. The increased frequency of the other meddling presence had come with unfortunate side effects.
Instead of being content with simply nagging as a disembodied voice, Aesar had begun appearing in their mind more frequently in his original elf form. He’d become more of a problem—especially now, with this mention ofVesrynpiquing his interest.
Between the screaming girl flailing in his grip and Aesar battling to seize control of their body, Lykor’s frustration was ready to combust. He savagely rammed Aesar back into a crevice, unable to concentrate on fighting them both.
The elf stopped moving her feet, refusing to cooperate. Overriding her pathetic resistance, Lykor dragged her down the stone staircase leading to the dungeons. He briefly considered launching her to the next landing simply out of spite. But any broken bones from the fall would only inconvenience him if he decided to untether her. Not that he planned on letting her have access to his defenseless mind through the accursed bond.
When they reached the bottom level, Lykor towed thethrashing girl through the cell-lined hallway and into the interrogation room. She stilled under his claw—finally shutting up—as her eyes orbited around the chamber. Flames from the pronged torches glinted off of the instruments of torture. The veins of gold scrawled into the stone walls and ceiling reflected a gleaming, mirrored light.
What are you doing with her?Aesar demanded. Within the shared space of their mind, Aesar recreated his memory of the palace library, appearing in the vaulted atrium.
Lykor ground his fangs at the interfering reemergence and the alarmingly vivid surroundings that Aesar had constructed—a testament to his increasing strength. It was just one fucking thing after another today.
Lykor released the girl’s arm. Taking advantage of the freedom, she bolted to the opposite end of the chamber before tearing at the golden shackle clamped around her wrist. The tether had been quick thinking on Fenn’s part. Nearly noteworthy.
Before Aesar could nag at him again, Lykor erupted.WOULD YOU GIVE ME A SCORCHING MINUTE TO GET ANSWERS ABOUT THE HEART? THAT’S WHAT YOU AND KAL WANTED ME TO DO. STARS, I WON’T HARM YOUR BROTHER’S PLAYTHING. THOUGH, CONSIDERING YOUR MEMORIES, I DOUBT HE’D NOTICE IF HE’S MISSING ONE.
Aesar bristled, shoving his hands into his pockets. In their mind, he paced in front of the expansive windows overlooking the capital. Waiting.
Hauling his attention back to the dungeon, Lykor’s ears perked at a whistling, like wind howling around a crag. He frowned, turning to face the noise emanating from the hallway.
