Half of me wanted to scream at her, to tell her what my second ability was until she realized it had been me the whole time. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to throw her down onto the grass and fucking crumble in her arms.
No—I wanted to pick her up and take her back to our communal tent. I wanted her as far away as she could possibly get from the fighting, and I wanted to make her mine.
I’d never been pissed at Peter before, but I was getting close to it now. I knew he didn’t like to put limits on Lilia. He never wanted to make her feel inferior because she didn’t have any powers. But fucking hell, I couldn’t understand why he was letting her fight tonight.
I was forced to watch Lilia go up against Lander in school,forced to witness her complete inability to hold her own in the ring.
But this wasn’t Abilities Class. This was real life shit and there would be no teachers to protect her now.
She pushed me aside and walked over to the group of Advenians waiting for Kallon.
I followed her through the crowd, keeping enough distance between us without taking my gaze off of her. I wasn’t about to let her run away from me the moment we got there.
My brother and Peter had already left in the first wave. Everyone that would be fighting directly inside the castle was already in Tennebris, starting the long trek through the woods. Lilia and I were in the fifth and final wave. We were the backup fighters. Normally I’d be pissed about it, but with Lilia here, I didn’t mind. Because even if I wasn’t ready to admit it to her, I wanted to protect her for more reasons than just because she was my ticket into Tennebris.
Ineededher to be safe.
It tookan hour before Scottie and the dual-color-haired girl finally showed up to portal our wave. The latter looked even paler than she normally did, and her bright hair was dyed a navy blue today, probably an attempt to blend in, even though it was impossible. She was one of the tallest females I’d ever seen.
I looked over at Scottie. I liked her, but some part of me was mad at her for not picking my brother. He could be an asshole at times—I guess it was the Noren specialty—but I could still see how much he cared for her, how hard he tried to hide the fact that he was still madly in love with her even now. Her sapphire eyes found mine, and she gave me a hesitant smile.
Her body was shaking, and she had sweat dripping down her forehead. This was taxing for them.
Scottie stayed on Brighta’s side as she cast her enhancement for the tall one and together they brought twenty to thirty people over at a time. I pulled Lilia’s braid, not able to find any purchase on the tight leather outfit she was in. But I realized my mistake as more of her silky strands immediately fell loose.
“Not so fast,Little,” I said into her ear, knowing how she hated the nickname.There was another one I could use, one she actually liked and wouldn’t scowl at me for.“You’re going with me.”
I drank the nausea serum half an hour ago, but even with its effects coursing through me, the jostling of the portal still hit me hard. I couldn’t stomach my brother’s teleportation on a good day, but portaling—it was so much worse. It felt like it lasted an eternity, and I swore I was going to vomit ten times over as we were pulled through the endless purple and black smoke. When we finally landed on firm ground, it took me a minute of deep breathing before I could even walk.
It was weird being back in Tennebris. I found it oddly calming. I loved the winter months here and was one of the few Advenians who actually liked the dark season. I found the stars and moon comforting, but it was also freezing as hell. Even with our thick layers, I could tell Lilia was shivering next to me. She was armed with knives, not being able to use any abilities, and I planned to not let her use her blades either.
Everyone was eerily quiet as we started our long trek through the woods, the only sound was our boots crunching on the frost-tipped grass. I tried not to think about the last time I was here, dragging Lilia away before I got caught.
Scottie and Kallon were leading the group, having no one else to portal, and I could tell they were both anxious that all their friends had already reached the castle.
I started silently praying to Pylemo on the walk over. I was worried for my brother. I saw the broadcasts they were airing each day, and as much as I feared for Lilia being caught, thatshe’d be one of the zeroes murdered, I was just as terrified for Sie.
I didn’t know how the Tennebrisians would react to seeing him again, and I prayed they wouldn’t heed the two kings’ instructions and try to kill him on the spot. My brother wasn’t known for his pleasantries, no one from my family was, and it scared me that the airings were so believable. Hell, if Sie wasn’t my own flesh and blood, I would have had a hard time finding the lies in what the kings showed.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I wasn’t paying attention to the woods around us. I hadn’t realized as the trees became less dense and the forest sounds were replaced by screams and metal clashing against metal.
We were here.
We made it to the castle and all my hopes of Lilia not needing her blades went out the window.
SIXTY-FOUR
SIE
Things were worsethan we anticipated. The entire Tennebrisian guard was waiting for us, and I couldn’t make my way through them fast enough to get to Synder. I wanted his death. I needed it, and I had to make sure I was the one to do it.
Frustration coursed through me as I took out guard after guard after guard. I didn’t have any qualms fighting them, except that it kept me occupied while Synder was still breathing somewhere else inside the castle. He was the reason I was in that prison, the reason Scotlind was sent to Lux and was no longer mine. He was responsible for capturing Greyland. He was the one who brought my family and Moli to the Lux King. He was the reason they were now dead, and I wanted him to join them. Ineededit just like I needed the blood in my veins.
I fucking hated him.
I cursed as more guards fled into the hall. Peter was at my side, shifted into a bear, dislocating limbs. He was trying to leave the guards unable to fight without actually killing them. I didn’t do the same. I didn’t really care who died right now as long as I could add Synder to the list.
Peter awkwardly tugged his hairy ear with his claw. I knewhis shapeshifting didn’t affect his voice, but whenever he transformed into an animal, he could only speak mind to mind.What?I shot into his head, opening mine to him.
