Page 95 of Into The Light

I struggled to hide my relief. “Come on, Leeya. Come with me.”

She stepped forward and then stopped. “Before we go, I need to erase her, so she doesn’t tell anyone about us. Don’t worry, I’ll make her forget she ever met you.”

My heart plummeted to my feet when she spun to face Emilia, leveling her eyes to meet Emilia’s wide ones. Flashes of our time together collided in my mind, and I knew that even our love couldn’t protect her from Leeya. With just a few words those memories racing through my mind would be forever ripped from hers. It would be like I never existed... like we never existed. I couldn’t let her erase us. No one would take Emilia from me.

The panic surged through me as she opened her mouth to speak. I felt my powers spark and crackle to life as they flooded through me. I shot across the room, my fury channeling into the hands that moved to Leeya’s neck. Her eyes shot open as I lifted her into the air.

“I warned you,” I growled. “I told you if you touched her again, I would part your head from your neck.”

She struggled against my grip and I saw fear flicker through her eyes. “Aiden,” she sputtered out. “Please. Don’t.”

Rage caused my grip to tighten and I choked out the words she struggled to say. Words I didn’t care to hear. I’d left the life of death and destruction behind me a decade ago, but I could step back into my old position as judge, jury, and executioner one last time.

Anything to protect Emilia.

“Goodbye, Leeya,” I snarled, and I saw the recognition of her impending end register in her wide eyes.

“Aiden! No!” Emilia cried out. “Don’t kill her. Please. I don’t want to be the cause of someone’s death. I’d never, ever forgive myself.”

Leeya’s eyes shot to Emilia and then back to mine again. Pink hues colored Leeya’s ivory skin and deepened to red as I squeezed again and cut off the last of her oxygen.

“Please, Aiden,” Emilia whispered, and I heard the tremble in her voice. “She doesn’t need to die. I can’t watch her die.”

“Then I’ll do it outside.” I leaned into Leeya’s face and listened to the hiss of air trying to make it past my unyielding grip around her throat.

“No. Let her go. She won’t hurt me again. Will you Leeya?”

Leeya tried to shake her head but I pressed her back into the wall.

“Aiden,” Emilia begged. “Don’t.”

My shoulders lifted with my heavy breaths, and then I felt my powers fizzling out.

No. They’re going. Not yet. Not until Emilia is safe.

Before Leeya could become aware of my dwindling powers, I slid her to the ground and pressed my nose against hers, my stare boring through her eyes. “There will not be a third warning. If you come near us again there is no amount of begging that will spare your life. If you or anyone from your clan harms Emilia, I will have Lothaire wipe out every last one of you. We will decimate everyone you’ve ever known. Is that understood?”

Leeya nodded as best she could within my grip.

Curling my lip, I narrowed my glare. “Now go. And I never ever want to see you again.”

I released my grip, but not because I had a choice. As quickly as my powers had come, I felt them sputter out again. Leeya didn’t hesitate and whooshed out of the hut, leaving me leaning against the wall for balance. The last of my strength gave out and I dropped to my knees. Not only had my powers left, but I felt weak... frail.

“Aiden!” Emilia shrieked while I crumbled into a heap. “Aiden!”

I lay there for a moment, my body trembling as I convulsed on the floor. Pain radiated through every inch of my body and stole the breath from my lungs. It felt like flames consumed me from the inside, a fire raging through my veins and searing through my skin.

“Aiden!” she screamed again, fighting against her restraints.

A powerful release washed over me, causing a violent spasm that wracked my whole body before I went limp.

“Oh my God, Aiden!” Emilia kept screaming.

The ringing in my ears subsided, and I took a sharp breath, struggling to regain my senses. Something happened to me and I didn’t understand it, and I didn’t have time to. I needed to get Emilia free and get us out of here before someone discovered us. Without my powers I’d have no way to compel this memory away if someone stumbled onto us here.

With a groan I pushed myself to my knees. I looked up and found Emilia’s terrified eyes searching my own. The fear behind them pushed me through the ache that tore at all my muscles. I stood up, and moved behind her, fumbling with weak fingers to undo the knots securing her to the chair. The last one finally let loose and she sprang out of it, knocking the chair aside and launching into my arms.

“Emilia,” I whispered as she sobbed into my shoulder. I lifted my heavy arms and wrapped them around her.