Page 232
Gods. None of us give this female enough credit.
I exhale a relieved breath as Idril steps forward—
And a veil of fire explodes from the ground with a deafening WOOSH.
Blazing columns orange and red expand and lengthen, merging to form a living wall of flames at least fifteen feet high. It shoots into the sky with the strength and speed of a detonating bomb.
The heat is so blistering I’m forced to tap into my enhanced speed—the little I’ve replenished after our dash through the castle—to sprint away from it.
There’s no vampire alive who can stand against fire without a sense of crippling fear. It’s ingrained in our DNA, an innate terror that forces even the bravest of us to retreat, even when our minds are screaming to do the opposite.
Unless, apparently, it’s what’s keeping a vampire from his Fated Mate.
With a roar, Caelan charges straight for the wall of flame. He’s feral, full of rage that’s blasting through our Pack Bond with a ferocity that almost brings me to my knees.
By some miracle, Vaelenor has more speed saved up than the rest of us for the first time in fucking ever. His form is a blur as he races after Caelan and tackles him to the ground, preventing him from running straight to his death.
I scramble after them and dive on top of my brother. Caelan roars and screams, shouting the Omega’s name with heartbreaking anguish.
It takes every ounce of my own strength, but we manage to keep him down, knowing he’ll do whatever he can to get to her if he manages to get free, even if it kills him.
“Let me go, you fucking assholes! Let me go!” His Alpha authority is out in full force, but I throw up every mental shield I have and double down. He bucks and twists, but he’s sloppy, reacting with nothing but fear and instinct.
There’s no fucking chance either of us is letting him go.
“Godsdamnit, Caelan. Fucking stop! You’ll get yourself killed.”
My words have no effect on him. His muscles strain, veins pulsing on his face, neck, and arms as he snarls and snaps his teeth at us like an animal. His feet scramble against the Earth, digging in and kicking up clumps of grass and dirt as he crawls—or tries to—toward the flame.
Solid black eyes bright with determination latch onto mine. For one terrifying second, I think he might actually get to her—and drag Vae and me right into the flames with him.
“She’s gone! Idril—”
The flames flare, soaring higher.
Caelan goes limp. Tears stream down his face and into the grass as his whole body shakes, spasming with heaving sobs that won’t stop.
Vae’s face is a mask of fear and vulnerability. He looks as helpless as I feel, and when his green eyes meet mine across our sobbing brother, it’s easy to read the question in his terrified eyes.
It’s the same one I’m asking myself.
What the fuck do we do?
I don’t know. gods, I can barely wrap my mind around what’s happening. Where did this fire come from? Where is Idril? Is she okay?
Fates, if the fire hurt her—or worse, killed her—and took his Bond—
His Bond!
Digging my fingers into the muscle of Caelan’s shoulder, I shake him as hard as I can. I’m straddling his back to keep him down, but I use every ounce of my strength to get my hands underneath him and flip him onto his back so I’m straddling his lower stomach instead.
“Caelan! Your Bond, asshole! Listen to me!”
“Oh fuck!” Vae’s eyes widen, but Caelan’s not paying attention to either of us. He’s too busy caning his neck, searching the fire for a glimpse of his Mate.
Snarling, I grab his fist and slam it against his chest—right where our Bonds live in our souls. Gods, I hope his Bond with Idril is in the same spot….
If it’s still there at all.
