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“Oh, sweet Goddess, is he dead?”
Ian released her and went to Ben. She watched him push some of the drywall and tile away from his body, then lean down to check for a pulse. “He’s gone.”
“Ian, I didn’t mean to kill him. I saw where the battle was headed and because I’d fed him, I knew he had too much power. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt him that bad. Just to incapacitate him.”
Ian returned to her, pulling her close once more. “I’m sorry, Regan. I know this isn’t what you wanted.”
She drew in a ragged breath. “It’s horrible. All of it. And he was so close to forging the bond with me.”
A shudder passed through Ian. “Let’s get you out of here. I’ll contact Stone and let him take care of this. I know he won’t mind taking charge.”
She wanted to respond, but couldn’t. Tears had started to flow and wouldn’t stop.
~ ~ ~
Ian led Regan slowly through the house, an arm around her waist, her head pressed to his shoulder and chest. He knew she was weeping and he let her be.
When he tapped Stone’s telepathy, the brother responded, Tell me you got him.
We did.
And Regan?
She’s fine. Ian then related all that had happened, including the newly formed bond between himself and Regan.
When he told Stone he needed him to take care of Ben’s body, Stone responded, Give me the location and I’ll be there as fast as I can. I’m in the air already, heading east with five of my best Guardsmen.
As Ian shared the same directions Scott had given him, he walked Regan out onto the front walkway. He didn’t stop there but kept her moving in the direction of the street away from the house. Though she trembled and his tank grew damp with her tears, all he felt was tremendous relief. He had her with him and she was safe from a man he now considered a sociopath and a monster.
He waited at the bottom of the long drive for Stone. The brother arrived a minute later with five powerful Guardsmen in tow.
Stone clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ve got this, Ian. Go. Take care of your woman.”
Ian nodded. He felt blasted up one side and down the other from the events of the past few minutes.
As Stone and his men headed up the drive toward the house, Ian settled Regan on his boot, slid his arm tight around her waist, and once more headed into the night sky.
At first he wasn’t sure where to go, except that he needed to be alone with her. In the end, he decided to take her back to his cabin near Juniango.
On the way, he pathed his caretaker and was told provisions had already been taken to the cabin. The man’s wife had made an excellent leek and potato soup and a loaf of savory rosemary bread.
A few minutes later, when he landed on the front porch, Regan finally lifted her head. “I’m glad you brought me here.”
“You’ve been through hell, so tell me what you need and I’ll do it. Anything.”
~ ~ ~
What Regan wanted most was a hot bath and some time alone to heal. Ian led her to his master bedroom, giving her the space she needed. Though she told him she was fine, a worried frown never left his brow.
A few minutes later, as she sank into the warm water, she let out a painful sigh. Part of her was euphoric from the unexpected bond. But another part was hurt in ways hard to quantify, as though the act of releasing her battle energy straight into Ben’s head, had stripped something from her soul.
She’d never killed a fellow Realm-person before and she hoped more than anything else in life she never had to again.
But in that moment, when she saw how simple it would be to take Ben unawares and save Ian’s life, she’d moved in and released her power. But the level of it had been greater than she’d realized. She’d thought she was streaming only enough to knock him out. Instead, it had been a killing blow.
She drew her knees up to her chest and wept anew, uncertain how long it would be until she felt like herself again.
Later, when a knock sounded on the door, she called out for Ian to come in. He didn’t, however. Instead, he asked if she was all right. When she said she was, he offered her soup and a lot of wine.
