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“Bo.” Rune said, voice low, a hand on his sword.
Bo swung around and instantly narrowed his gaze. “Traitor.”
Rune scoffed. “Then why don’t you make me pay.”
A simple taunt, but enough to spur Bo into the wild rage. He shouted his anger and sprinted for Rune. Panic seized my chest, squeezing until my breath came in short gasps. Rune had been afflicted before. What would happen should Bo touch him again? Could it spread? Kill him?
Five paces, three. Bo sped closer and grabbed hold of Rune’s face. Rune closed his eyes. Bo was trying to do something, his face lost in frustration, his muscles trembling.
Rune stood still. He didn’t flinch, he seemed utterly calm as Bo gripped his face, his neck, until Bo reached for a knife and two blood fae watchers yanked him back, pinning him again. Bo raged and kicked and spit. He cursed Rune, then pleaded for him to come back, to remember their cause.
Twisted, lost, corrupted.
His shoulders heaved. He eyed Rune with confusion, maybe even hurt. “What has become of you? I only wanted you beside me in this fight.”
“I only wanted the same,” Rune whispered.
The watchers and Niklas wrestled with Bo as the tracker kept thrashing and raging.
I slid my hand into Rune’s and squeezed. “I understand the hurt of watching this.”
“No one does but you.” Rune lifted my knuckles and left a kiss over the top. “Thank you for fighting for him. I know who you want is Ari, but still, thank you.”
“Davorin has taken too many people I love. I won’t let him keep doing it.” I nudged Rune with my elbow. “I might’ve been cursed not to feel, you might’ve wanted to slit my throat while you were corrupted, but despite it all, I want you to know you’ve become a true friend, Rune. You have protected Ari, so I will always try to protect Bo.”
“All right, enough.” He chuckled and shoved my shoulder away. “Be gone.”
“What? I’m being sincere.”
“I know, and an entire blood fae unit is surrounding us. The last thing I want is my folk to see me weeping like some babe because his queen said sweet words.”
A strange sound came from my throat. Almost a laugh. I didn’t think I’d laughed since Ari had fallen asleep. It felt out of place and odd, but also welcome. Hope was in this moment. Unsettling as it was to watch Bo struggle as Stieg and Frey bound him again, as they covered his eyes, there was hope.
Across the space, Niklas grinned and waved me over.
“What this means,” he told me, “is I now have a way to protect every soul in this court from being corrupted by the mimicker. He was trying to corrupt Rune, and failed. It will be a process. We should begin now. I could use help, for we’ll need to implant the elixir in the blood.”
My shoulders slumped. It would take a great deal of work slicing through flesh. Niklas would need to brew more while we did the cutting.
It’d be worth it.
“Saga, this elixir is the beginning of the antidote. Now that I know it repels the corruption, I have a sense on how I can cleanse it from the blood.”
I dug my teeth into my cheek to fight a sob. “Really?”
“Really. We’ll take tonight, ensure everyone is properly protected, then on the morrow I will go gather the last few ingredients. It may be a few days still, but . . . we’re close, Saga. We’re close.”
I was new to feelings. There were times they came swiftly and forcefully. Times when I could hardly breathe. This moment was one of those times.
I flung my arms around Niklas’s neck and squeezed until he coughed.
Junius chuckled behind him, and I caught Calista’s irritated tone say, “She’s been blubbering since we met.”
Let them laugh. Days and I might hear Ari’s voice again. Days and I might kiss his lips in this reality. Days and I might sleep beside him only to have us both wake with the sun.
Niklas awkwardly patted my back. “Okay, that’s okay. You won’t feel so affectionate, for I’m reminding you right now I’m not a good man, and I will consider this a debt. I’ll come to call, I swear it.”
I laughed against his shoulder. “Heal my husband, protect my people, and I will steal, smuggle, kill—whatever you ask.”
