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Rion stood and turned toward her. He offered a single nod to indicate he was in control of himself.
Talon had already rushed toward Raevina, but the female kicked off the ground hard, using the distraction to flip over her captor’s shoulders and drag her chains beneath his chin. She yanked once and the male’s neck snapped. Talon threw a dagger into the other one and left the male to writhe on the ground as he clutched his throat and the blade protruding from it.
Her friend looked Raevina over, but he didn’t reach for her. Raevina wiped the single line of blood from her neck and spit at the already dead male. Talon knelt to dig through the guard’s pockets. For keys, she presumed.
Arianna loosed a shaky breath. They’d done it. They’d subdued Niall. Those with arrows stood in shocked silence, glancing between one another as if they didn’t know what to do after firing upon their queen.
Judging from the anger rolling off her mate, running was likely their best option. She’d let them. They had too many other things to deal with as it was.
Niall choked on a mouthful of blood, then said, “If I could clap for your efforts, I certainly would.” His voice was strained from how tightly Rion’s magic held him. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” He chuckled again. “But you have no idea what you’ve just unleashed. Maybe my father really is the genius he claims to be.”
Arianna exchanged an uneasy glance with Ellie, then opened her mouth to ask questions, but the very floor beneath her feet began quaking. Those in the room backed away and several outright fled. Arianna spread her arms wide for balance and the entire manor groaned as if threatening to fall in on itself.
Silence stretched for several long beats before the floor tilted. Everything went sailing to one end of the room and Arianna reached for Rion. His forearm gripped her own and his magic wrapped around their bodies to hold them steady.
The entire floor fell out from beneath them. Ellie shrieked, but their feet slammed against the hard marble a second later and Arianna’s teeth painfully clacked together.
Talon growled at Niall. “What did you do?”
“Do?” Niall jeered. “Shouldn’t you be asking what you’ve undone? I’ve kept this place maintained for centuries; did you think there wouldn’t be consequences to unseating me?”
“There are people beneath the manor,” Arianna said, remembering what Gavin had told them. Fae who were likely waking form whatever spell Niall had them under. And once their magic stopped working on the city . . .
Niall narrowed his eyes at her. “I’d love to know which council member was responsible for feeding you information.” He tried to shrug but strained against the movement. “Not that it matters now.” He smirked. “Many of those beneath us volunteered for their jobs; they just weren’t privy to how long they’d be in servitude.”
“You disgust me.”
Niall’s smile widened. “Be that as it may, you have pressing decisions to make. Those Fae are waking up and they’re quite unaware that they’re the only ones holding this place together.”
Arianna’s eyes widened. “Why resort to all this? What’s the point?”
The ground shuddered beneath their feet again. “I’m not sure now is the best time to be asking such questions. Release me and I’ll correct your mistake before the city plummets to the ground and kills everyone beneath it. Or do you no longer care for innocent lives?”
Arianna’s heart beat wildly as she tried to formulate a plan. She needed to tell her father and evacuate the city. “Raevina,” The female rubbed her wrists, but turned with determination in her gaze. “Take Ellie and clear out the city.” Arianna looked at those who still stood on the outskirts of the room. Their eyes were wide. She raised her voice so they could hear. “Regardless of your loyalty, if you value your lives, you’ll retreat and take your families with you.”
Several scrambled from the room, but a few remained, casting wary glances at Niall as if they expected the male to have another plan of escape.
The floor tilted again in the opposite direction and Arianna slid a few feet, scrambling for purchase. The manor righted itself, but Arianna couldn’t be sure for how long. Did they have seconds, minutes, or hours?
“Talon, bind him,” she jerked her chin to Niall. “And get him to the nearest platform. Make sure a set of guards remains with him at all times, then come back to help the others evacuate the city. Rion, we need to—” Arianna stopped talking as the floor dropped from beneath them again. She gritted her teeth and dropped to her knees when it jerked to a sudden stop.
Her mate stared at the floor, then headed toward the door. She followed after him only to find everyone outside already running in a panicked frenzy. Arianna scented blood in the air, but those who’d been fighting had ceased and were scrambling toward the waiting platforms.
Warriors from Pádraigín stood at the city’s edge, ready to carry the citizens to safety. Some didn’t wait and leapt from the edge, taking their families with them. Arianna just prayed they were strong enough to stop their descent at the bottom.
Rion knelt and ran a hand along the ground. “I can slow it down.”
“What?”
“It’s rock, earth. I might not be able to stop it, but I can slow it down.” He rose and turned to her. “The city is going to fall, and if it does, a lot of people will die. You and I both know they don’t have enough time to evacuate. If I get under it, I can support the structure from below and buy them some.”
Her heart was beating in her throat. People were screaming, running as if their lives depended on it and shoving their way toward the platforms. “What if you can’t get out?” she asked, taking in the enormity of the floating city. “What if—”
Rion pulled her flush against his body and crushed his lips into hers. His hands threaded through her hair and she let him tilt her head back, deepening their kiss. Her body ignited at his touch, remembering every sensation. She gripped his tunic tightly in her fists, desperate for this one moment to last forever.
Her mate pulled back, eyes wild with need. Rion’s chest heaved and his hands traced her face. “If the city falls, you get on one of those platforms and get as far away as you can.”
Rion tried to pull away, but Arianna yanked him back. She searched his unwavering gaze and her panic rose. “Promise me this isn’t goodbye.” His lips parted and the ground shook again. Tears filled her eyes. “Promise me.”
