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“Liana,” he said, relief oozing from every inch of him at the sight of me. I searched him for injury and found nothing more than shallow cuts and bruises.
He stepped forward, his jaw clenching when he beheld the monster kneeling before me.
“No, don’t!” I yelled, “Even with the bindstone, he managed to get in my head.”
“What are you waiting for?” Alaric asked, “Kill him.”
And maybe it was wrong. But I wanted him to feel as I did when that black stone knocked against my breast. The hollow, heaviness that made me weak, and rendered me all but useless.
Just then, Kade, Tiernan, and Finn dropped from the sky into my ring of fire. Drawing their blades at the sight of Ricon.
“Are you alright?” Finn asked, looking to where the arrow had pierced my thigh. They must’ve felt it. And when I threw up the walls of flame, they thought it was a beacon—calling for aid.
I didn’t really care why they came. Seeing them all, I was so relieved.
Tiernan kept the weight off his right leg, and Kade had what looked like a stab wound on his bare stomach. But the brute had already cauterized it closed, leaving the skin raised and red. Finn didn’t seem injured at all, and I sent a silent prayer to whatever gods had been looking after my males in my absence.
“Fine,” I answered Finn, stopping him and the others from approaching with a raised hand. “Don’t come too close.”
“So that’s what you were hiding…” Finn mused, eyeing the onxy crystal hung around Ricon’s neck. “You could’ve told us.”
I shrugged, “You’d have told me it was foolish.”
“I would’ve.”
Ricon loosed an exaggerated moan, “Get on with it already. Death will be a welcome reprieve from watching you reign overmylands.”
I tsked him. “Not so fast,KingRicon. I want to savor this moment.”
His eyes glinted, peeking up at me, filled with the reflection of the flames all around us, and something like surprise or… pride? “Perhaps I was wrong about you…” he said, cocking his head, “I thought you were so like her, my Morgana,” he shook his head, the silver hairs brushing over his forehead, “But I was wrong. You havemymind.”
Murderer…
The jeweled hilt of the Blessed Blade caught the mottled sunlight, throwing red, yellow, blue, and green reflections against his armor. The stones near glowing with light.
Yes, I suppose that today, Iama murderer,I pushed the thought back to him and watched his brows raise as my voice entered his mind without physical contact.A murderer of Night Court foes and Mad Kings.
I reached for the blade but stopped as three dark-clothed males vaulted over the flames and into the ring with us. Alaric went to attack them, but I threw out a blast of air, shoving them back towards the flame.
Stop!The command permeated my mind, and I fought to keep my hold on my Grace of air. In awe at the Mad King’s strength of power. But I kept them at bay while Alaric and the others stalked towards them around the outskirts of the flame, keeping a safe distance from Ricon. Their swords out, eyes glowing, going in for the kill.
“Please,” Ricon said, and the tenderness with which he said it had my power faltering even more. “Please, don’t hurt them.”
Ricon’s eyes held the weight of his request. Had he saidplease?He looked to the three males and back to me, silently pleading me—no,beggingme to stop.
I recognized them. They were the ones who had ridden with him to join the battle. Two with deep chestnut hair and honey eyes, tall and thin. And the other with long silver hair tied back with a strip of leather, his face streaked with blood and dirt, but there was worry in his features. Panic.
And I realized it before he spoke the words in my mind.
They are my sons.
And Thana’s…I added to his thought.
His jaw clenched,yes.
“Alaric, wait,” I said, stopping my captain before he could make quick work of them.
He gave me a confused stare, stopping in his path—stopping the others too. But none withdrew their swords. It was taking all the energy I had left to keep the wind gusting out from me, holding the three males back.
