by S. D. Grimm
“I thought my heart stopped beating.” He took another deep breath. It still came out shaky.
She touched his arm. “I really scared you.”
“Of course you did. Don’t you remember the black hole in Ryan’s chest?”
“I suppose I should have said green.” She smirked.
He rolled his eyes. “You feel okay?”
“Thanks to you.”
Thanks to him? No. If he’d been doing his job instead of hesitating, he could have spared her injury altogether. His forehead hit his arms. “It’s my fault you got hurt.”
She touched him. “Hardly. You—you saved my life.”
“Zephyr saved your life.”
“That gryphon would have been bringing back a dead body if not for you.”
He shrugged her hand off his back.
“Ethan, those things were everywhere, there was no way you could have—”
“You need some water?”
“What?”
“I’m asking you if you need a drink.”
“No, you’re blaming yourself for something that isn’t your fault. You did what your gut told you. Looking back is always clearer. That’s what my father—well, our father—always said.”
Our father? “All right. You’re welcome.”
She smiled. “You can say that after I thank you for that drink.”
“Right.” He passed her his waterskin. Her eyelids were already drooping when she handed it back to him. He covered her up, and she drifted back to sleep. Chloe was such a conundrum. He rested his head against the tree, feeling Belladonna’s slight tug, testing. Telling herself where he was. How close. He couldn’t stay with them any longer.
Jayden stirred. She positioned Quinn and slipped away from her, approaching Ethan. His heart already felt lighter.
She smiled and sat next to him. “You can’t stay up all night with her. It’s Gavin’s watch.” She rested her head on his shoulder. Did she know how much he needed that?
“I just think someone should sit here with her.”
“I will.”
“You will?”
Jayden nodded. “Get some rest.” She patted his chest and waved him away.
“Can’t I stay here?”
Worry rounded those beautiful blue eyes. “I know you don’t want to leave Chloe, but you really should sleep.”
“Chloe will be fine.”
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “I thought—”
“Don’t act like I don’t care.” He chuckled at the confusion in her eyes. “I want to stay with you.” He ran his finger along her soft cheek. “Is that so strange?”
“You need sleep.”
Didn’t she want him there? His heart did a strange flip, and he pulled his hand back. “You’re pushing me away?”
She stared at him a heartbeat too long without answering.
“Jayden?”
“No, Ethan, I never want you to leave.” She touched his arm, the worry in her gaze no less intense. “Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself?”
“I promise.” He slid down and rested his head on her lap. “This okay?”
“Of course.” She ran her fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes.
Chapter 32
Unleashed
Connor crawled back through the palace tunnels and dressed. Even though he’d just released some, his power still ate at his insides. He’d need to find a way to unleash more of it than he’d been doing.
But more power meant more casualties.
More life lost.
He sighed and pushed himself up through the trap door inside the smithy.
“There you are!” Luc grabbed Connor’s arms. “Madison is in the dungeon.”
“What?”
“Kara is back. She brought some Healer with her, and when Franco tried to hurt her, Ryan went nuts. He killed a bunch of soldiers before Belladonna could get him back under control.”
“Where is he?”
“They’re all in the dungeon. Madison, Ryan, and that other Healer. The Mistress called her a Deliverer, too.”
“How do you know all of this?”
Luc shrugged. “I have ears, Connor.”
Connor swiped his hand through his hair. “I have to get her out.”
“What can I do?”
“You can make a key for me.” Kara’s voice drifted into the smithy ahead of her. “And you can stop talking so loudly.” She glanced at Connor. “Wolf. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me coming.”
Connor fisted his hands. “I’m not helping you, Kara.”
“I think you will. I can show you Thea’s note to me, but there are parts you really shouldn’t see. What with your compassionate heart and all.”
“Tell me what you want me to know.”
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, her smug smile lighting her face. “Wolfy—”
“Don’t.”
She laughed and pushed off the wall, striding closer to him. “Walk with me.”
Connor glanced at Luc, who gave a slight nod and rolled his eyes at Kara. “I swear. The whole palace thinks the two of you are lovers.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Kara shrugged.
Connor narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you have a heart, Kara.”
“Oh, Wolf, even I don’t have to be a Healer to sense that lie. What’s worse: having no heart or not using the one you have?”
He searched her face. Something about her had changed. “And do you believe you have a heart, Kara?”
Her lips puckered in a smirk. She held out her arm and he linked their elbows together.
He pulled her close so he could whisper, “If you betray me, you’ll regret it.”
“I know.”
That surprised him. Maybe it shouldn’t. “Tell me about this key.”
She filled him in as they walked, arm in arm, around the palace grounds. Serena was a Deliverer, and the way to save Ryan from Belladonna and rescue the black blood soldiers from Franco could be found in some hidden counters book. Some book likely only Serena could find because of her Healer powers.
It all hinged on the key Franco wore around his neck.
“How do you plan to get the key?” he asked.
“I have an idea. Belladonna will likely want a stronger potion to give to her ‘pet.’ Really, she couldn’t think of a better nickname?”
Connor paused, his stomach hardening. “Ryan was the one she made a potion for?”
Kara narrowed her eyes. “It makes him think he loves her. But she’s looking to make one that’s more permanent. She’ll want access to the spells chamber. I will simply return the key to Franco for her. Getting the prison key is easy. I already have one of those.”
“How much time will I have?”
“A few days. Then it gets tricky. The spell Belladonna plans to use will make Charmer fall in love with her permanently. I need someone to be in his cell.” She handed him the prison key.
“Belladonna is aware of what Ryan looks like. How—”
“Thea knew what you’re capable of, Wolf. You have to pretend to be Charmer. Then don’t let Belladonna spell you.”
Right. Because that sounded easy. “What do I do with Ryan?”
“That’s up to you.” She tapped his fisted palm with the key inside.
“You call that easy?”
“No. You’ll actually have to escape, get the stupid counters book, and break Charmer’s bond with Smoke. Oh, and Franco will be able to track Serena, so there’s that. I hope that army of yours is ready.”
Connor swallowed. Did she know everything? He glanced at the ring he wore. The fake one. Luc wore the real one, and he’d ordered the army to follow Connor’s instructions. If Connor had to call the army into action to get them out, he would. As long as he didn’t have to use his powers yet. “And you’re just going to leave us to do this alone?”
“My part isn’t with you. After Luc makes the impression of the key and slips it back to me
, you’re on your own. I’m the enemy, remember?”
He glanced around at the soldiers sparring in the courtyard and then lifted their linked elbows. “You haven’t really made that easy to believe.”
“You mean easy enough to kill me so you can defeat the king? That’s treasonous, Connor.”
He drew in a quick breath. She does know everything. “That’s not—I actually have an idea about that, which doesn’t involve killing you . . . permanently.”
“Oh, now who’s making it difficult to believe I’m the enemy?” She chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ve always wanted to do this.” She slapped the side of his face and jerked away from him. “How dare you!” She whirled away from him and stormed off while he rubbed his cheek.
She’d better tell him when Belladonna was making this potion.
Chapter 33
Tainted
Connor crept on all fours through the secret tunnel to the spells chamber. The note Kara had left on his bed told him to meet her here. He could only imagine the rumors that would be spreading after the maid tidied his room.
The scent of pears and lavender told him Belladonna approached. Two other sets of footsteps echoed down the tunnel with hers. One quiet enough to be Kara. Who was the other? He changed into a mouse. Feeling cramped in the small frame, he knew that he could only hold it for a short time. Belladonna and one of the kitchen cooks ignored him as Belladonna placed the key into the door. Kara, however, glanced over her shoulder and winked. Connor ducked into a small crevice in the wall, suddenly feeling sick. Why would they need a kitchen maid?
The three women entered the spell chamber, but Connor remained outside, shaking his body and changing back into his wolf form. Ears twitching, he waited.
“How long will it take to simmer?” Kara asked, sounding bored.
“A day,” Belladonna said.
Kara’s laugh was sly. “Soon, he’ll be yours.”
“Your reward comes from me once the Mistress is defeated.”
“When do you leave to collect the other Deliverer? What’s her name? Jayden?”
Belladonna practically purred. “That young man who protects her draws closer—I can feel it in the bond I placed inside of him. But the Mistress seems to think one of her shadow wolves has taken Jayden’s mind captive. She has sent her monsters to collect her. I can only hope the young man stays with her. I’ll follow his bond and claim the Deliverer before the Mistress has a chance. Then I’ll hand Jayden over, like a good little servant, as soon as I get my venom inside of her. We almost have all of them.”
Connor rocked back on his haunches. The game Kara played seemed much too dangerous for an ordinary assassin. What was she up to? And did Belladonna really think she could beat the Mistress and Franco to the Creator’s power?
“Are you going to let me get the ingredients for my spell, too?” Kara asked.
“The one that will make the Mistress’s army turn against her? Turn to me?”
Silence. Connor leaned closer. A chain rattled.
“Very well,” Belladonna said. “If Franco doesn’t get this key back—”
“I know, I know, you’ll kill me. Then him.”
“Don’t laugh. I know you didn’t bind Serena to him.”
“I thought you’d like it better that way.” Kara’s smile was evident in her voice.
Oh. She was good. She knew how to play all her cards. Connor swallowed hard. Kara was certainly playing him, too. At least he suspected it. Belladonna chuckled, but the gurgled scream of a woman drowned it out. The scream cut short. A thump followed. Connor cringed and a shiver made all his fur stand on end. His heart seemed to crumble in his chest. They’d killed her?
“I’ll take care of this.” Kara dragged the cook’s body out into the hall. Then she handed Connor a clay mold of the key. “Don’t smash it,” she whispered.
He took the mold gently in his teeth, glanced into the cook’s lifeless face, and stifled a whine. Kara cocked an eyebrow and motioned for him to flee. He did. But he’d never forget the cook’s empty eyes. Even when he didn’t use his power, death followed him.
That night, a vision of Madison in a prison, chained beside Serena startled him from sleep every time he closed his eyes. He had to get that key and impersonate Ryan before Belladonna took her spell to him. And he had to stash Ryan somewhere in the meantime. He had the perfect plan. Luc would drag a knocked-out Ryan to the infirmary. Then bring him back.
A zap sizzled through his veins. The power.
It begged to be set free.
Connor gritted his teeth and focused on breathing. He’d have to keep it contained for a little while longer. Just until he played his part this morning. And the Deliverers got free. Then he’d help them the best he could from afar.
Heat.
Skin.
Heat.
Fur.
He had to hang on to himself, as a man. He sucked in a breath. Let it out slow. Slower. Sunlight slit the horizon and he glanced in his mirror. Red eyes stared back. Why today? Why now? Gold returned, slowly, but the hint of red remained.
Daily, his eyes looked more and more like heated gold.
Hopefully he could keep his power contained for a few more hours at least. He dressed in black slacks and a white shirt—just like the king’s guard and Belladonna’s men—and headed toward the smithy.
He stopped just outside and listened. A strangled plea leaked through the walls. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Luc’s voice broke through the walls, strained.
“Not good enough. The key!” A gruff voice followed.
Heat spread through Connor’s veins. Burned.
“I—” A strangled cry cut off the rest of Luc’s sentence.
Connor burst through the door. Two soldiers held Luc down while a third waved a hot branding iron in the air. A threat. To his friend? Not on his watch.
Connor narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“None of your business. Back away.” The soldier nodded toward the door.
Power pulsed in Connor’s fingertips. He gritted his teeth.
The solider raised his eyebrows. “Are you leaving, or did you want a turn?” He brandished the hot iron.
Connor clenched his fists and backed out the door. His powers heated inside him, but he didn’t need them to free Luc. All he had to do was draw his sword or grab one of the branding irons. The blacksmith’s shop was full of weapons. He’d seen where the men stood, where Luc was. He could take them. There was a branding iron right by the door.
“The king saw clay on the key. Now give me the key you made.” The soldier’s voice had become harsher.
“Fine. Here. Take it,” Luc said.
“No,” Connor whispered. Now what? Maybe he’d made two. Luc was resourceful.
“I knew you could be reasonable.” The soldier chuckled. “Now. Kill him.”
Connor slammed the door open and reached for the branding iron stick, but it would be too late. They already held the hot iron near Luc’s face.
Heat exploded though Connor in a rush that zapped through every vein. The room swirled with the force of a destructive storm, and Connor pushed his hands against the currents. His power shot forward. Burned inside of him. Blasted out in a wave of heat. Death. Destruction.
The smithy exploded.
The walls blew apart.
Fire scorched the wood.
Screams resounded.
As the debris flew, Connor looked at his palms. What had come over him?
The dust cleared, and Luc stood up. Next to him on the ground lay the three soldiers. Impaled with shards of wood from the walls. Burned with hot coals. The branding iron leaned against the shoulder of one of the dead men. Where the smithy once stood was a barren spot of dusty dirt. All that remained was Luc’s chair and the secret trap door it rested atop.
Gone.
Connor stood there, staring at his hands. No. He’d used his power. His knees weakened. He hadn’t meant to. Luc rushed up to him as Co
nnor started to stumble.
“Connor?”
He backed away from Luc. Their friendship had sparked this. This was exactly why Wielders needed to work alone.
Cold and consuming, a voice entered his mind. Wielder.
It wasn’t a question. The Mistress knew he was here.
Chapter 34
Welcome, Wielder
The cold night air rushed against Connor’s face and whipped through his clothes as he rode Cliffdiver through the air. He had to get to Rebekah and her Feravolk camp if he was to tell Logan how to defeat the Mistress.
And he had to make it back before she realized her Wielder was missing.
No. Not her Wielder. He’d never be hers.
He shook his head clear of those thoughts, and Cliffdiver turned his white, feathered head and looked at him. “Master, are you all right?”
“Please, don’t call me master, friend.” Connor sighed and looked at his hands, feeling the weight of what he’d unleashed. “I fear I’ve ruined everything by letting these powers take hold of me.”
Cliffdiver flew faster. “We can only hope there’s still time then.”
Not long after, Connor spotted the place his bond had led him to. It was easy to see the Mistress’s levels from up here, and all the damage her fiery, poisonous creatures from the abyss had created. Just hours south of the palace, nestled in a safe spot between the maze of the levels, animals gathered near men. The Feravolk. And an eagle flew up beside him.
“Wielder?” the eagle said.
“What’s your name?”
“Glider.”
“You are bonded?”
“Yes,” the eagle said.
“Do you know Logan?”
“He is a friend of mine.”
“Good. Please tell him the Wielder wishes to speak to him.”
Glider sped off ahead, and Connor breathed in, trying to prepare himself for this moment. “Take us down.” Connor pointed.
Tattered and bruised Feravolk men and women moved out of the way as Cliffdiver descended.
Connor jumped off the gryphon’s back and caught sight of Rebekah running to greet him. She threw her arms around him, and he hugged her back. “I missed you, Mother.”
She touched his cheeks and looked into his eyes. Though hers shimmered with unshed tears, they were more vibrant than he’d ever seen.