36. Caine

36

CAINE

Fear for Violet courses through my body, tipping me over the edge of reason. The icy calm I usually pride myself on has shattered, leaving behind a storm of emotions I can barely contain.

"We can't let her be alone," I growl, already moving towards the door. Flint's hand on my arm stops me, his grip firm but gentle.

"Caine, wait," he says, his voice low and urgent. "We need to think this through."

I whirl on him, barely containing the snarl that threatens to escape. "Think it through? While Violet is alone with Blackthorne? While Nathaniel could be in her head right now?"

Thorne steps between us, his dark eyes serious. "Flint's right. We can't just burst in there; we will be detained faster than you can form an icicle. We need a plan. "

"Fuck a plan. We are more powerful than most of these fuckers put together!"

"Acting rashly won't help Violet," Flint grits out. "I'm scared for her too, but we have to do this right, or we are no good to her locked up."

"They had no right to do this. She didn't kill Briar!"

"No, but right now, they don't know who did it, and until they do, she is going to be guilty before being proven innocent."

"Not good enough!" I roar, shards of ice zooming out of my skin to zoom through the air and bury themselves deep into the stone walls of MistHallow. That alone should tell these arseholes who they are dealing with.

The look of terror on Violet's face as Blackthorne led her away haunts me. I've never felt so helpless, so utterly useless. She needed me, needed us, and we let her be taken away.

"Caine? Are you listening?" Thorne's voice cuts through my thoughts.

I blink, refocusing on the conversation. "Sorry, what?"

Flint sighs, running a hand through his hair. "We were saying that we need to approach this carefully. If we go in guns blazing, we could make things worse for Violet."

"Worse?" I scoff. "How could it possibly be worse? She's alone, probably terrified, with Nathaniel whispering in her ear. Every second we waste is another chance for him to sink his claws into her and what if we can't get her back next time?"

"We know," Thorne says, his voice tight with frustration.

"I need to see her," I say, my voice low and intense. "Now."

Without waiting for a response, I stride towards the building where Blackthorne took Violet. I can hear Flint and Thorne hurrying after me. They are trying to be practical, but all of that ship has sailed with me. The ice in my veins has turned to fire, fuelling a determination that burns away all doubt and hesitation.

I reach Blackthorne's office in record time. I don't bother knocking, instead wielding my cane to throw the door open with enough force to make it bounce off the wall. Blackthorne looks up from his desk, surprise quickly giving way to annoyance.

"Mr Caine," he says, his voice cold, "I believe I gave you an order to return to your rooms."

"Where is she?" I demand, ignoring his words. "Where's Violet?"

Blackthorne rises slowly, his eyes narrowing. "Violet is safe. That's all you need to know for now."

I feel my magick stirring, responding to my anger. The temperature in the room drops sharply, frost creeping across the windows and floor. "That's not good enough," I growl. "I need to see her. Now."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Blackthorne says, his tone maddeningly calm. "Violet is safer where she is. These accusations are brutal and not to be taken lightly."

"She didn't do it! Do you have any idea what she's going through right now? What Nathaniel could be doing to her mind while she's alone and vulnerable?"

Blackthorne's expression softens slightly. "I understand your concern. But I assure you, Violet is in a secure location. Nathaniel cannot reach her there."

"You don't know that!" I shout, my control slipping. Ice crystals form in the air around me, swirling in a miniature blizzard. "You don't understand the bond between them. You don't know what he's capable of! He wasn't supposed to be able to reach her here anyway and look what happened!"

The fear and frustration that have been building since Violet was taken away finally boil over. "If you don't let me see her right now," I say, my voice low and dangerous, "I swear I will rain down a shitstorm until there is nothing left of this ancient stone but a pile of rubble coated in ice that will spread out beyond the wards, beyond the borders until the new fucking Ice Age descends on this fucking supernatural plane and the only one left standing is me."

Sure, it's counterproductive, seeing as I want Violet with me, and I guess these two morons behind me, but the message stands, and Blackthorne fucking knows it.

Books rattle on their shelves as my magick pulses outward. I can feel the Dragon rising in Flint, responding to my call to arms, the shadows deepen around Thorne. We stand united, a trio of unstoppable forces ready to tear this place apart if that's what it takes to reach Violet.

Blackthorne looks at each of us, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, the only sound is the howl of the wind whipping around this office as I push the boundaries to see how far he will force me to take this.

Finally, he speaks. "I understand your devotion to Violet is admirable. But you must understand, the situation is more complex than you realise."

"Then explain it to us," Thorne says, his voice tight with suppressed anger. "Because from where we're standing, you're keeping Violet isolated when she needs support the most, and I wouldn't test the Ice Demon prince who is about ready to end life as we know it."

Blackthorne sighs, suddenly looking older and more tired than I've ever seen him. "I can't let her out until we have evidence that points away from Violet."

"So you're saying you've detained her for the safety of everyone else, not her!"

Blackthorne's silence is all the confirmation I need. My rage boils over, the temperature in the room plummeting further as my control slips.

"You bastard," I snarl. "You're treating her like a criminal when she's the victim here!"

"I understand your frustration, but?—"

"No, you don't understand anything!" I roar, cutting him off. Ice crackles along the walls, spreading rapidly. "Violet is alone and terrified, probably being tormented by Nathaniel as we speak, and you're worried about protecting everyone else? What about protecting her?"

Flint steps forward. "Professor, please. We're not asking to take her away. We just need to be with her. Without us, she will decline and then we won't know what we are dealing with when you release her. Surely, you can see that?"

Thorne joins in, his voice low and intense. "You know about the bond between Violet and Nathaniel. You know how dangerous it is for her to be isolated right now. Let us help her."

Blackthorne looks at us, his expression grave. For a moment, I think he's going to refuse again, and I prepare to make good on my threat to bring this place down around our ears.

"If you don't let us see her, I'll notify my father. He is your biggest donor this year, and he has a soft spot for Violet," Flint says quietly. "He knows who she is."

That snaps my head to the side. Knows who she is? What the fuck isn't he telling us?

"You know what," Thorne suddenly blurts out. "Never mind."

"What?" I snap, but he gives an almost imperceptible shake of his head, his eyes telling me to trust him.

Thorne leaves the room, and I glare at Blackthorne but follow, with Flint on my heels .

"You had better have a fucking good reason for this," I growl, shoving Thorne harder than I meant to.

He hisses at me, his Dark Fae side, the face that he doesn't show in this realm appearing for just a moment. It's sinister and chilling and gives me enough pause to hear him out. "I can get to her. Just freeze me again, and I'll get into her mind."

"Done," I say and slap my hand to his forehead, right there in the middle of the hallway outside Blackthorne's office, while Flint groans at my haste.

Flint curses under his breath. "Caine, we're in the middle of the hallway! Someone could see us."

"I don't care," I growl, keeping my hand on Thorne's frozen form. "This is our best chance to reach Violet."

Thorne's body goes rigid, his eyes glazing over as he enters a state of hypothermia in a matter of seconds. Good thing he's immortal, or he'd be toast. I catch him before he can fall, carrying him fireman style over my shoulder as we head outside and around the back of the main building where no one will see us. I lay him down in the snow and crouch next to him.

"Find her, Thorne. Find her now."

Seconds tick by, feeling like hours. My anxiety grows with each passing second. What if this doesn't work? What if we can't reach her? What if Nathaniel has already got to her?

"Find your dad," I murmur to Flint. "I'm about to raze this place to the ground, so we might need him if this goes fucking sideways."

"On it," Flint says, and with a showy-off leap into the air, he spreads his arms and shifts mid-air, his wingtip catching the East tower and knocking the turret clean off as he flies.