Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

What in the world was he doing here? I didn’t know, but I didn’t believe in coincidences. Or fate. My fingers pressed into the windowsill.

“We really need to get out of here,” Grady urged.

I started to move when the Hyhborn who rode beside Samriel turned their cloaked head to the window. Their horse drew to a sudden halt.

“Shit,” I gasped, ducking. My wide gaze met Grady’s as my grip tightened on the dagger. “He couldn’t have seen us. There’s no way— ”

A ni’mere shrieked, sending a bolt of raw fear straight through me.

“Go!” Grady yelled to the others as we half scrambled, half ran along the wall.

Quickly catching up with Milton and Allyson, we raced for the door to the underground chambers, but while my intuition had been quiet seconds earlier, it no longer was. Wings beat against the window. I knew . . .

“We’re not going to make it,” I gasped.

“We will,” Grady argued. “We— ”

“No.” I grabbed ahold of the back of his tunic. “We won’t.”

Understanding flashed across his features. He cursed, yelling for the others while I racked my brain for where we could go. I looked around—

“The library!” I shouted.

Allyson nodded, and darted across the hall, heading for the door I knew led to another part of the manor. There’d be chambers there; they weren’t as safe as those underground, but they were places to hide, and that was the best we could do.

She pushed open the door, holding it open as the feeling of pressure continued to settle between my shoulders. There was no way Lord Samriel had seen us, but something had alerted him to our presence.

Glass exploded as we hit the other hall. Allyson’s sharp scream spun me around. A ni’mere came at us, its wings skimming the walls on both sides. I froze, just for a heartbeat as I stared at the creature’s fragile, doll-like features smeared with blood— the smooth flesh that gave way to small, layered feathers and breasts. Actual breasts. The ni’mere was a female.

And I was never going to unsee this.

“Get down!” Grady shouted.

Allyson grabbed my arm, tugging me to my knees. The ni’mere twisted in the air, about to turn as Milton grabbed the creature by the legs. With a yell, he threw it against the wall.

Plaster cracked from the impact. Milton jumped back, breathing heavy as the ni’mere fell forward. It rose onto its hind legs inches from me, shrieking.

I moved without thought, lurching to my feet. I didn’t think about what I was doing. I didn’t hesitate. It was almost like I was someone else as the ni’mere swung at me with sharp, bloodied talons. I dipped under its arm and spun. Snapping upright, I thrust the dagger deep into the ni’mere’s chest. The creature’s stunned gaze met mine as I jerked the blade free. The ni’mere stumbled back, its legs folding. The creature went down, dead before it hit the floor. I looked up.

Grady stared at me, eyes wide. “What the fuck?”

I glanced at my blade. “Holy shit.”

A shriek cut through the air as another ni’mere entered the hall.

“Shit,” Grady cursed.

I scrambled past Allyson, catching the door and slamming it shut. I threw the lock, knowing it would only slow the others down, as Grady shot forward. He didn’t thrust the sword into the ni’mere. The steel would do very little. He twisted at the waist, sweeping up with the sword. The blade sliced through the ni’mere’s neck. Blood sprayed as Grady severed its head. He stepped back, blood splattered across the side of his face. I really hoped the ni’meres were one of the Hyhborn that couldn’t regenerate.

“You okay?” I whispered, coming to Grady’s side.

“Yeah.” He glanced down at himself, swallowing. “Yeah.” He turned to me, eyeing the dagger. “You?”

I nodded.

“How the hell did you do that?” He took ahold of my arm.

“I don’t know.” I swallowed, heart thumping.

Allyson jumped as something hit the door. “There’s more.” She began backing up. “Library. Now.”

Stomach twisting, I shoved my sudden, inexplicable, and rather impossible prowess with the dagger away to deal with later. I turned as Allyson shoved open the doors. We raced into the chamber just as the sound of wood splintering reached us. Allyson cried out, fingers curling against the chest of her gown as Milton and Grady closed the doors behind them.

“Get the chairs— the settee,” Milton ordered. “We’ll block the door.”

Quickly sheathing the dagger, I rushed forward and slammed my hands into the side of the settee. It barely budged. I whipped toward Allyson. “Help me.”

Her wide, frightened eyes met mine as she hurried to my side, and I locked on to her. It happened so quick. I connected with her, and my second sense came alive so fast there was no stopping it as she moved forward to help. My entire body jerked.

Then I saw her falling— fresh red running down the front of her blue gown. Then I felt it— sharp agony along my throat, burning and final as the silver chain snapped and the necklace fell, the sapphire splattered with blood—

Breaking eye contact with her, I pushed harder on the settee, its legs tearing the carpet. “Hide,” I rasped. “Go and hide.”

“You need help. You can’t push this— ”

“No.” I shoved her away, toward the stacks.

She stumbled back. “Lis— ”

“You need to hide. Now. Don’t make a sound. Don’t come out. You hide. Do you understand me? You stay hidden, no matter what.”

“Y-Yes.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

“Go. Now.”

Allyson slowly backed away and then turned, disappearing between the rows of books.

Grady joined me, grabbing the side of the settee. We carried it over to the door. Milton shoved a heavy chair against it—

A thump hit the doors, causing the three of us to jump again. Another bang hit it. A ni’mere shrieked, turning my blood cold.

“Really wish I had that wine now,” Milton muttered.

“We’ll get you a dozen bottles after this,” Grady assured him. The ni’mere hit the door again, shrieking. “We need to hide.”

My mind raced for a good hiding place. I thought of the heavily curtained recesses that many of the staff liked to sneak to, either for a brief rendezvous or a quick nap. Some of them even had doors in them that led to other chambers or to stairs that went to the mezzanine above. Which ones, I couldn’t remember. “The alcoves. To our left. Some of them have doors.”

Milton nodded, swallowing hard as he glanced around. “Best of luck.”

Then he darted off, heading toward the wall. Grady and I did the same. We rushed through the maze of bookcases. The wall of alcoves came into view as the library doors crashed open.

Somewhere in the library, Allyson cried out in fear, and my heart sank. Please be quiet. Please. Please. Grady shoved one of the heavy drapes aside, and then we were quickly enveloped in the dark, stale air of the cramped space as the drape settled back in place.

Grady held me tight to him as I stared through the gap between the curtains, my entire body shaking. It was no more than an inch, but it felt like we stood completely exposed as the ni’meres flew through the library. Books fell, one by one, hitting the floor, and I jumped. Each time, I jumped.

A louder crash came seconds later, sounding like an entire row of heavy bookcases toppling over. Silence followed, and then . . .

Slow, steady footsteps.

Then quiet.

Seconds ticked by as I strained to hear any sound. Minutes. There was nothing. Did the ni’meres leave? Wouldn’t we—

“There’s no reason to hide,” a Hyhborn said, and my body flashed hot then cold. I hadn’t forgotten that voice. It was Lord Samriel. “I will not harm you.”

Grady made no move to come up. Neither did I.

“Come out,” Lord Samriel called, his tone gentle and coaxing. “You will be safe if you do.”

I reached up, curling my fingers around Grady’s sleeve, wishing I hadn’t sheathed the lunea blade. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it. Then again, I hadn’t expected being able to use it before, but I didn’t dare breathe too deeply or make any other movement. Not even as the air turned frigid around us.

“Please don’t hide from me.” Lord Samriel’s voice was drawing closer. “We want to help you.”

We?

Through the gap in the curtain I saw a ni’mere land on one of the bookcases, its back to us as it stretched out its massive wings. Its head twisted from side to side in the quiet.

Then I heard a soft, trembling voice call out, “You . . . you promise?”

The ni’mere’s head swiveled to the right as I jerked forward. Grady’s arms tightened around me.

“Don’t,” he whispered in my ear.

Heart sinking, I shuddered. I told her to hide— not to come out. Why hadn’t she listened? I wanted to scream at her, but I couldn’t. I knew that, but my entire body strained against Grady’s hold.

“Of course. I promise,” Lord Samriel assured, his voice so syrupy it dripped poisonous sugar. “Come on— ah, there you are.”

No. No. No.

The ni’mere shook out its wings, a cruel, bloody smile twisting its lips.

“That’s not her,” another voice answered, one both Grady and I recognized. Hymel. What was he doing here, with them? Hymel was a bastard, but he couldn’t be involved in this.

There was a heavy sigh and then Lord Samriel said, “Kill it.”

It.

Kill it.

Allyson. Her. Not it. Her.

“Stop,” another voice intruded, one that was colder, flatter.

The ni’mere listened, tucking its wing back as it strained from where it was perched on the bookcase.

“You said it was here.” The unknown male spoke again. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” Hymel answered, and my stomach hollowed. I had never heard him sound so scared. “I saw her run with Allyson. She has to be in here, Your Highness.”

I suddenly understood why Hymel sounded so afraid, because that man he spoke to was a prince. Was it Prince Rainer? But why would he be here when his Court burned?

Grady stiffened behind me. They were . . . they were talking about me. My thoughts raced, a mess of confusion and fear.

“Then we shall see,” the Prince said.

Suddenly, Allyson’s scream ripped through the air, high-pitched and terrifying. I jerked forward, knees nearly collapsing. Grady held on, keeping me standing.

“Shush now,” the Prince ordered, that voice of his almost gentle if not for the iciness, and Allyson’s screams ended in a soft sob.

Then there was . . . there was just the sound of my heart pounding.

“I’m going to give this lovely creature a chance,” the Prince said, and through the curtains, I could see the ni’mere twist its head back and forth. “And I’m going to give you a choice.” There was a pause. “Lis.”

I went rigid against Grady, heart pounding. I could barely get enough air into my lungs.

“Come to me, and she will not be harmed,” the Prince said. “Don’t?”

There was a crack. A deafening, sickening snap.

Allyson’s sharp, pain-filled scream pierced the air. My entire body jerked.

“That was just one small bone,” the Prince continued. “There are many more to break. I don’t want to do it. I also don’t want to spend precious minutes searching every inch of this manor for you. Come to me.”

Grady’s other arm came around me as he pressed his cheek against mine, his body shaking just as violently.

Another snap shattered the silence, cracking my heart and something deeper, more important. My soul. I didn’t know why this was happening. Why this prince, whoever he was, was looking for me. What Hymel had to do with any of it. But us standing by and doing nothing, letting this happen? I knew Grady didn’t want to. I didn’t, but the moment we reached the alcove, it was like the years in Archwood had never happened. It was just Grady and me against the world, watching out for each other and only each other. It was how we survived this long, but Allyson’s screams . . . I wanted to pierce my eardrums. I wanted to claw out my own eyes. She didn’t deserve this. My gods, none of those who had suffered tonight deserved any of this. And us? Me? What did we deserve for letting this happen? What did it make us? The monster Thorne had asked if I thought he was. That’s what it made us. I slammed my eyes shut against the tears, my fingers digging into Grady’s sleeve.

“Don’t,” he whispered just above a breath.

I shook my head frantically as Allyson’s screams turned to moans. I couldn’t do this. Just like I couldn’t ignore my intuition when it guided me to intervene. I couldn’t let myself become this. I wouldn’t let Grady become a monster just to protect me from whatever it was that they wanted.

“Please,” I whispered to Grady. “Please stay hidden.”

“Lis—”

I didn’t give myself time to think too much about what I was doing or time for Grady to prepare. Fear and desperation were a heady mix, giving one strength one normally wouldn’t have. Or maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was something else— something that came from that hidden, deep part of me that had erupted when I’d grabbed Hymel’s arm. I didn’t know, but when I lurched forward, I broke Grady’s hold.

“Stop! Don’t hurt her!” I screamed as I rushed through the drapes, and I was fast— faster than I had ever been. I flew into the library.

And into a new nightmare.

Because Grady was right behind me. I should’ve known he wouldn’t listen. He caught me with the arm around my waist, hauling me back as the ni’mere turned toward me, feather wings whipping out as it screeched a warning. I skidded to a stop as I saw the Hyhborn who had to be the Prince. It wasn’t Prince Rainer. This male was blond like Lord Samriel. Blood splattered the exquisitely formed jaw and cheek. He held Allyson to his chest by her throat, forcing her onto the tips of her toes. Her left arm hung at an awkward, deformed angle. Her wide, terrified gaze met mine as Grady tried to edge me back, but I saw past them, to where Lord Samriel stood to the Prince’s right, a towering icy beauty. He smiled as he took a step forward.

Grady shoved me behind him, brandishing his sword. I cried out, grabbing his arm, but he shook me off. “Don’t come up any closer,” he warned, and the Lord halted.

The Prince tilted his head to the side, his grasp on Allyson easing up.

“Yeah, that’s right. You all are going to stay right there and you’re going to let my friend here leave,” Grady continued. “You’re not going to stop her.” He spared a quick glance over his shoulder. “Get out. I’ll catch up with you.”

Shock blasted through me as I stared at that brave, loyal fool in disbelief. Did he really think I would leave him? That I would run and leave him behind even if the Hyhborn allowed it? “No.”

His nostrils flared. “Damn it, go! Get the hell out— ”

“No,”I repeated, trembling as I grasped his sides, holding on to him with everything I had.

His head kicked toward mine. Panic filled his eyes, and I hadn’t seen that since . . . since the night in Union City. “Please.”

Tears burned my eyes. “I told you to stay hidden,” I whispered.

“So very charming,” Lord Samriel said, and I jolted. There was no impatience or annoyance tainting his words. He . . . he sounded like he meant it. He lifted a pale hand.

Grady cursed as his sword was ripped free of his hand. Lord Samriel snatched it from the air.

“Iron and steel? Cute.” Lord Samriel tsked softly. He slammed the sword down into the floor, piercing the wood. The sword reverberated from the impact. “Seize him.”

It happened fast— too fast.

Figures drifted out from the stacks, wispy gray tendrils seeping out from the openings of their cloaks and spilling along the floor. They moved so quietly and quickly they could’ve been wraiths, but the Rae weren’t spirits. They were bone and . . . some flesh.

They were on us in a heartbeat.

Grady broke free from my grasp, swinging his fists as he crashed into the Rae. The heavy thuds of the blows he landed knocked hooded heads back, scattering the gray mist, but he was outnumbered. A Rae captured his arms, forcing them to his back as he was driven to his knees and another held a . . . a sword to Grady’s throat. A blade that shone a milky white. I shot toward the Rae, reaching for the arm that held the sword at Grady’s neck.

Lord Samriel stepped in front of me.

I jerked back so quickly, I lost my balance and slipped, landing on my ass hard.

Chuckling, Lord Samriel glided— actually glided toward me. “That was unbelievably graceful.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.I crawled backward, my legs getting tangled in the skirt of my gown.

“You son of a bitch! Get away from her!” Grady shouted, struggling against the one holding him. “Let me go, or I swear I’ll— ”

“Silence him,” the Prince ordered.

The Rae’s cloaks whispered along the floor as it spun, bringing down the hilt of a sword onto Grady’s head. He went down, sending a burst of panic through me as I scrambled to my feet. I rushed to his side, dropping to my knees. “Grady?” I whispered as the Rae moved quietly back, forming a loose circle around Grady and me. “Grady?”

“Calm yourself.” Hymel walked out from between two standing stacks as I jerked to a halt, my gaze immediately drawn to his empty hands and then to his hips, where his . . . his sword was still sheathed. He hadn’t been disarmed.

And I was a naive fool to believe that Hymel’s presence had been forced. That he wasn’t capable of taking part in what was happening.

“You bastard,” I seethed, fingers curling around empty air as I glared up at him.

“That’s her, Prince Rohan,” he said, the relief evident in his features. “That’s the one that belongs to the Prince of Vytrus.”

My entire body locked up. “What?”

“Perfect.” Prince Rohan let go of Allyson.

She stumbled, cradling her arm to her stomach as she sobbed. Prince Rohan looked at the ni’mere perched on the shelf, and that was all it took. The ni’mere took flight, aiming straight for her.

“Allyson!” I screamed.

Her head jerked up. She spun, taking off between the stacks. The ni’mere shrieked, diving down between the rows. “No!” I shouted. I knew what was coming. I had seen what would happen, and still I shook as her screams hit the air, high-pitched and terrifying before ending in a wet gurgle.

Then silence.

“Why do they always run?” Lord Samriel asked. “Where do they think they’re running off to?”

“Death,” Prince Rohan answered, eyeing me.

Lord Samriel chuckled, sickening me. “So very morbid.”

“You . . . you said you wouldn’t hurt her.” I could barely breathe; my chest was too tight and I was shaking so fiercely. “You said— ”

“I said I would give her a choice,” Prince Rohan interrupted. “I did not say I wouldn’t hurt her.”

My lips parted. “What choice did you give her?”

“To die quickly or slowly, screaming in pain the entire time,” he said. “And that was a quick death.”

“My gods,” I whispered, a part of my mind unable to process the cold brutality of his words.

“I hope you’re not praying to them.” Prince Rohan looked down at me coolly. “Because they stopped listening long ago.”

“I wasn’t,” I rasped, not having the brain space to even consider if what he said about the gods was true or not. I glanced at Grady, seeing his chest rise and fall. I placed my palms there, letting each breath he took calm me. “Why . . . why are you all doing this?”

“You can say we’re changing the rules,” Prince Rohan answered.

“What?” I looked between him and Lord Samriel. “What rules?”

Prince Rohan’s lip curled in disdain; then he turned his back without answering. The Lord stepped in closer, peering down at me. He squinted. “She doesn’t bear the mark.”

The mark.

The mark Claude had spoken of.

“I’m not sure what you’re looking for,” Hymel said from where he hung back. “But she has abilities. The gift of foresight and intuition. She can read intentions and the future.”

“Her eyes,” Lord Samriel explained, head cocked. “The mark would be in her eyes.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, my mind flashing from the brief sight of them changing in the mirror. It hadn’t been my imagination, but didn’t I already know that? Deep down?

“She could’ve been glamoured,” Prince Rohan mused, and I didn’t have a single clue what he meant by that. “We will know once Lord Arion returns. In the meantime, get rid of that one— ”

“No. No. Please,” I pleaded, stretching over Grady. “Please do not hurt him. Please. I’ll do whatever it is that you ask.” I trembled, not above begging— bargaining. “Please.”

Prince Rohan turned slowly toward me. His eyes . . . they were like Thorne’s, a kaleidoscope of shifting colors, except the brown was closer to a shade of crimson. “Anything?”

My heart plummeted, but I nodded. “Anything.”

Lord Samriel glanced at Hymel.

“She speaks the truth.” Hymel crossed his arms. “Those two are thick as thieves. He’s leverage.”

Anger flooded my veins but I choked it back, focusing on the Prince. “Promise me you won’t hurt him, and I will do whatever you want. I swear it.”

A faint smile appeared, and as I stared up at him, I could see that his features were even more finely crafted than Thorne’s, but there was no . . . no life to them. He was a perfectly molded shell. “Okay.”

I didn’t let myself feel an ounce of relief. “Promise me you won’t hurt him.”

That smile grew, and still, it did nothing to soften his jaw or warm his stare. “You are a quick learner.”

I glanced at Hymel and then toward the stacks, where Allyson had . . . where she’d taken her last breath. “No, I’m not.” I swallowed. “Promise.”

“I, Prince Rohan of Augustine, promise that no harm will come to him,” he said, and I shuddered with relief despite the knowledge he hailed from the Lowlands— the capital. Hyhborn couldn’t lie. They also couldn’t break an oath. That I remembered. “As long as you give no reason for that to occur.”

Trepidation tiptoed through me, but I held on to Prince Rohan’s oath.

“Take her to her quarters,” Prince Rohan directed.

“I’m not leaving Grady,” I warned, latching on to his tunic. “He stays with me.”

Lord Samriel’s brows inched up as Prince Rohan refocused on me, his stare more unnerving than Thorne’s because it was so cold, so lifeless despite the churning. The Prince moved so fast I didn’t even have time to scream.

His hand came around my neck, and he lifted me, forcing me to stand on the tips of my toes. “I promised no harm would come to him,” he said as I grasped his arm. My mind opened wide to him, and I saw nothing . . . nothing but darkness. “Whether or not I honor that oath will be up to you. Making demands is one way to guarantee that oath is broken.” His fingers bit into my throat, sending a flare of pain along my neck. “Do you understand me.”

“Yes,” I forced out.

“Good.” He didn’t so much let go of me as shove me away. I stumbled back, caught by the arms by Lord Samriel. His grip was firm but not nearly as painful as I knew it could be. “Take her to her quarters and make sure she stays there while the horses are readied. We will leave as soon as Lord Arion confirms what is claimed.”

Lord Samriel began to move, and I wasn’t given much of a choice. My stare desperately clung to Grady’s unmoving form. What were they going to do to him? I didn’t dare ask out of fear of giving Prince Rohan reason to break his oath.

“Your Highness.” Hymel spoke up, unfolding his arms. “What about the Prince of Vytrus? He left to escort his knights to Archwood. They will be returning by tomorrow night, at the latest.”

My heart skipped. In the panic and terror, I’d forgotten the return of Thorne and his knights.

“They will run into some unexpected trouble en route, which should give us time,” Prince Rohan said with a smile, and that quick burst of hope deflated. He looked to me. “Don’t worry, my dear. We will keep you safe from the Prince of Vytrus.”

My mouth dropped open. Of all the things I might have expected the Prince to say, that was not it. “Keep me safe from him?”

“It may not seem that way now, but we are saving your life,” Prince Rohan said. “After all, it’s Prince Thorne you should fear. You are his to kill.”