Eighty-Six Cameron
A soft hum filled my ears, and blistering, raging pain shot up my spine and into my arms. My eyes opened, and I blinked them, trying to get the room to come into focus. I lay on my stomach, the cot beneath me covered with thick comforters and furs. I stared at the cerulean bars with their spinning runes and knew where I was.
“And what would you have me do?” Dianna snapped, her voice hoarse as if she had been screaming for hours. We had fallen a long way, so maybe she had.
I had almost been too late. The portal I had used to get there opened and spat me out into chaos. The entire war camp was ablaze and smoking, but I hadn’t hesitated when I saw her take flight, heading straight into their trap. I had never transformed before, not once, but some innate power rose in me, and I just followed my instincts. My body stretched, power filled me, and then I was airborne, rocketing toward her. I had no idea what those nets were. I had never seen them before today, but now I knew why Nismera had been working late, why she and Vincent had not smelled like each other for months. Dianna was her main priority now.
“It was so stupid that they thought you’d fight that hard for Reggie.” I groaned, the sound as hoarse and harsh as Dianna’s voice had been. Reggie stood on the other side of the room, his hands folded in front of him. I forced my eyes to focus on the fate, keeping as still as possible because even breathing hurt right now. “No offense.”
Reggie said nothing, and my gaze flicked to Dianna. Her arms were more healed than mine, with only a little discoloration that I knew would be gone in days. Only one person could heal her from godly weapons that well, and I knew it was the man standing next to her.
My head spun, and I couldn’t help the sound that left my lips. My eyes burned, and I wondered if I had lost my mind. Or maybe I had died, and this was Iassulyn, being forced to face all of them. I had felt something when I arrived, but I thought it was Dianna I was sensing. I pushed myself up, trying to stand and go to him. My scream bounced around the cell as my back tore open, and I collapsed onto the cot with a sob. Samkiel rushed past the bars and knelt before me, gripping my hand.
“It’s okay. I’m here,” he said.
His voice was like music to my fucking ears. I hadn’t just lost my leader and my king when I thought he’d died, but also my best fucking friend.
“Are you real?” My voice cracked. “Or is this another sad dream?”
His eyes softened, but it was true. Every time I closed my eyes, I dreamed I had saved him. I dreamed I had fought, saved Xavier, and we had stayed. Gods, I hated myself. It hurt to cry, the sobs wracking my body and reopening my wounds. I couldn’t stop the tears. Every bit of fear and guilt and regret and grief came pouring out.
“I’m real.” His hand was gentle on my shoulder, and a soothing coolness settled over my aching, cracked skin. I knew he had tried to heal me, too, just from the parts of me that weren’t split open. I suspected after healing Dianna, whatever power he had was depleted. It had to be since it still colored the sky. He leaned against me in the weirdest hug I had ever been a part of, his head on mine as if he was afraid to hurt me.
“But you died. We all felt it,” I choked out between gasps for air.
“Dianna brought me back.”
I lifted my head and turned toward Dianna, nearly throwing Samkiel off me. Tears still flowed from my eyes as I stared at her in shock. Dianna smirked and shrugged.
“Brought back? From the dead?” I practically screamed. “How is that even possible?”
“It’s a long story,” Dianna said. “I’ll write a book one day. Now, what do you know about Nismera and her whereabouts?”
Samkiel ignored her as he patted the back of my head. “I missed you too, Cameron.”
Another cry left me. “Oh, gods, it’s really bad then if you are saying that.”
Samkiel’s touch suddenly disappeared, and the cool balm of his healing dissipated. The pain was still bad, but nowhere near the agony it had been. Panic squeezed me like a vise. Had this been another dream? Was this all just punishment for what I had done? I looked up and saw Dianna holding his wrist.
“Samkiel, you have to stop,” Dianna commanded, tugging him away from me. “You’ve already used too much power trying to heal us both. You can barely stand, and this is further draining you.”
“I can’t leave him in pain,” Samkiel protested.
“We won’t, but you’re no good to any of us if you sleep for a week from exhaustion,” she snapped back. “Miska can make him some healing teas. It will be a slower process, but it will help.”
Another sob tore from me, and they both spun toward me. “Gods, I’ve missed hearing you two bicker.”
Dianna shook her head as Samkiel snorted, a single hand running across his brow.
“Do you remember where you were? Where Nismera is?” Dianna asked again.
I opened my mouth, eager to tell them, but my throat tightened. My brows furrowed as I tried to force it, but nothing came. I wanted to tell them where I’d been and what I had seen, but only flashes of gold and cream pierced the fog of my memory. “I . . . I don’t remember.”
“How can that be?” Dianna asked, glancing between us.
Samkiel shrugged. “Witches, perhaps. Camilla was strong enough to cloak Kaden and you from me.”
Dianna’s gaze raked over me. “Is she? Is she cloaking her?”
“I highly doubt it.” I groaned as I turned toward them. “Camilla is too busy being obsessed with Vincent and vice versa. I know she’s working with her, but I don’t think she is doing that. Nismera has more witches than Camilla. It is possible one of them is doing so.”
Samkiel sighed. “That proves my other theory.”
“Which is?”
I watched how they worked together and smiled, resting my head on the soft furs. He had been looking for this for so damn long. Samkiel finally had his queen, and she was worthy of him in every way. She would have torn the realms apart for him and hadn’t even let death come between them. I sunk deeper into my cot. Despite the pain of the burns, my body finally relaxed after months of constantly being on guard. Samkiel was alive, and I was finally safe.
“There are no maps to her kingdom or palace because she does not want to be found. I had assumed it was because of The Eye, and I think that is true. Maybe she isn’t cloaked, but perhaps she has a spell that makes those who leave her premises lose the memory of it,” Samkiel said.
Dianna cast a flirtatious grin toward him. “Gods, you’re so hot and so smart.”
“I agree,” I said against my smooshed pillow. “You look great for a half-dead guy. Or a recently dead guy. How did that work? Your light burns in the sky. I felt it. We all did.”
Samkiel went to open his mouth when Dianna’s warning growl stopped him. He cut her a look, and she glared back, her brows shooting up in disagreement. For a second, I wondered if they were speaking mind to mind, but I didn’t see the mark on them. Another warning growl rumbled in her throat. A skitter of fear tripped down my spine, but Samkiel seemed intrigued by the sound. His eyes glowed a bit brighter before she huffed and folded her arms in defeat. He gave her a small smile before turning back to me.
“Regardless of Dianna’s shameless flirting, she is right,” Samkiel said. “This does put us in a predicament. We are no closer to finding Nismera, and even beings who have been to her stronghold can’t tell us where it is.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could be more helpful,” I said.
Dianna cocked her head. “Who said you won’t be?”
Worry crept up my spine, a chill curving around my neck. “Okay, why does it feel like you want to rip my head off when you look at me like that?”
“She doesn’t.” Samkiel gave her a pointed look.
“So what happens now?” I asked, not convinced he was right.
Dianna shrugged, tapping her nails against her biceps. “We keep you locked up.”
“Temporarily,” Samkiel enunciated the word.
It truly was comical watching them. Dianna was one destructive force, and Samkiel was the one who kept her and everything together. They really were two sides of the same coin.
“Okay,” I said, my eyes darting to Dianna. “Why? I would never . . . I wouldn’t. Not again . . .”
The room grew silent, the air thickening between us. It felt like an anvil pressing on my chest. How could I apologize when I’d done it for Xavier?
She held my gaze. “You are still in peak Thrash, which means whatever Kaden wants from you, you’ll do.”
“No, I won’t,” I all but snapped, hissing as I tried to push up off the cot.
“Cameron. You’ve been turned for months. Has he helped you feed? Change forms? Train? I highly doubt it. Do you have your hunger under control? Hmm?”
I glanced away, staring at the fate. He watched all this unfold with something akin to wonder in his eerie eyes.
“Exactly,” she pressed. “You’d probably blow him if he asked at this point.”
My head whipped toward her. There was disgust on her face, and Samkiel looked at her with worried eyes. I knew he was wondering if Kaden had demanded the same from her when she’d first been changed.
Dianna held up her hands. “I’m just saying, okay? I am not saying it happened. In the beginning, you are very bonded with the being that made you. It takes a bit to work it out of your system. Think about it. Hasn’t he asked you to do things, and you agreed? I assume you even went back after whatever missions he sent you on, even though we both know you normally wouldn’t.”
Samkiel watched me carefully, and I didn’t turn away this time because she was right. I had done just that. An odd sense of home pulled me back to her damned palace even though I hated it, hated him. I assumed it was because I thought Samkiel was dead and I had no place to go, but if what Dianna said was true, then I was fucked.
“Okay.” I sighed. “Keep me locked up. I don’t want to answer his call or act on anything he wishes. More than anything, I don’t want to hurt you again,” I said and eased back down on the cot, my head feeling too heavy to hold up any longer. I hoped they could hear the sincerity in my voice.
“I promise to make it as comfortable as I can until we figure this out,” Samkiel said, crouching beside me once more. I had forgotten how massive he truly was. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and I inhaled deeply, taking in his familiar scent. That was what home felt like.