Chapter 47
Draevyn
The sight of those black veins seared themselves into Draevyn’s mind. Even after Esmyra slipped her shirt back on and wrapped her arms around herself, he could still see them. Creeping along her back in the most unnatural way while they strangled her magic and lifeforce.
His pulse thundered in his ears, his jaw aching from how tightly he clenched it. He wanted to scream, to shatter the windows, to tear the ship apart with his bare hands.
It wasn’t only that this was yet another horrible thing happening to her.
It was that Atlas, of all people, was the cause of it.
His brother hadn’t just tried to break her…
he fucking poisoned her. It wasn’t enough to just shackle her power in chains, but he had cut her open.
Atlas had violated her, slicing her flesh and tearing her body apart to place the velsinyte inside.
Somewhere she would never be able to find or see on her own.
No wonder she couldn’t access her power. No wonder the warmth hadn’t returned to her cheeks the moment the cuffs fell to the floor… And no fucking wonder she appeared to be in pain. The exhaustion on her features was evident, but they all wore it the same.
Draevyn should’ve dug deeper. He should’ve inspected her, accounting for every cut and bruise.
But he didn’t want to get too close to her right away. Not for his benefit, but for her own. Draevyn knew what happened when Esmyra felt trapped, and that was the last thing he wanted. He still couldn’t even believe he’d gotten this far with her to begin with, but he’d never been more thankful.
No longer was this just a feud between brothers. This was personal now. If Atlas wanted a true war, then by all the fucking gods, Draevyn would ensure he got one.
Atlas had taken what was most sacred to Draevyn, and he knowingly defiled her. Not to mention that if Esmyra were anyone else, the velsinyte would’ve killed her the moment it reached her veins.
Draevyn forced himself to breathe, to keep the fury from spilling out where she could see it, but judging by the way her glacial stare roamed over him, he knew it was useless. She sat on the edge of the desk, still trembling slightly, while her eyes remained shadowed.
The urge to stay with her, to hold her, to never leave her side was nearly overwhelming. But he knew he needed to act. The mark was on her spine, and he refused to risk it on his own.
Draevyn refused to risk her.
He stepped closer and cleared his throat, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face.
“You’re going to be alright,” he said, though the words felt hollow against everything raging inside him.
“I swear it. I fucking promise you, nothing will ever happen to you again. I just need to figure out how to fix this.”
He turned from her, fists clenching at his sides.
“Drae—”
“I have to get Jak.”
“Draevyn, please…” Her voice cracked, and he turned to face her. “I don’t want him to see me this way. It’s bad enough you have to. I don’t want you to have to endure dealing with this.” Her stare dropped to the floor, as if she couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.
The sight of her sitting there with her arms wrapped tight around herself, eyes glistening with something more than pain, felt like a blade piercing straight through his heart.
For a heartbeat, he just stood there, his chest aching.
Then he moved back across the room in a few strides.
Before she could pull further into herself, he dropped to one knee in front of her, his hands gently taking hers, prying them from where she clutched herself as if to keep from falling apart.
“Don’t you ever say that,” Draevyn demanded. “Don’t you dare think you’re something I ever have to endure.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, but he didn’t give her the chance to protest.
“I would hope,” he continued, his voice softening, “that you’d never keep something like this from me. Not this. Not anything.” His hands tightened around hers. “Because there is nothing about you I would turn away from, Wildfire.”
“I know,” she admitted, tears brimming as she gestured to herself. “But this isn’t me.”
“You’re not broken,” he said, leaning closer, his forehead nearly touching her knees as his hands slid to cradle them. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. And whatever they’ve done to you, I’ll fix it. I’ll tear through all the realms, fall off the edge of every map to find a cure.”
Her breath shuddered, and she reached for him, fingers trembling as they slid into his hair. He pressed a kiss to her hand before resting his cheek against her palm.
“I will fix this,” he murmured against her skin. “I swear it to you. You’re not alone in this.”
Draevyn pressed one last kiss to her forehead, sealing the promise he made, and then stood. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, though her eyes followed him with a flicker of sadness, and he forced himself to turn away before it broke him.
The night air hit him the moment the door opened, salt and wind filling his lungs as he scanned the ship. He spotted Jak leaning casually against the helm, talking with Sam and Tommy.
“Jak, I need you for something,” he said, the words clipped as he rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time.
Jak straightened instantly, his easy posture gone. “Is everything okay?”
“Aye,” Draevyn growled, lying. “Sam, keep on the wheel for Terrana. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Sam and Tommy exchanged a tense glance but eventually nodded.
“Good.” Draevyn turned back to Jak, his hand gesturing for him to move. “You’re with me.”
Jak didn’t hesitate. He fell into step beside him, his long strides matching Draevyn’s as they descended the stairs to the lower deck.
“What happened? It’s Esmi isn’t it?” he asked under his breath, his voice already tight with unease.
Draevyn could barely form the words. “I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Jak frowned but didn’t press further. They reached the captain’s quarters, the candlelight spilling faintly through the crack in the door. When he pushed it open, the scene inside was a punch to the gut.
Esmyra was still perched on the desk where he’d left her, her knees drawn slightly inward, her shirt loosely draped over her shoulders as if she hadn’t bothered to tie it properly. Her midnight hair tumbled around her face, but the tension in her posture betrayed the turmoil within her.
When her eyes lifted, they landed on Jak. “Hi,” she said quietly, almost apologetically. Then her lips curved into a faint, brittle smile. “I think I’ve become more trouble than I’m worth.”
“Never,” Jak said.
She let out a lifeless chuckle, her fingers twisting in the loose hem of her shirt. “You say that now, Jaky,” she murmured, “but wait until you see.”
Jak took a step closer, his brows drawn, but she lifted a hand, stopping him. Carefully sliding off of the desk, her voice trembled as she said, “No. Just… let me show you.”
With slow, almost painful movements, she slid her arms out of the shirt and let it fall forward, still clutching the fabric to her chest to cover herself. Then she turned, her bare back facing them.
Jak drew in a sharp breath, his hand instinctively lifting as if to reach for her, then stopping midway. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath. “Esmi, what the hell is that?”
Draevyn stood stiff beside him.
My brother did this. The thought burned in his skull, each repetition stoking the fire in his blood. The storm inside him built, smoke and flame colliding until he thought he might ignite right there in the room.
Esmyra turned back to face them, that bit of defiance crawling back into her gaze. “Well, it seems we’ve figured out why I still can’t access my powers after we removed the cuffs.”
Her stare raked over them both.
“I think this was their fallback.” Her eyes went distant, as if speaking the thought aloud helped her piece it together. “In case I ever managed to free myself from the cuffs they used to bind me. They must have known I’d try.” She shrugged and let out a small cackle. “And I certainly did.”
When neither Draevyn nor Jak laughed, she continued.
“This—” she gestured weakly to the black veins “—I’m assuming was a backup plan. Something to make sure that even if I escaped, I wouldn’t have access to my powers and could be easily captured again.”
The words lodged like a knife under Draevyn’s ribs.
They’d been so afraid of her that they fucking mutilated her; the scar down her back was from some jagged blade and sewn together poorly.
His nails dug into his palms, the bite of pain barely keeping him anchored.
But nothing would change the fact that they touched her, and that alone was enough for Draevyn to make sure they’d burn.
Jak stepped closer. “You think it’s still active? Like it’s doing this to you even now?”
“Aye.” Esmyra nodded. “It certainly feels alive in its own way. I’ve grown used to Kaelypso, but even then I knew it wasn’t her. This darkness is carving its way into my very essence, and it could consume me from within.”
Draevyn went rigid. “What do you mean?” He couldn’t help the anger-fueled fear in his tone.
“I know we shouldn’t believe Syrena and Azarian, but after feeling this all this time, I do think they were speaking the truth on this. If kept in a divine body long enough, the velsinyte could turn me into a husk. A barely living shell of what I once was.”
Draevyn was clenching his teeth so hard he thought they might shatter.
“And after what I saw it do to those in Anchorage Cove…I believe them. I saw a male get shot in the head, and his body caved in on itself.” A shiver rolled through her as she spoke of the memory. “It was horrifying to say the least, and not something I would prefer to live out in for all eternity.”
Jak blew out a breath, his brows creasing as he watched her.
“While she’s currently forced to be silenced, I doubt Kae has any interest in that either,” she added with a half laugh.