Chapter Fifty-Four
ChApter
Fifty-Four
I’m barely aware of Torbin stomping down the corridor behind us until he speaks.
“I’ll take it from here.” His hand grasps my bicep and yanks me away from the guards.
Tears are streaming down my face, and my body is shaking. My heart is breaking for the people in the arena. I can only hope their deaths were quick, their suffering cut short.
But heartbreak is quickly overshadowed by the absolute rage ablaze inside my blood. Rage surging because of the tsar’s heartlessness. Rage boiling because of the seer manipulating him. And because of Torbin betraying me.
I try to pull away from him, but he’s too strong. “You promised me I could see Nadya.”
He lets out a humorless laugh. “You’re in no position to be making demands, Princess.”
I wipe away the tears I’m unable to stop from flowing. “Why are you doing this? What can you possibly gain? The tsar will destroy everything. You’re only making enemies. If you think the realms are going to let him get away with this… You’ll be on the wrong side of a world-changing war.”
His eyes are cold when he glares at me. “You’re mistaken. I’ll be on the victorious side. And I don’t fucking care what the other realms think of me, because I will be the one with power, not them.”
I sniff back the last of my tears. “Gods, Torbin. What happened to you? How did you become this way? What happened to the Torbin I used to know? He’s in there somewhere, isn’t he?”
For a fraction of a second, he stiffens. “Nice try, Princess. That boy you befriended was the weakest part of me. If you’re looking for redeeming qualities in me, there’s only one that should concern you.”
“And what’s that?”
“There’s a place in my heart for you, a part of me that longs to keep you by my side. Our friendship turned into something more when you came to Hedera.”
“And you think I should overlook everything else because of that? You think I could love the monster you’ve become?”
“This is the better version of me.”
I gnash my teeth. “It seems the only version of you that would be best is the dead version.”
His nostrils flare. In one swift motion, he seizes my arms and yanks me toward him, his grip bruising. I twist, thrash, trying to wrench free, but his fingers dig deeper.
“I’m stronger than you, Princess.”
I bare my teeth, rage rising like a tide in my throat. “But I’m more pissed.”
I slam my elbow into his ribs, but he only grunts, shoving me back until my shoulders crash against the wall. The cold stone bites into my spine. His breath ghosts hot across my cheek as he leans close, inhaling.
“Stop—” My voice catches as he lowers his face to the curve of my neck, breathing me in like some starving beast. I push at his chest, nails scraping, but his body is solid, immovable.
“You reek of power,” he whispers, his lips brushing my skin. “Gods, you always have.”
Revulsion twists my stomach. His mouth grazes my throat, trailing down until his lips press to my skin in a rough, claiming kiss. I thrash harder, panic sparking with every second of his touch.
“Don’t—” My cry rips into a snarl as his hands roam, pressing against me, trying to pin every frantic movement.
One of his hands snake around to cup my ass as the other holds my jaw. His mouth crashes against mine, lips untamed.
Fury surges. I squirm away enough to break the unwanted kiss, then reel back and slap him, the crack sharp, echoing between us. His head jerks to the side, his cheek reddening, but instead of retreating, his eyes darken, hunger flaring.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he growls.
His mouth opens, his fangs sharp and merciless as they sink into my neck.
I scream, the sound raw, strangled. Fire shoots through my veins, hot and sharp, the sting of betrayal and pain colliding all at once. My knees buckle, but fury keeps me upright. With everything in me, I summon the smallest spark of power, just enough to blast him back.
A wave of energy bursts from my palms, snapping against his chest. He stumbles, hissing, my blood still wet on his lips. My breath comes in ragged gasps, my hands trembling as I grab the burning wound at my neck.
For a heartbeat, he just stares at me—his chest heaving, lips curled back. His eyes dart across my face, as if he can’t comprehend that I dared strike him. Then the disbelief curdles into monstrous anger, his expression twisting, every muscle in his face taut with rage and hunger.
“Unlock her room,” he snarls at a nearby guard, his voice guttural, shaking with restraint.
I’m unsure of what he means until the guard obeys, fumbling for the keys and sliding it into the lock of the nearby door.
Nadya’s room! I hold on to the hope that I will be able to see my friend.
Torbin’s eyes cut back to me, feral and starving, his lips curling into something between a warning and a promise.
“Go ahead and see your friend,” he says, his voice low, dangerous.
“But whatever you do… you should step away from me. I don’t know how much longer I can resist the smell of your blood. ”
The door creaks open, and I force my legs to move, every step swaying under the pull of blood loss. My neck throbs, warm liquid seeping down my collar, staining the fabric. The hallway blurs, walls tilting, until at last, I stumble through the threshold.
“Celeste?” Nadya’s voice breaks on my name. She’s on her feet in an instant, skirts rustling as she rushes to me.
I collapse against her, the last of my strength draining away. My head finds her shoulder, her hands clutching my arms tight to keep me from crumpling to the floor. I lift my gaze with effort, the world hazy, her face the only thing that stays clear.
“You’re alive,” I whisper, the words slipping from my lips with what little breath I can manage. Relief burns through the pain, a fragile comfort. “Gods… you’re alive. Oh, Nadya, I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you about the note.”
She gently shushes me, her arms wrapping around me. My knees buckle, and Nadya lowers us both, cradling me as if I were made of glass. Her hand presses against my neck, trying to stem the flow, her body trembling beneath me.
“Stay with me, Celeste,” she mumbles, her voice thick with panic, breaking into fragments as she rocks me in her arms. “Don’t you dare leave me.”
She mumbles something more. I can’t understand it, but it’s rhythmic and somehow filled with a hum. The sound of her voice fades, swallowed by the darkness closing in. I let go, sinking into it, into a consuming darkness.
Someone is stroking my hair as my eyes flutter open. For a second, I flinch, not knowing where I am or who’s touching me. But then I realize it’s Nadya, and my shoulders relax.
“Nadya?”
Her voice wavers as she helps me sit up. “Celeste…what happened to you? Gods, you’re covered in blood. Did someone—did they use a dagger on you?”
I shake my head faintly, fingers trembling as they rise to my neck. The skin is closed, smooth now—only tender bruising left beneath Nadya’s touch. “No. It wasn’t a blade.” I swallow, the taste of iron still permeating my tongue. “It was Torbin. He has fangs, Nadya. Like the carnoraxis.”
Her hand freezes in my hair, her eyes wide with horror. “Fangs? But… how—”
“The elixir,” I rasp. “He… He’s gone feral. Wasn’t even himself. He fought me, and then he bit me. Tore into my neck like—” My voice falters, heavy with the memory.
Nadya presses her lips together, as if to swallow down her own revulsion. “Oh, Celeste.”
“How am I healed? Did you…?” My words stumble out raw, my throat aching.
She nods.
“But how were you able to? Even with fae magic, it shouldn’t be possible. Not that fast. That bite—he nearly…” The sentence trails into silence, my chest too tight to finish it.
Nadya offers me a shaky smile, though her hands don’t stop smoothing over my hair, as if reassuring herself I’m really here.
“I’ve been practicing. I don’t know why, but lately, it feels like my magic listens to me better than it used to.
It’s stronger, sharper. And I’ve been thinking that if I can use it on you, maybe I can use it to get us out of here. ”
My heart lurches. “You think it’s enough to escape?”
Her gaze falters, the briefest waver in her face before resolve hardens it again. “It has to be. I can’t just sit here waiting for them to hurt you again.”
I push myself up slowly, ignoring the dizziness that swirls around me. “We have to have a concrete plan.”
She nods, her eyes far away, as if she’s already summoning ideas.
“Nadya—there’s more. There’s a seer, and she’s working with the tsar. They’re preparing some kind of ritual to take my magic. Rip it out of me. Can it even be done like that?”
Nadya’s brow furrows. “Stealing magic like that…it shouldn’t be possible. But there’s so much about magic I have yet to learn. It would take a very powerful sorceress.”
“I think she must be powerful. It would make sense that a seer like that would be working with the tsar.” I swallow hard, and this time, the metallic taste has subsided. “There might be more to this than we thought, though.”
“What do you mean?”
I shift to face her fully and tell her about the cavern, about the massive shape I saw beneath stone and ice. The eyes glowing in the darkness. “At first, I didn’t know what it was. Something buried. Something alive. But then I remembered the old stories—about the sleeping dragons.”
Her breath catches. “The sun dragon and the moon dragon? Gods. Celeste, if that’s true…”
“I think the tsar means to wake it. That has to be his ultimate weapon. He doesn’t just want to rule the world; he wants everyone in Terre Ferique to fear him. And with a dragon—”
“He could do that,” Nadya whispers, horrified. She leans closer, gripping my arm. “But I remember reading about dragons, and they need someone magical to bond with, someone they’ll choose. They don’t just…obey.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “So you’re saying he can’t control it. Not without someone like me.”
Her silence is answer enough.
My stomach knots. “Does he know? Does the seer know? Or Torbin? Is that why they want my magic so badly—because they think they can bend a dragon to their will if they steal my magic?”
Nadya shakes her head, fear and fire mingling in her gaze. “Maybe. Or maybe they’re desperate enough to try, even if it kills you. But if they succeed… Celeste, imagine what the tsar could do with a dragon bound to him.”
I can imagine it all too well—and the thought threatens to unravel me.