Chapter 32
Chapter
Thirty-Two
MAX
Asound alerts me to someone in my bed chamber and I withdraw a dagger from my pillow, flipping it, over as a hand grabs my shoulder.
The blade glints in the low lightening, going to his throat as he shouts a warning.
“It’s me, Max,” Reid pants, hand to my wrist. “Fuck, you really don’t like being woken up.” He pulls me by the wrist, my head going dizzy at the quick shift. “But we don’t have time for that. We need to go.”
“Go?” He grabs my cloak from the edge of the bed, tossing it at me. It wraps over my head, and when I detangle, he’s shoving boots on to my feet. I fall back, holding his shoulder for balance. “Reid, what is happening?”
“Zelos is happening,” he huffs, tying one boot too tight. “The guards on our side have been informed of a bounty on you. The first to break you, wins.”
Cold panic settles into my gut.
It’s happening, just like Fee said it would. He’s coming after me. I pushed him and now, I’m paying the price.
“What do we do?”
“We do nothing,” he explains, throwing Kaden’s mother’s necklace on to the bed. “We run. Put that on.”
“No, we have to stay, to fight—”
“Max,” Reid interrupts, eyes dark. Gone is the kind, generous male. Now, all that is left is a hard warrior. My mouth snaps shut instantly. “If we stay, you’re going to be tortured. If you die, my brother dies, no matter the distance. I’m not losing either of you to this fight. It’s not worth it.”
Smiling sadly, I understand his worry. He doesn’t want either of us hurt and he’s running, just like I would. Just like I want to do.
“Kaden wouldn’t want us to abandon the plan. The coup. Too many people are depending on Kaden to take the throne.”
“Kaden would want me to protect you,” he argues, throwing items into a bag. “If I don’t, he won’t be around to take the throne. And you, him, Fee, are the only ones I care about. Now move.”
He stalks into the sitting room as I grab the necklace, securing it around my throat. Following, I slide the daggers onto my belt, my nightgown thicker than I’ve taken to wearing.
Not by much. But I’ve been preparing for retribution for my demonstration. Zelos didn’t have control, and I knew pushing him would result in some kind of attack.
Reid withdraws his sword, waiting until I’m behind him before we go into the halls. We take the left, which I know leads to the side exit, into the gardens. Beyond that, Crow’s Feet Forest, where I tried to flee, all those nights ago.
“Where’s Fee?”
“Causing a distraction.” At my furrowed brow, he smirks, playfulness hindered by tension. “She’s picking a fight in the armory. She’s got some rage to work out.”
My grin is fleeting. That will keep the guards busy as the warrior princess starts throwing blades at their heads.
“And Oslo?”
Reid shakes his head. “We still can’t find him. We’ve searched everywhere. We don’t know where he went.”
“Would Zelos—"
“No,” he cuts off, stopping at the end, scanning both ways. It’s uncanny how similar he is to Kaden. Though not as refined, or with a consuming aura as his brother, Reid is well-trained, quick with a keen eye. He’s looking for any threat and takes his job seriously. “He wouldn’t touch him.”
“But he’s working with us.”
“He’s also well loved by the guards.” We dart to the left, hiding in the darkness of the palace. “If Zelos harms the general, he’ll have a mutiny. There’s got to be something else happening.”
Reid’s probably right. But what would keep the general from us for days?
We stopped at the end of another hall, the corridors deserted, only our shoes the only noises. He searches once more, hand around my wrist. It’s a short distance but we’re in the open and I’ve learned the guards are great at hiding here.
“Whatever happens, get outside, get into the forest, and get out,” he instructs.
I nod. Get out. Flee. Everything I wanted, and now it’s the only way to survive.
We cross the threshold before four guards materialize, blocking the exit. Their leathers glint in the flickering lights, silent as ghosts.
“Shit,” Reid breathes, eying the largest of them. Something about the way he shifts, squaring up to him, makes me realize, this guard is the one to watch.
None of them wear helmets, all holding a weapon. Without thinking, I grab my dagger, slicing my opposite hand, relying on what worked before. As soon as the blood runs, I can hear the drum of hearts in my head. Before it would have driven me mad, but now, I relish it.
The pull is stronger, the drug almost nonexistent. Soon, I won’t need to cut my hand to crush their hearts.
“We’re here for the future queen,” one guard drones on. “Step aside.”
“Yeah, you’re not taking my sister.” He takes one step forward as the guards move and my heart pangs. “Remember what happened last time you touched something the heir loved? Most of your ranks were annihilated. Imagine what will happen to you if you touch his future queen.”
That seems to make them pause, two of them glancing unsure. Kaden is a force.
One shakes off the stupor, raising a sword at the royal’s throat. “If you don’t move, then you leave us little choice. We follow the king’s orders and you are not needed in the line of succession.”
“Like I haven’t heard that before.” He sighs, rolling his eyes. The other hand grabs his dagger, now armed with two weapons. I concentrate on the hearts, looking at the one closest to me. “It’s always orders with you lot. No thought. No originality. Where’s the individualism, Tomas?”
Reid swings first. His sword slices into one shoulder, dagger jabbing into another’s gut. It’s a clean cut, wicked. I remember how he fought in the forest, in the village. Reid fights like he dances, all smooth moves and grace, as entertaining as bloody.
I raise my fingers, twisting them, though it takes longer than I’d like.
Swiftly, I dart under the blade, the trainings with Fee easy compared to this Fae.
I focus again, willing my magic to listen.
I envision the calming shadow, twisting with death, the one that reminds me of Kaden and his strength.
I hold on tight, let it rise within my chest and wrap around my magic.
Like another hand, it holds it and my veins surge with power.
The sword hammers down, only for his arm to jerk, my dripping blood calling to his. Darkly, I grin.
His body sways following my hands like my real-life doll. I don’t play with him, just push all my might into his heart, feeling the drum under my skin. It’s a beating frenzy as chills dance over my arms and my nose bleeds.
When my fist closes, he falls, heart crushed.
I smile relieved, but it’s cut short as I turn, seeing Reid battling two of the three remaining guards. Where’s the third?
Reid knocks one away, kicking the other back.
Wide, panicked eyes stare at me. “Max, watch out!”
I duck blindly as another blade slices overhead, narrowly missing my neck. The large guard stands behind me, ready for another hit. Grinning, malice seeps from his pores and I ready for another fight.
My magic flares, a hot light within my chest and I touch it, letting it flood my veins. The shadows intertwine with it, propelling the magic into my hands, giving it stability.
He staggers, feeling the effects as I see his heart in my mind’s eye. The pitter-patter of fear, the dread increasing his heart rate, and I smile, pleased.
He didn’t expect my power to work. That means they’ve been watching me for some time—Zelos has been watching me. I pour everything I am into holding him still, using what little strength I have left to stop him.
Then, a hit to my back as a sword hilt snap to my hip, and I fall, concentration lost. Reid growls out an obscenity, as I catch myself on my hands and knees, the larger guard recovering quickly.
My head rings, powers spiraling, the heartbeats drumming too loud to think.
Everything blurs, and my body flares in pain as a boot pushes me into the ground.
Those shadows flare in my chest, as if sensing my distress and react to the need to help.
Grabbing my hair, the guard yanks my head back, smiling cruelly into my face with barely contained glee. This is the face of a true monster.
“Zelos will reward us heavily for securing the blood summoner.” He drops me, slamming the butt of his sword into my temple and everything goes black.