66
Kora
Just give in. Let me take over. He seeks to hurt your future bonded, he seeks to kill you. I can protect you . . . just give in.
The darkness whispered, coaxing Kora into a red-hazed slumber as her rage exploded from her chest, breaking Zephyr’s bonds.
She didn’t spare a minute to wonder what being bonded meant, not when the one person she wanted, that she needed, was going to be ripped away from her.
She advanced, snarling at Zephyr with words she’d barely heard over the sound of her raging heart.
Raiden was hers. No one would hurt him. Not ever again.
He’d watched and protected her for ten years. He’d brought her back from grief’s slippery edge, and it was her turn to save him.
Kora brimmed with tantalising power, a new well she’d not discovered before. Her element came freely, winding around her arms like snakes from her back—that was new.
“Kora Cadell!”
That voice. The whispers banked, hiding from the fiery warmth lingering behind Kora.
“You will stand down, now!”
The command ricocheted through her, the familiarity forcing her to stop. Years of training, years of comfort and respect made her turn slowly on her heel.
The haze faded, and Kora blinked as three figures stumbled down the carpet.
Aryn came into focus first, his grim smile causing that stone in her chest to settle, her skildaj bond rejoicing at the proximity.
Aryn was pale, his skin clammy, his windswept hair sticking to his forehead from the flight.
Sirona’s wild blonde hair caught her eye next, and she hesitantly smiled at Kora.
And between them . . .
Kora cried, running to Erick, slamming into him as her arms circled him. He was awake. He was walking. He was alive.
“What have you gotten yourself into now?” Erick murmured.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” she sobbed.
Aryn stepped back and Kora reached out, grasping his forearm. Aryn visibly relaxed as that warm anchor in her chest settled. It was strange, and definitely not the mated kind. It was the kind of strength that would see them through a war. Was that what being bonded meant?
Sirona dipped her head, a spark in her eyes promising to tell Kora all as she slunk away to the wall, hiding from Zephyr’s wrath.
“Perfect,” Zephyr clapped. “Now we can sentence you both at the same time.”
“Zephyr,” Erick stepped forward carefully, his legs shaking from the effort. He was so thin, his hair long, the mix of grey and brown reaching his shoulders. Sirona had kept up with shaving his face, but that was the extent of his grooming.
“You have no place here, traitor.” Zephyr’s ire was palpable, and Kora blinked at the steam rising in the room.
“I’m sorry!” Erick implored. “I put my faith in the wrong person. I was blind, I was misled. Nothing will be enough to repay what you have lost because of me. But I beg you, old friend, don’t let your anger guide you. I know what it’s like, and it was the worst decision I made.”
Old friend?
Raiden met her gaze, his brows raising. In what world could Erick ever be friends with this male? Kora guided him to Raiden’s kneeling form, and she helped Raiden to his feet as the four of them stared back at the King of Galen.
“You have no right to dictate to me.” Zephyr’s eyes flashed, his jaw ticking. “I am still king, Commodore.”
Erick bowed his head. “I can bring him back.”
Zephyr froze and Hector stood, his spine as straight as a mast.
“Ye lie,” Hector joined the fray. “He cannot still live.”
“Who are they talking about?” Kora asked, but Raiden remained silent, observing the exchange.
“We can bring him back,” Erick spoke louder. “We had a plan, so that when the time was right, I could bring him back from the trench. I don’t know if it will work, but it was our failsafe.”
Kora’s gut roiled, trepidation skittering across her skin.
“How?” Zephyr asked. “How can it be so?” His evident anger dissipated, whomever they were discussing interesting enough for Kora to potentially escape with her life by a thread.
“Because Davy Jones never died.” What the fuck.
“He simply transformed into a beast to survive, until the day came that I could free him again.” Kora rounded on Erick, unable to understand.
Another lie. He’d told her Davy had died.
He didn’t meet her stare. “Davy knew what I was up to, and it was too late to stop Barron. He helped me see the light before the attack ten years ago. So . . . we hatched a new plan. One where he could return when we needed him.”
“He’s the kraken in the Black Abyss,” Kora whispered, everything she’d heard and learnt stitching together to form the wider picture. “You lied to me, again.”
Erick’s face twisted with pain. “I had to. This had to be a last resort. I promised Davy I’d make the world believe he was dead. A witch enchanted him. And only a witch can turn him back.”
“The kraken’s been trying to escape,” Aryn said, his voice quiet with disbelief.
“He’s done waiting,” Erick croaked. “I must fulfil my promise to him. It’s time to bring him back.”
Kora’s world tilted. She thought he was dead. Everyone convinced he’d perished in the previous war. And Erick had lied again, claiming he’d been unsure of Davy’s survival.
“I should kill you now for what you’ve done.” Zephyr sat back in his throne, and for the first time, his tone didn’t lash her eardrums.
“Only one person deserves that honour more than you,” Erick raised his chin. “Help me. Help me release our friend. We need Davy. We need everyone to defeat what Barron has turned into.”
Zephyr’s stare blanked, seemingly lost in thought. “We will be safe behind the Mist. You will both be taken to the Infernal Highland. I must repay nature’s demands, and then I’ll free Davy myself from your mess.”
“The Mist is fading!” Raiden shouted, exasperation consuming his face. “Cassidy warned us! Barron will be here any mo—”
BOOM.
The castle shook, golden chandeliers clinking as stone exploded, breaking through glass and skittering across the marbled floor.
The filigree within the domed ceiling cracked, and Zephyr’s magic thrummed through the air as the marble floors rumbled, the purple rivulets darkening.
Advisors screamed, flooding the room in a flurry of colour as the echoes of cannons rained down like the repeated whip of thunder.
Zephyr paled, his fists clenching. Raiden yelled, accusing his father of ignorance, whilst Skylar rushed from the room, barking orders to all the guards within the castle with her powers. Zephyr’s stare landed on Kora, promising death and pain.
“Too late,” Kora snapped.