Chapter 46
Great. Not Good.
Cora
Shadows filled the room from beneath the doorway. Cold seeped into the air. But nothing else mattered but him. The arrow protruding from his chest was all wrong.
I hit my knees—clueless about how I’d gotten there—leaning over him as my hand came to cup his cheek, his eyes just barely open as he smiled up at me once more.
“Hey, Princess,” he mumbled. “Bit of a tumble there.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up. You’re okay. I’m going to fix you,” I cried, the tears rolling down my face at a rate I hadn’t yet acknowledged.
“It’s fine, I’m fine.” But the words came out broken and more of a whisper.
Blowing out a deep breath, I tried to focus on what was wrong. The arrow had to be removed. Simple.
“Cora, look at me, honey,” a soft voice whispered from across from me, breaking my train of thoughts as swiftly as they came. I looked up to find my aunt Zima. “Where is the key? He can’t even begin to heal with the cuffs still on.”
Her voice brought me back from the brink of insanity once more. My hand slid down Cedar’s arm, resting upon the cuffs as they fell from his wrist. I hadn’t told anyone but Cedar that we’d embedded the only sort of magic that would work upon shadow stone.
“Blood magic. Smart,” she mumbled. “Okay, we have to remove the arrow. The tip is more than likely shadow stone. Can you keep him still for me? It’s going to hurt.”
I nodded, happy to have something useful to do. “Yeah, of course.”
No other thoughts went through my head as my eyes moved back to my mate’s. Yanking on the thread that connected us, pouring my magic into it, Cedar’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at me. He was so weak, that influence on him would’ve been easy even without the bond between us.
“Relax, my raven. I’m here. We’re here,” I whispered as I took his hand within my own. His eyes remained on mine as I whispered over and over that he was okay, he felt no pain, even as Aunt Zima and Bastian broke apart the arrow and pulled it from his chest.
“It just missed his heart, witchy girl. He’s going to be okay. Feed his feathered ass and he’ll be sassing us in no time," Bastian explained from beside me.
I wasn’t sure when he’d arrived, only that I was thankful for his lighthearted comment as I sank my fangs into my own wrist and shoved it into Cedar’s mouth without another thought.
It took a moment before he finally began to drink, long pulls as his color returned to normal and his heart rate sounded okay once more.
His tongue ran over the bite, healing the wound before he pressed a gentle kiss to my skin.
“Did we get him?” he muttered as his tired eyes met mine.
“I have no idea,” I whispered. “I was only concerned for you.”
A smile lit up his face. “I do hear I’m a good fuck. Makes sense that you’d be worried.”
Shaking my head, I wanted to smack him. “I said great. Not good.”
His brows shot up. “Oh, great? Shit. Hear that, shadow boys? I’m a great fuck!” he hollered to the others.
It was that that reminded me we weren’t alone and we were in fact sitting in the midst of what could only be described as a massacre.
Aunt Zima and Bastian were still with us. All three of us were covered in Cedar’s blood.
The remaining guards were blown back against the far wall, weapons still clutched in their hands and blood ran down their eyes and ears.
One had a bow in hand, his body crumbled on the floor, eyes empty of life.
The golden floor was cracked and ice spread along from the throne to where we sat.
Half the domed ceiling was caved in, and you couldn’t see the back door any longer.
A small groan had my eyes moving beside the throne where his crumbled body lay. He’d clearly been unconscious as he rolled onto his back, a brief cough garnering our attention.
“Shall I kill him?” Raiden asked casually. He and Paine were leaned against the wall by the main exit, Raiden’s legs crossed, his hands twirling a clean dagger he clearly hadn’t used while he destroyed half the guards within the castle.
“Not yet,” I replied, my eyes returning to Cedar. “Are you okay? Do you want to sit up?”
He nodded as I helped him into a seated position. His gaze swept the space and returned to me. “Fuck, Princess. Angry?”
My throat felt tight as I watched the emotions cross his face. This was the moment. The moment my power scared him. The moment he backed off. It was what I’d been fearing since the moment I’d found out we were mated.
One of the first lessons Mother had taught me about the males in this world, was to keep your power hidden.
They either wanted it for themselves or they resented you for it.
Father had no idea how undeniably powerful she was.
She kept her magic minimal at best in fear that he would detest her abilities, and in turn, her.
Cedar’s eyes returned to mine, his hand coming up to set on the side of my throat, brows creased as he watched me. “Tell me what you’re thinking that has your feelings racing the way they are,” he requested quietly.
“Are you angry?”
“At what? You?”
I nodded. “I’d understand if you—”
His thumb came up, settling atop my lips. “Stop while you’re ahead there, Cora. I’m not going anywhere. You don’t frighten me. If anything, I find your ability to commit mass murder of those who’d wish us harm quite helpful, among other things I shouldn’t explain with you sister so nearby.”
Silvana groaned from across the room. “Don’t be disgusting. What do we want to do with him?” she questioned as she kicked Keres in the side with her boot. “I vote for something drawn-out and painful.”
My eyes met Aunt Zima’s and I felt myself smile for the first time in days. “I’m not sure. Why don’t we ask the Lady of the Court of Ice. It is, after all, her decision.”
Her lips parted, eyes wide, as she shook her head. “Oh, you can’t possibly mean—”
Bastian walked up and threw an arm around her shoulders. “I have no doubt that’s exactly what she means.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Raiden said without hesitation. “Paine?”
“Perfect ruler for this frozen tundra. Two out of three approvals done. Where’s Oren?” Paine asked.
“Have you seen him? I let him out just before I opened the door for you and asked that he meet us here,” I explained.
Cedar let out a dry chuckle. “He won’t be here. Trust me.”
Raiden sighed, running his hands over his face. “Either way, majority rules. So congratulations, Zima. You’ve been crowned.”
Silvana walked to the throne, and lifted the golden crown from the side of the chair. Setting it on our aunt's head, she smirked, but Zima shook her head.
“I absolutely will not be wearing that. Raiden, do you mind?” Aunt Zima tossed it to the Shadow Lord, his shadow magic striking it before it could reach him. Gold dust fell to the floor, sprinkling along the rubble.
“Well, that was fun,” Bastian muttered.
“Did you find Rusor?” I looked around at the group, a small amount of hope in my heart that he’d be down in a cell somewhere.
Aunt Zima laid her hand on my forearm as she shook her head.
Death had never been something that brought me a great deal of feeling. Just part of life and the way of things. But hearing Rusor was gone, hurt. Knowing all this time he’d been helping Aunt Zima, getting who knows how many people out of the castle?
“He’ll be remembered as a hero,” Aunt Zima whispered as she gave me a small reassuring smile.
“What about the others? Lovel? Vega?”
A brief cackle from behind us sounded, and we turned to see Keres trying to roll onto his stomach. I walked over, stepping on his chest and holding him there on his back.
“What’s so funny?”
Cuts were slowly healing along his face and hands, dust covered his chest, and his pants were torn up on the side. This was the most unkempt I’d ever seen him, and I relished it.
“Free me, and I may tell you,” he mumbled, a devious smile on his face.
I rolled my eyes as Silvana walked over next to me. “Nothing out of your lips would be worth your freedom to us. Try once more.”
His eyebrows lifted in mock shock—even while lying on the ground covered in dust from his own fallen throne room, he managed to look arrogant.
“Not even if I tell you half my troops should be landing upon your doorstep as we speak?” He chuckled as we both tried to keep our expressions blank. But failure was apparent as he laughed harder.
“Lock him up,” Aunt Zima commanded. “Cora, can you project yourself there? Warn them? Check on them?”
I shook my head. “Not that far, no.”
“Arabella is calm right now, but I can’t sense much more,” Paine added.
Silvana’s eyes met mine for a moment before they moved to Cedar. “How about we test those new powers?”
“You can’t mean for me to…” Cedar began, but Silvana just smiled.
“That’s exactly what she means, Feathers,” Bastian replied.