Dark, page 42
Sweat poured from my temples and down my aching spine from the effort of holding Kazimir still, and I gasped for air as agony speared through every fiber of my being. My focus slipped, overwhelmed by the intensity of everything, and a sob wracked my chest as Kazimir managed to unstick his foot a moment later.
Ruslan had already started to attack again, and the males fought with a ferocity I’d never experienced before. Desperation flooded me as I willed and willed him to stop moving, my magic flaring over and over inside that crystal as I called on it.
Had I used too much when trying to heal myself?
My entire body trembled, and I knew instinctively that I was closing in on burnout.
Ruslan’s heavy blows backed Kazimir toward the mountainside, and when he was within mere feet of the rock, spears shot out from the wall, one catching him in the leg, the other scraping his shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound in his thigh, but he was a male possessed, and being impaled did not stop his crazed movements. His next three blows were like lightning, the last catching Ruslan’s right shoulder and cutting deep.
“No!” I screamed, leaping to my feet despite the roaring agony in my body, hand raised and blasting white energy at Kazimir. The impact propelled him backward, flattening him against the ground and sending his sword clattering away as he tumbled over and over himself.
Ruslan gritted his teeth, switched his sword to his left hand, and hunted Kazimir down like the prey he was. Ruslan was the apex predator not only in the Iron Realm, but in all of Északi.
And he was my fucking mate.
My legs buckled, unable to support my weight any longer, and I fell to my hands and knees. My heart raced wildly out of control, and my lungs burned as if the white fire that lived in my chest had decided to consume them.
Why hadn’t I trained for this? How could I be so stupid as to neglect one of my greatest assets?
Ruslan kicked the fallen sword further away as he passed it, but Kazimir had already recovered and was on his feet. He reached for a dagger sheathed in his boot, then pinched it between thumb and forefinger by the blade, as if he were going to throw it at Ruslan’s broad chest.
The three of us were poised on the edge of that blade for a moment, and I held my breath, waiting to see which way we would fall. Time slowed to a crawl, and Ruslan paused, eyeing Kazimir’s dagger warily. What was left of my magic I called to my hands, ready to throw a shield in front of Ruslan should Kazimir decide to throw.
Ruslan had expressed time and time again that he would die without me; what he didn’t know was that if he perished, I would want to follow him into death too.
Why had I never told him that?
The thought robbed me of breath.
“If she won’t have me, then she won’t have anyone,” Kazimir snarled, then hurled the blade. I threw a shield of white magic in front of Ruslan, pouring every last drop I had into it, desperate to save him.
But the blade sailed past Ruslan and buried itself in my chest.
47
Béke Day Thirteen
Zuriel screamed my name as he sprinted down the main thoroughfare in Radence, pushing parade goers out of his way like they were nothing more than insects. I’d never heard the Angel speak above a normal volume before, so I immediately spun to see what the fuck had gotten into him. He careened to a stop in front of me, the people around us falling silent to hear what the Angel had to say.
“Kazimir has taken Izidora into the mountains. Ruslan went after her, but she is badly injured. We need to hurry.”
Oh, fuck.
I immediately hunted the vicinity for any of my soldiers, finding a handful in the distance. Their attention was already on us thanks to Zuriel barreling through the crowd.
“Artur! Disperse the crowd and make sure our guests are entertained in the ballroom.” My second in command saluted me from across the street, then shouted orders at his legion.
“Are you armed?” I asked Zuriel.
He shook his head.
“You, give me your sword, and your chains.” I pointed to one of the soldiers who stood watch a few feet from us. The male readily handed the sword to Zuriel and the chains to me.
Viktor, Vadim, and Endre pushed against the tide of people a moment later. “What’s going on?” Viktor demanded, his brow furrowing as he took in the sight of me strapping iron chains to my waist and Zuriel doubled over and sucking down air.
I debated lying for only a moment but decided the three might want to stop the fight rather than join it. “Kazimir kidnapped Izidora and took her into the mountains. Ruslan went after them. We need to stop this before they all kill each other.”
The Night Fae male gave a firm nod. “We’re going with you. No one will die today.”
“Good, because we need to move. Now.”
Craning my neck over the crowd, I discovered a fairly empty side street, then shouted for everyone to move out of my way as I led our group down it. Once we’d cleared the throng of people, we broke into a run, racing until we found an open square. Without breaking stride, my lapis lazuli wings sprung from my back, and I shot into the sky, searching for prints in the snow around the stands where Izidora was last seen. Zuriel unfurled his white feathered wings and leaped into the air, flapping them lightly as he hovered and scanned the area with me. The Night Fae were not far behind.
“Zuriel, do you know where they are?” I shouted over the wind.
“Izidora didn’t know. My guess is they went toward the Day Realm border.”
Kazimir wouldn’t know many other routes out of the Iron Realm, so that made sense. I banked right, studying the snowdrifts below for any sign of disturbance.
“Over there!” Endre shouted, pointing a little to the right. The hoofprints appeared a moment later, and we banked as a group, our shadows highlighting the tracks in the snow. We flew along them at breakneck speed, wings flapping furiously to propel us toward the jagged peaks that held what was sure to be a bloody battle.
The prints tracked up a steep incline and disappeared along with the snow, having been blown away with the wide arc carved into the ground. Following the mountainside, we searched the mud for any sign of Izidora, Ruslan, or Kazimir, the wind battling with us from above. An anguished roar shook the peaks, and we leveled off just in time to see a knife sink into Izidora’s chest.
Ruslan fell to his knees, clutching his own chest as the pain reverberated down their bond and overwhelmed him.
“Fuck!” I swore, snapping my wings shut and dropping to the ground beside my cousin. Zuriel landed beside Izidora, already chanting in Angelic as he pulled his cousin into his arms.
I threw up a barrier of rock around the four of us as Kazimir called black whips to his hands. There was no life in his eyes, both having been entirely replaced by mania.
“Kazimir, no!” Endre dropped behind his friend and yanked him back by the shoulder. He turned on his kin, and the four of them locked in a battle of fists and magic, three against one.
“Here!” Around the barrier, I tossed the iron chains at Viktor, and they clattered to a stop at his feet.
They could use all the help they could get.
Viktor yanked off his jacket, then scrambled to the ground to snatch them up, never turning his back on the crazed Night Fae behind him. Without missing a beat, he launched into action again, the three working together to corral Kazimir toward the flat rocks at his back.
They needed to put those fucking chains on him and subdue whatever madness had taken hold.
I returned my attention to Ruslan and Izidora once I was certain Kazimir was thoroughly distracted. Ruslan had crawled to Izidora’s side, so I scooted backward, maintaining the wall in front of me, until the four of us were huddled together behind it.
“Sprite, please wake up, please you can’t leave me, I need you,” Ruslan babbled incoherently. Zuriel’s brow furrowed and he chanted faster and faster, a hint of panic breaking through his words. Izidora was pale, too pale, her fur jacket soaked in blood, though the knife was still lodged in her chest. Ruslan’s voice was strained with worry, and he collapsed on his side, never losing contact with his mate. While he might feel her pain, he would not die – not unless he took his own life after Izidora passed.
I would not let that happen.
The freshness of their mating bond made it nearly impossible for him to help us, everything shared between them still so amplified and raw.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I cursed over and over, like it would change what was happening before our eyes. “She’s dying, Zuriel.”
“I’m doing everything I can,” he snapped, hovering his hands over her and spilling a flow of magic into her so thick I was certain he would burn out at any moment.
A commotion across the barrier captured my attention, and I lowered it just a hair to see what the Night Fae had done.
“You almost killed her, Kazimir!” Endre screamed at him, his face red and peridot eyes shining. Kazimir was on his knees, face bloody but eyes clear and hands bound behind him in iron chains. “Is that what you wanted, truly?”
He shook his head, and despite the wall between us, I smelled his shame. Whatever magic he possessed controlled him to a point where he acted beyond his own interests.
That in no way excused his actions.
With no one else to lead, I rose and stepped around the barrier, fisted hands holding blue flame in a clear threat. “Get him out of here. Now. Leave the Iron Realm. If you return, it will be taken as an act of war.”
Endre, Viktor, and Vadim shared a panicked look.
“Is she going to be okay?” Kazimir asked, looking distraught, as if his actions hadn’t fucking caused all of this.
“You don’t deserve to know,” I snarled, allowing the blue fire to flare with my anger.
His face crumpled, and his kin hauled him to his feet. Vadim and Viktor hooked their hands under his arms and leaped into the sky, carrying him, as his magic was locked away by the iron. Endre paused for a beat as if he wanted to say something, but he just shook his head and flared his wings to follow the other Night Fae.
I waited until they were out of sight before lowering the barrier, and what I found beyond it stopped me in my tracks.
48
Béke Day Thirteen
“We have to go!” Vadim burst through the door, bloodied and bruised. Domi, Kaztar, and I had returned to our temporary residence in the Iron Realm after my brother and his friends raced from the parade, creating chaos in their wake.
Viktor and Endre dragged a bound and broken Kazimir in behind them, his face even bloodier than my brother’s. Kaztar jumped to his feet, mouth parting slightly as he took in the sight of them. “What the fuck happened?”
“There’s no time to explain. If we don’t get out of the Iron Realm, now, we’re all dead,” Viktor snapped.
Kaztar needed no extra incentive to pack his and Domi’s bags. He was insanely protective of his wife, and Domi and I shared a worried look as the males scrambled to get their shit together. My brother stood guard over Kazimir while Endre and Viktor raced between rooms, grabbing and shoving everything they found into bags without a care for ownership or tidiness.
Kazimir only hung his head and remained kneeling on the floor, unable to look at me or anyone else. That damned crown was nowhere to be found, and iron chains bound his wrists.
My stomach dropped as my brain started working.
What did he do? And where was Izidora?
“Why aren’t you moving, Liliana? We have to go!” Vadim shouted at me.
“I’m not leaving.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Where is Izidora?”
A choked sound emanated from Kazimir’s chest, and my fury landed squarely on him. “What did you do?” I hissed, stalking forward, fists trembling by my side. When he didn’t respond, I shoved at his chest. “What did you do, asshole? If you hurt my best friend, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Hey!” Vadim shouted at me, and with murder in my heart, I tore my gaze from Kazimir to my brother.
“What?” I snapped.
“Now is not the time. We need to go,” he shot back.
Domi stalked to my side, crossing her arms as we stared down my brother. “Not until we know what happened to her.”
“She’s dead or dying, who knows? We can’t stay and find out,” Viktor snarled, shoving what looked like one of my dresses into a bag with extra force.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I screeched, turning on the king of the Night Realm. “What the fuck is wrong with you! What did she ever do to you to make you want to kill her? You stalked her, you hurt her, you intimidated her every–”
“Enough!” Viktor shouted, forcing me to sidestep as he barreled toward us, arms laden with our bags.
Endre reached for Kazimir, and he and Vadim hauled the broken male to his feet before heading for the door. Domi and I shared a long, knowing look, and I gave her a nearly imperceptible nod before she took Kaztar’s outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her toward the open door.
“Liliana! Please come on.” My brother begged me to join him, his face pained and concerned as I stood my ground. “Mother and father will kill me if I leave you behind.”
“You’re not leaving me. I am choosing to stay.” My voice trembled with my barely contained rage, masking the grief that threatened to suck me under and never let me go.
Izidora had to be okay.
The Goddess wouldn't grant my wish only to steal it away, would she?
Endre looked stricken, his beautiful peridot eyes shining with worry. “You’re staying?” He dropped Kazimir’s arm and took three steps toward me. “Liliana, you will die, we will die, if we stay.”
“Izidora is my best friend. I am not leaving her.” But my voice was strained as the male I was falling in love with looked at me like I was the air he needed to breathe and I alone was responsible for suffocating him.
“Please, come with me,” Endre begged, half stumbling as he fell to his knees before me.
Every fight over Kazimir and Izidora, every harsh word we’d said to one another, every sensual touch we’d shared, all hung in the air between us. My heart broke as I opened my mouth to speak, then shut it again before I drew a serrated breath and said the words I had known were inevitable.
Yet they shattered me anyway.
“I can’t,” I whispered, brushing his messy locks away from his face.
Endre sucked in a breath, then with a slowness we didn’t have time for, rose and embraced me as if it was the last time we would ever touch. His mouth captured mine in a searing kiss, tongue twining against mine. Two strong hands grasped my lower back, and Endre bent me over as he deepened our goodbye. His messy black hair brushed against my forehead as he broke us apart. “I love you, Liliana, so I will wait for you until you are ready to find me again. I will always wait for you.”
My vision blurred as he spun away from me, leaving me breathless and without a moment to respond to his words.
Vadim looked between Kazimir, Endre, me, and the rest of the Night Fae fleeing the citadel. “Fuck!” he roared. “Take care of yourself. I’ve taught you well. Love you, Lil.”
And with that, the two males I loved most of all vanished down a chaotic hall, racing for their lives out of the Iron Realm.
49
Béke Day Thirteen
Thank the Goddess, Rares appeared from thin air to help us. His oath to the Iron Crown compelled him to protect its wearer, and although it was not his own, Ruslan was in excruciating pain.
“Help me,” I begged the man responsible for my entrapment in the Iron Realm, letting my dislike of him wash away as I tried to save my cousin’s life. I’d poured more magic into her than I had thought myself capable of, keeping her heart beating while the Night Fae had battled just beyond a wall Drazen erected to protect us.
They’d led Kazimir away in chains, and if I hadn’t been so busy trying to save Izidora, I would have taken a shot at the pathetic male before he disappeared.
The old Mage dropped to his knees beside me, immediately chanting in a rhythmic way, waving his hands in a circle around the knife still lodged in her chest. “The knife needs to come out, but she will bleed out the moment it is dislodged. I can use my magic to stem the flow of blood if you can carefully remove it.”
“I can do that,” I promised, focusing all my attention on the tip of the knife somewhere deep inside her.
Rares’s chanting quickened, and I waited for the jerk of his head to wrap my magic around the blade and begin the most precarious lift of my life. One wrong move would end in tragedy, and I would not let my cousin die here – not when she was destined for so much more.
Drazen paced back and forth behind a collapsed Ruslan. “Stay still,” I snapped at him. “We need to concentrate.”
He didn’t argue, settling himself down with his back to us, keeping watch should anyone attempt to return to finish what Kazimir had started.
Slowly, painstakingly, the knife began to retract, the silver of the blade invisible beneath a layer of ruby.
“That’s it, keep going,” Rares gritted out, resuming his spell while his gnarled hands clenched and twisted over Izidora’s heart.
The blade tapered, and sweat dripped down my back as I focused on keeping it perfectly steady and upright, not wanting it to knick another blood vessel on its way out. Ruslan groaned, pushing himself upright and blinking slowly, his gray eyes cloudy with pain.
Almost there.
The tip was nearly visible, and I held my breath until the knife floated above her chest. I snatched it from the air, tossing it away so it could not harm her any longer.
“Is she going to be okay?” Ruslan rasped, and Drazen shot up from his seat, eyes raking over the four of us on the ground.
