Page 117 of Arcane Entanglement

The shadow creatures tightened their grip on Viggo’s windpipe.

Evander skidded to a stop as the Brute choked and wheezed, his nails digging so hard into his palms he drew blood.

“Please,” he mumbled, despair a living thing eating at his soul. “Stop this! I beg of you!”

Tears sprung to Viggo’s eyes. His face turned purple as he locked gazes with Evander, as if he wished to see him and him only in his final moments.

Renwick stared between the two of them. Understanding had him drawing a sharp breath.

“Oh.” Stunned laughter left the dark mage on a bark. “Oh my! You and the Brute are lovers!”

His ecstatic tone as he bent over and laughed made Evander want to rip his heart out of his chest with his bare hands.

“I shall enjoy watching this even more!” Renwick said gleefully.

He straightened, walked over to Viggo, and rammed the gem into the back of his neck with a burst of dark magic.

Viggo’s scream shattered Evander’s world.

Renwick removed a ring from his pocket and slipped it on his finger. The dark stone atop it glowed crimson when he poured his magic into it.

Evander watched numbly as the shadow creatures under Renwick’s command released Viggo.

The Brute landed on the floor with a soft thud. He looked up slowly.

A fresh wave of agony twisted Evander’s heart as he gazed into Viggo’s red pupils and impassive face.

No.

“Kill him,” Renwick ordered callously.

Viggo moved, each step he took impossibly loud in Evander’s ears.

Evander stared up at the Brute when he stopped in front of him, the fight draining out of him. He didn’t realise he was crying until his vision blurred.

His name on Viggo’s lips made him flinch.

“Evander,” the Brute whispered in a strained voice. “Do you trust me?”

Evander swallowed convulsively, Viggo’s expression clearing as he blinked rapidly.

The scarlet flare in the Brute’s eyes was dimming. His jaw set in a hard line.

Evander went weak-kneed with relief.

Viggo was fighting Renwick’s magic and the cursed gem. And by the looks of it, the Brute was winning.

Renwick made an angry sound behind Viggo and took a couple of steps towards them.

“I said, kill him, dammit!” he snarled.

Evander looked from the dark mage to the Brute and finally answered his question.

“With every beat of my heart.”

Viggo smiled grimly. His hand flew to the back of his neck.

Evander’s eyes rounded when the Brute ripped the cursed gem out of his flesh with a grunt of pain. Viggo turned and hurled the stone at the explosive contraption behind Renwick, along with the pouch he’d yanked out of his coat.