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I inhaled a deep breath, steeling myself. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, to your family. No one should have to endure that kind of pain.”

I knew the words were inadequate when they rolled off my tongue, heard them cut into the quiet and fall so short from what I knew he needed. But they were all I had.

A sudden commotion from down the corridor shattered the moment, the thudding of heavy footsteps and clanking armor growing louder with each passing second. Dukovich’s hand fell from my jaw as we both turned toward the noise, bodies tensing in anticipation.

“They’re coming,” I whispered, fear saturating the edges of my trembling voice.

His fingers tightened around mine. “Listen to me, love. You can survive this. No matter what happens, no matter what they do—you are stronger.” The words poured from his mouth in a frantic stream as the familiar static began to fill my head.

“Ataliia,” he snapped, yanking on my hand as my eyes snapped back to him. “Calm your mind. Breathe and focus.” It was a command and I nodded wildly as light bled onto our floor of the dungeon from the stairwell.

Fear coiled in my gut, cold and sickening as I willed my mind to quiet—pushing away the buzzing building between my ears. The footsteps grew closer, echoing off the damp stone walls as the light blinded me.

I blinked against it as Dukovich’s lips brushed against my knuckles before he released my hand and shifted away from thebars. I followed his lead, pushing myself to my feet on shaky legs just as our cell doors swung open with an ominous groan.

Magic flickered back to life under my skin.

Whatever wards had been created around our cages to stifle our power were broken, or at least opened.

I gathered every grain of magic violently trying to spark back to full power inside my blood and pushed it toward my mind.

I needed to stay calm.

Focus.

Two guards stepped inside Dukovich’s cell, their faces hidden beneath dark helms. In the next breath, their hands were on him, hauling him from the ground and slamming him against the wall as a third guard stepped into my cage.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I snarled, baring my teeth like a feral animal.

The guard laughed, the sound cold and cruel as he took a step toward me. “Oh, I like this one. She’s got spirit.”

Stay fucking calm.

“Lay a finger on her, and you’ll learn what happens to hands that touch her without permission.” The words were a snarl ripping from Dukovich’s throat as he strained against the guards holding him back.

“Big words from a man in chains,” the guard taunted as he took another step toward me. His lips curled into a vile smirk as his gauntleted hand wrapped around my bicep.

A growl rumbled from Dukovich’s chest as I took a deep breath.

“I’m okay,” I said softly, my gaze locking with his. “I’ll be okay.”

My emotions stilled, calm washing over me as my head fell quiet and my mind sharpened to a daggered point.

The guard dragged me from the cell, my bare feet scraping against the rough stone floor, but I didn’t struggle. I neededto conserve my strength, bide my time until an opportunity presented itself.

I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to look back at Dukovich as they dragged him behind me. I couldn’t risk the outburst I knew would come seeing his broken body being pushed around. His labored breathing filled the winding corridor, the dank air growing warmer as we stepped into the stairwell and made our way to the surface.

The thrum of magic pulsing through my veins intensified the further we strode away from the cells. Each step allowing tendrils of energy to seep back into my bones and tingle beneath my skin, raw and electric—begging to be unleashed.

The perpetual night the dungeons reveled in gave way to blinding light as we emerged from its depths, the sudden brightness stabbing at my eyes. My eyes blinked rapidly, trying to adjust as the guards shoved me forward. As my vision cleared, I took in our surroundings—a grand stone hall with soaring ceilings and tapestried walls. The crowd of nobles, the House of High’s court, lurked around the edges of the room as if they were watching a performance.

My eyes fell to the center of the room and I swallowed back the shriek clawing on my lungs, choking on it as my stomach bottomed out.

Landers knelt in the middle of the circular room, legs and arms bound behind him. His head slumped forward from the weight of the chains draped around his bare shoulders and on his head—his onyx hair, sat an iron crown.

My eyes scanned him frantically, taking in the sickly hues of his bruised and beaten skin. Slowly, he raised his head as the guards pushed us toward him. A snarl scratched at the back of my throat as they kicked the back of my knees and sent them slamming to the ground. Pain flared through my legs atthe contact, cold marble biting into my skin through tattered clothing. Dukovich groaned beside me as they shoved him down.

Landers’s eyes locked onto mine, fury licking at his irises, a fire of wrath burning hotter than I had ever seen. His gaze flickered to the corner than back to me. He did it again and this time I followed his line of sight.