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And if she dies, you lose all leverage over me.

The Eversky was using Maia against Vawn. But how could Ark use this to his advantage? He was scrambling for a way to get them out of this when Vawn’s scream stopped abruptly, followed by the saint’s soft snort. “Weakling,” she muttered, her voice so close that Ark startled.

He tried to scramble away but his feet were glued to the carpet. The pressure in his body grew until he felt something snap in his arm, until a warning screamed at him that if he didn’t fight her, didn’t find a way to take this saint down, all three of them were going to die here. All three—all threeof Maia’s mates.

“Fuck,” Ark grunted, his breath like shards of ice in his throat, cutting up his lungs.

“I don’t find it very polite to throw books at women,” Karmen said, finally stopping in front of Ark. He angled himself awayfrom her but only made it an inch; her smile told him her sick magic was keeping him locked in place. “I find it veryimpolite,and I can’t abide people without manners. But since you’re a guard withsucha noble reputation, I’ll give you one chance to apologise.”

Ark wanted to spit in her face, but lives hung in the balance. So he parted lips he hadn’t realised were bleeding and croaked, “I’m sorry.”

His whole body flinched when she patted his cheek. He was prepared for more taunts, his whole body rigid, shaking as he screamed at himself that this monster would kill Kheir, killMaiaif he even moved an inch. He wasn’t ready for a vicious kick to his knee to send him to the floor.

He hit the ground hard enough to rattle every ache in his body, stars bursting behind his eyes, and for a moment all he heard was silence, empty whispering silence. And then Kheir’s panicked growls filled the empty space, the pitch and depth of the sound making Ark’s heart quicken. Kheir wasn’t afraid for himself. Which meant Ark had to prise his fucking eyes open and see what the saint was doing.

But magic covered his body, anchoring him to the floor, keeping him down as he fought and writhed and frantic gasps clawed up his throat. What was she doing? If he could just get his damned eyes open—

Pain drove through his right hand, so sudden and agonising that he screamed. Ark couldn’t remember the last time he’d screamed. Couldn’t remember if he ever had. Matching agony blast through his left hand, and while his throat still shook with a scream, while tears gathered in the corners of his eyes and leaked down his face, white hot, unbearable pain cut through his feet one after the other.

“Stop,” Kheir rasped. “Please. Leave him alone.”

“Not to worry, I’m done with the guard. But you, prince? You’re coming with me?”

Help,Ark sobbed. He might have said the word aloud, too, but he cast it through his mind towards the drakes.Please.

Hold on,the male responded, his deep voice rife with tension.Hold on, Lord Justice.

But Ark tried to get off the floor, tried to get to Kheir when he snarled a warning for the saint to stay away from him. Pain overloaded every nerve in Ark’s body. Consciousness was ripped away in an instant.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Oh, fuck. Oh, saints. When Vawn regained consciousness and forced his screaming, throbbing body to roll into his front, to look at the bloodied corridor—when he saw what had been done toArk—vomit burned up his throat and splattered the floor in front of him.

He wiped his mouth with a trembling hand. He couldn’t breathe. Where had Karmen gone? Where was Kheir? Had she… had she gone to Maia, to take her rage out on their mate? He needed to get to hernow.

He thought it would work, that there was enough of an opening, enough of a chance. Bitterness tasted like blood on the back of his tongue. He failed. They all did.

Vawn tried to stand, but his legs shook, the Eversky’s magic still crushing him, making every part of his body scream with pain. He couldn’t get his legs under him.

“Ark,” he breathed, surprised by the ragged quality of his voice. Ark was unconscious on the floor, his hands and legs spread and iron nails had been hammered through his hands and feet. “Ark.”

Vawn dragged himself across the carpet, managing to crawl even with his whole body pounding and weak. His energydrained before he reached Ark but he dug his fingernails into the carpet and heaved himself the last few inches, ignoring the wrongness in his shoulder. Best case scenario was dislocation. He was trying not to look at it.

“Please be alive,” he rasped, shaking Ark’s shoulder as gently as he could. How the fuck was he going to get the nails out of his hands and feet? Karmen had driven them right through his damn shoes, making a mess of blood all over the floor. He couldn’t begin to imagine how much it had hurt.

He bent over Ark, cutting off his own breath as he waited for the man to breathe. The faint puff of air that hit his cheek made Vawn’s throat close up. He was alive. Thank fuck. Vawn couldn’t do this alone. Knowing everything the Eversky had planned, the limits of her cruelty—as in, there were none—he couldn’t do this alone.

He angled himself over Ark so he could use his left hand, ignoring the deep throb of his right and the way his arm hung limply. The nail was ice cold in his hand but he didn’t have the same aversion to iron as fae so he held on, gritting his teeth as he used the dregs of his strength to rip it free. It resisted, driven through his flesh right into the floor, but Vawn panted and kept pulling until it was free. When he moved to the second nail, Ark came awake with a scream of pain that rang through Vawn’s ears, cut through his brain, and stained his soul. It was a scream that scarred. A scream that would follow him into nightmares.

“It’s Vawn,” he rushed out, trying to catch Ark’s gaze. “You’re alright.” That was a lie. “You’re alive,” he amended. “I’m going to get the nails out, just hold still.”

“Nails…” Ark slurred.

Vawn wanted to haul him into a hug, wanted to offer comfort so badly that his chest cinched tight with pain. “You’re going to be fine,” he breathed, his voice shaky. “Just breathe, you’ll be fine.”

He wouldn’t be able to walk until he healed, and this court was full of predators and evil; he wouldn’t be fucking fine. But Vawn’s instincts to soothe wouldn’t be denied, so he murmured sweet nothings and caring nonsense as he ripped out the second nail, then the third, and the fourth. Ark’s screams were like bruises on his soul, like physical hits to his chest.

“That’s it now,” he said, breathing fast, his hands shaking. “They’re all out.”