Page 115

SORIN

Sorin and Cyrus were rushing along the hallway to the Council Rooms in the White Halls. They were late, and Talwyn was going to be pissed. They were nearly to the doors when he felt it. He felt her terror as it hit him like a blow to the face. It hit him so hard, he stumbled and nearly went sprawling to the floor.

“What the fuck?” Cyrus cried, catching Sorin by the arm and keeping him upright.

“She’s gone,” Sorin rasped. He could hardly breathe.

“Who’s gone?”

Cyrus yanked his arm, pulling him into a nearby alcove. Sorin leaned over, bracing his hands on his knees. He could feel her, yet he couldn’t, almost as if she were too far away.

“Get it together, Sorin,” Cyrus hissed. “Talwyn cannot see you like this.”

“She is gone,” Sorin hissed again. “Scarlett is gone. I should not have left her like that. Not after we are already on uneven footing. We need to go back.”

He made to turn to go, but Cyrus gripped his shoulders. “We cannot go back right now.Talwyn would hunt you down and drag you back here herself.”

“Something is wrong. She is terrified. I can feel her terror,” Sorin said, trying to wrench free of Cyrus's grip.

“You had a fight. It was nothing compared to the one a month ago. After this meeting, you can go to her and work it all out,” Cyrus started.

“You do not understand,” Sorin snarled. “She is not in the Fire Court.”

Cyrus slammed him into the wall. “You need to pull it together, Sorin. There is no way Talwyn will let you go to her right now. Without her taking the Mark and acknowledging the bond, she is not considered your highest priority,” he barked. “We’ll send Rayner to her. Can you find her? Or is it like before?” He glanced at Sorin’s left hand as he said it.

Sorin sent his mind down the bond as fast as he could, and the farther down it went, the more he could feel his power fracturing, his soul splintering. He’d been conserving his power as much as possible for weeks, but there wasn’t much left. This morning had taken a toll on him. It was as if his magic couldn’t replenish, and when he came to the end of it…

Finally, he found her and when he pulled back, he traced a flame symbol in the air, sending a fire message to Rayner.

“She is in the Witch Kingdoms,” he said to Cyrus as the flame disappeared.

“Fuck,” Cyrus murmured. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. It explains the terror.”

“How the hell did she get to the Witch Kingdoms?”

“I don’t know,” Sorin said, adjusting his tunic as he straightened.

“Rayner will find her. He will get her out,” Cyrus said, his voice tight, like he was trying to convince himself as well as Sorin. “If we haven’t heard from them by the time we leave, we’ll go there ourselves.”

“It should be me going,” Sorin muttered. “She will not forgive me for walking out on her. Not again.”

“Sorin, she is our family, too. She is our prince’s twin flame.Rayner will not fail you,” Cryus replied. Then he added softly, “And she will forgive you. The bond is stronger than the fights. At least it was for me and Thia.”

Sorin only nodded, stepping from the alcove. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he sauntered into the Council Room, pushing his own fear down deep, and awaited word from his Ash Rider.

CHAPTER 38

SCARLETT

Scarlett looked in the mirror in the room the High Witch had led her to. She was wearing a black bodysuit of some sort. It was tight and hugged her in all the right places but somehow incredibly flexible, allowing her to move with ease. Atop that, she strapped leathers on. They were different from the fighting leathers that she wore in the Fae lands. These were a thicker leather, but somehow lighter. The boots were warm on her feet and went over her knees. Shirina sat beside the entrance, her silver eyes ever watchful. Her ears perked up, and she cocked her head to the side, just as a swirl of smoke appeared in the reflection of the mirror behind her near the hearth and Rayner stepped from ashes. His eyes settled on her, relief flooding them as they scanned her for injuries.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his low voice thick with worry.

“No,” Scarlett answered, tilting her head to the side as she watched him in the mirror. “How did you find me?”

“Sorin sent me,” Rayner answered, coming to stand beside her. He reached over and tightened a buckle at her shoulder.