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“Do not speak to him like that,” Scarlett snapped, and a dagger of ice appeared at Talwyn’s throat.

Talwyn merely brushed it aside. The dagger clattered to the floor, shattering. “Best to stick to fire tricks in the Fire Court,” Talwyn replied sweetly. “And what of your mortal lover?” She turned, advancing on Callan, Finn, and Sloan.

“Leave them alone,” she seethed at Talwyn. She made to step from the shields, but Sorin gripped her arm.

“I will get them,” he panted.

“No,” Scarlett said coolly. She speared her shadows out from herself. They slithered along the ground straight to Talwyn. Scarlett wrapped them around her ankles and yanked, sending Talwyn sprawling to the ground.

This time, when she made to step from the shields, Sorin let her go.She strode quickly to Callan and the others. With a thought, the vines encompassing them were burned to ash, along with whatever invisible shields were around them. Talwyn was back on her feet, winds whipping around her and lightning flickering at her fingertips. Flames surrounded Callan and his men, shielding them from Talwyn.

“How did you do that?” she demanded.

A smile, as serpentine as Talwyn’s had been, formed on her own lips. She took a step towards the Fae Queen. Her shadows curled around Talwyn, sliding up her body, wending around her throat. “I know more tricks than fire and ice,” Scarlett purred. She watched Talwyn wince as the shadows bit into her skin. “If you ever come near Prince Callan or his guards again, I will kill you.”

“You could try,” Talwyn replied, her voice low with challenge.

Scarlett only gave her a bone-chilling smile, and let those shadows bite a little farther into her skin before reeling them back into herself.

Talwyn’s eyes slid to Sorin where he still stood behind Scarlett’s flames. “Prepare her well, Prince. In the little time you have remaining. She needs to control it to wield it, not just throw a magical tantrum when her life is in danger…or the lives of those she loves.”

Then, just like the night Scarlett had watched from Sorin’s balcony, Talwyn disappeared, as if she’d never been there at all.

CHAPTER 17

CALLAN

Callan lurched for Scarlett as Talwyn disappeared. Sorin and his Court were across the courtyard racing towards them. He caught her before she slumped onto her clearly broken arm. Things had gone wrong. So horribly wrong.

“Are you all right?” she rasped, pain contorting her features as she cradled her arm to her body. And her eyes. They were silver and shimmering with unshed tears.

“I am fine, Scarlett,” he whispered, brushing sweat-laden hair from her face. There was a cut along her cheekbone, and blood was trickling from it. “I am so sorry.”

“For what?” Confusion flitted across her face, but before he could explain, the Fire Court stood before him.

“Go, Rayner,” Sorin ordered. “Find Beatrix quickly.”

Rayner stepped into smoke and ashes, and Sorin opened a fire portal before the rest of them. Callan stood, scooping Scarlett into his arms as he did so. She stifled a scream. Sorin stared at him, his eyes narrowing slightly, and his hands curling into fists at his sides. He couldn’t possibly know he’d been with Talwyn last night, could he? Callan glared back, hugging Scarlett to his chest a little tighter. Her face was pale as she breathed through her teeth around the pain.“Go through,” Sorin said with a jerk of his chin to the portal.

Callan stepped into a bedroom, Finn and Sloan right behind him. When Sorin stepped through last, the portal snapped shut. “On the bed,” he said. Callan moved across the room and laid her down as gently as he could onto the huge fluffy comforter. She hissed at the movement.

“What do you need?” Callan asked, sitting on the edge of the mattress beside her, gripping her other hand tight.

“I’m fine, Callan,” she said around a grimace. “You are truly all right? She didn’t hurt you?”

“Not a scratch on me, my Wraith,” he murmured soothingly, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. She closed her eyes, tears leaking from the corners to mix with the blood on her cheek. He looked at Sorin to find hard eyes gazing back at him. Eliza and Cyrus were dispersed throughout the room, looking rather uneasy, their eyes warily darting between him and Sorin. “I thought Fae could heal themselves?” Callan ground out to the Fire Prince.

“She can, but her bones are broken in more than one place, and she just used more magic at one time than she ever has before. She hasn’t built up enough stamina and power reserves to dive that deeply so quickly and still have magic to heal herself,” he snapped. “Our Healer will be here momentarily.”

Her breathing was becoming uneven, and she tried to sit up, biting down on a scream at the pain. “Scarlett, a Healer is coming,” Callan soothed, trying to push her back down. Her eyes were darting frantically around the room.

“She is going to be sick from the pain and from being shoved so deeply into her magic,” Sorin said tightly, sending a trash basket to him on a flame. Scarlett immediately vomited into it. She sat up, trying to catch her breath, clutching her abdomen. Her whole body was trembling now. Callan ran a hand down her back. Her body was like ice, though flames danced at her fingertips, swirling amongst the shadows. Smoke furled from her mouth as she vomited not the contents of her stomach but ice and water. She cried out in pain with every convulsion.

“Breathe, Scarlett. Breathe. The Healer is coming,” he murmured.

Helpless. He was utterly helpless to help her. Her shadows were thickening with each ragged breath. The magic she had displayed moments ago? Holy gods. It had been a hundred times more powerful than what she’d done on the day they’d arrived here.

“You need to let me near her.”