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“Dragged you? You think I want to be here? I’m doing you a favor by saving your life.”

“Only because of her.”

“Oh, you can be damn sure that’s true.”

“Whatever, Hel.” Varlett shoved past him. “But when that bite starts affecting you, don’t ask for help.”

Valeen handed him his cloak.Look, I don’t want her help either, but we don’t know what that bite could do. Will you please let her heal it?

He slipped his cloak back on and shook the water from his hair.It doesn’t hurt. I’ll heal.

You said the water made you ordinary. Ordinary beings don’t heal quickly.

I don’t trust her, and I won’t let that demon magic anywhere near me. You shouldn’t either.Hel took out his compass once more. “Come on.”

The three of them didn’t have to go far to find the door to the next level. It was a massive black thing standing between a black rickety tree with twisted gnarled branches and a mucky bog with shallow dark puddles. The door itself was covered in ghastly faces of people being tortured. Were they real souls or was it a carving? The thought of them being actual people being trapped inside there made his skin crawl.

“Let’s hope he’s in a hot mood today because with no magic and being damp, we’ll freeze to death in a matter of minutes.” He pushed the key in the lock, and it clicked.

Chapter 36

THANE

Ronan came around the corner and stopped, taking in the two of them. Dried blood covered Katana’s chin and deep red spots stained the front of her light blue dress. Thane still buzzed with rage and fought to keep his inner monster at bay. The side of him that took hold during battle, that saw only red, hovered near the surface. It was only her desperate pleas that stopped him and Atlanta from tearing into each other and turning this prestigious courtyard into rubble. If she had not stepped into harm’s way he would have swung his sword, and there was no telling what would have happened after that.

“I’d hate to jump to conclusions, so what happened?” Ronan asked.

Katana shielded her mouth with her hand, fruitlessly trying to cover the bruising and blood. “It was not him.”

“I’ve been around many battered ladies in my day. They always say something like that.” He shifted his light blue eyes to Thane and waited.

Thane knew what this must look like, but he was disappointed Ronan thought this low of him. There were very few instances Thane would strike a female, and they all wentunder the category of her trying to kill him or in battle. Never like this. “Her ex-husband, Atlanta, the god of the seas, came here and wanted her to leave with him. She didn’t want to, and he hit her. I know it must sound unbelievable, but the portals are open now. This is only the beginning of what will come.”

“The god of the seas,” Ronan deadpanned. “Well, I hope you drew blood for that.” He nodded toward Katana’s lip.

“I smacked him hard. I’d have done more but…” He glanced down at Katana to find her eyes still watery, and even though her cut had crusted over and the bleeding stopped, her bottom lip was still swollen and purple. “Let me heal that for you.”

Shaking her head, she took a step back. “I will be fine. I am going to change and clean up.” Katana hurried away without pausing. Why wouldn’t she accept his help?

“Excuse me, Ronan. I’ll be right back.” Thane chased after her. Several servants passed by him, entering the courtyard carrying gold-encrusted chairs with red velvet cushions. A wooden archway followed close behind.

“Why is this floor wet?” one of the servants complained. “Grab something to clean this up before the King and Queen arrive,” she said to another.

Thane stepped out of the way as another pair rolled out a red carpet leading from the courtyard entrance to the new setup. Katana disappeared around the corner, and he swore under his breath. He slipped between servants bringing in tables and baskets full of food. He finally caught sight of the tips of Katana’s disappearing hair as she entered the castle through a side door. He held the door before it closed and fell into step beside her up a set of stairs.

“Thane,” she gasped. “You need to be in the courtyard for the negotiation. They will not appreciate you making them wait.”

“They don’t care about makingmewait,” he said. “Besides, I want to help you. Why did you run off?”

She paused halfway up the stairs. “It is embarrassing to be seen like this. You saw the pity in Ronan’s eyes. You do not know how many times I saw that before. I think I hate the pitying looks the most.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Katana.”

“You cannot understand. I fought back in the beginning,” she whispered. “I hit him back the first time he struck me, and then he hit harder. And he was trained in combat while I… I was a dancer. I never stood a chance, and the people who knew had this look on their faces like they felt sorry but did not dare speak up, or worse, judged me for not leaving, but how could I havethenwhen he hunts me evennow? He would notletme leave.”

Thane softened his voice. “Next time he comes for you, he’ll be dealing with me. I can promise you that.” He decided right then in that moment that he was going to kill Atlanta. Before he onlywantedto; now he was convinced. He took out his dagger and pressed the tip of it to his palm.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, grabbing his wrist and twisting the blade away.