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Her laugh wasn’t kind. It was the kind of sound one made when everything had been stolen away and others thought they could steal more.

“We knew it was a trick. We knew and still—” Her lips trembled. “You are nothing but a monster.”

The words hit like a blow to the gut, then a brief memory surfaced of a female from his past. Her kind smiles and gentle touches. And the words that were far, far too similar before she, too, had buried a knife in his body.

Rion opened his mouth to tell her he’d only just arrived when Fae warriors crawled from the trees. He paused, blood racing. He hadn’t heard them or scented their presence.

Rion stepped back and surveyed the warriors prowling forward. Was he losing his mind? Was this really happening or was it all in his head? A nightmare he’d wake from soon?

The female’s fury turned to grief as she beheld the familiar black and gold armor. Rion studied the faces again. Familiar, there were a few familiar. They’d been part of Niall’s escort when he’d delivered supplies to the villagers.

“What happened?” a male’s gruff voice asked. Had Niall sent warriors to look after these people after all? But if so, where had they been hiding and why hadn’t Rion been able to scent them upon his arrival?

Rion’s stomach sank. The male’s eyes glinted as if he didn’t need to wait for the female’s answer.

Rion scented the air again and beyond the blood and fear, he pinpointed their magic. Pádraigín’s magic. They’d been here the whole time, waiting.

They’d—Rion clenched his fists and the warrior drew his weapon. Wind whispered through the trees, but it wasn’t the natural sort.

Not a nightmare.

Rion stepped back again and winced from the pain in his stomach.

“What happened?” the male asked again, but Rion knew it was all for show. They’d done this. This bastard and the warriors following him were the ones responsible.

The female pointed and it seemed she didn’t need words. Because what were words when he already carried a brutal reputation?

More warriors emerged from behind as if they’d been cloaked by a veil. Was Niall behind all this or had the council helped? Whoever was responsible had taken great care to map everything out. They’d even left a few witnesses.

His word wouldn’t matter to anyone except Arianna. She’d seen him off and knew he hadn’t been here long. There was no possible way for him to—

A sudden rush of bodies had Rion cursing. He jumped to the side, trying to avoid anyone who might strike out, but—blood splattered across his clothes. Rion gagged from the stench and tried to dodge more flying his way.

Their blood. The villager’s blood, among other things. Bile rose in his throat. Oh, whoever had planned this out was definitely determined to get rid of him. They would try to convince Arianna he hadn’t changed and were taking every measure to ensure he looked as guilty as possible.

His heart beat wildly now. He had to make it back to her before they did. He needed to explain the situation. Tell her exactly what had happened before they filled her head with lies.

But they wouldn’t smell like lies and that made everything so much worse.

Rion honestly wasn’t sure what she’d believe. It all looked so convincing and he had a dark history and so many had been telling her that he’d snap eventually.

Rion had never felt his heart beat so fast in his life. He couldn’t breathe. Didn’t know which direction any of this would go.

This was hell. He’d stumbled into hell and he needed to crawl back out before the dark, fiery chasm consumed him entirely.

He couldn’t lose Arianna. He could lose his sanity, his freedom, his body, but he couldn’t lose her.

Rion pivoted on his heel and ran. For the first time since he was a child, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Fled from a fight as if he wasn’t certain he’d win.

His lungs cried out as though razor blades were piecing through the tender organs. Pain shot from his stomach with every long stride and the wound bled even more. But still, he ran. And prayed to the gods that he’d make to Arianna first.

Chapter Fifty-two

Arianna

Arianna sat at her desk twirling a pen in her hand. Talon had left just a few moments ago, promising a swift return, but she’d told him to take as long as he needed. She seriously doubted anyone was going to attack her in the library.

Arianna sighed and rested her head on the book she’d been reading. She’d been trying to take Rion’s advice and study individual generals, but it wasn’t proving easy. History books were written in a way that cataloged battles and dates, the number of warriors beneath their command, and how many of those warriors survived following a battle.