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And yet I also know the dark god can kill fifty men without blinking—or at least he could if he’d found his grimoires. Not only will those men provide me the distraction I need to escape, but Calysian will take care of the soldiers in that part of the forest, allowing me to travel north.

Alone.

I don’t say a word for the next several hours. Calysian attempts to engage me, and I ignore him. At one point, he holds a canteen of water to my mouth.

“Drink,” he says warningly. “Or I’ll pinch your nose.”

Any hint of guilt about potentially leading the man to his death disappears.

If the dark god dies, at least this world will be safe from the threat he presents.

“We’ll camp in the forest,” he murmurs as we approach, two hours later. My arms ache, and my hands have gone numb. When I don’t reply, I can practically hear him brooding behind me.

“The book is mine,” he says. “By now, I’m sure you know that. Why would you keep me from something that’smine?”

“You must sense the kind of power it holds. Why areyousearching for it?”

He’s quiet for a long moment. Then he shifts in the saddle, his muscular thighs pressing against mine. “I’ve gone my whole life with this…hole inside me. Can you imagine what it’s like to live for centuries, knowing you’re missing a part of yourself?”

My heart races. He still has no true concept of what he’s searching for. He doesn’t know he’s looking for three grimoires, or that he’s a god.

A hint of pity stirs within me at the lost note in his voice, and I ruthlessly stamp on it. For him to get everything he wants, this world would suffer.

“No reply?” I feel him shake his head. “I knew you were cold, Madinia Farrow, but I didn’t think you were cruel.”

His words have their intended effect. My chest twists.

But I’ve lost too much in my life already.

Iamcold and cruel. But those traits aren’t weaknesses. They’re strengths. Because they’ll prevent the dark god from raging through this world.

We ride in silence some more. Calysian has given up attempting to speak with me, and when I glance over my shoulder, he’s staring into the forest, his eyes narrowed.

Weak sunlight makes it through the canopy above us, dancing across his face. His eyes are cool when he looks at me, and I turn to face forward. The trail narrows until we’re surrounded by forest, and I feel the moment Calysian realizes something is wrong. His instincts are sharp, and he pulls both horses to a stop.

But it’s too late.

Kyldare’s men surround us on three sides. One of them lets an arrow loose, and it thunks against Calysian’s ward.

“Idiot!” One of them shouts. “Don’t kill the woman.”

Calysian is quiet. I can practically feel him sizing up each soldier. He hauls me off the horse and several footspans from the trail, standing in front of me as more arrows slam into his ward.

“You need to free me,” I say.

“You know I’ll protect you.”

I stare at him.

After our encounter with the troll, he has little power left. He may be a god, but without his grimoires, he’s only slightly more powerful than the fae.

His ward was flickering when he finally dealt with the beast. And it would take one stray arrow from these men to kill me.

Already, his ward is flickering again. I can’t even lift my hands to defend myself.

“Be. Serious.”

“No,” he growls, turning to face me.