Page 56 of A Bond so Fierce and Fragile

There was a hesitancy in how he stared at the king, something… unwilling in his stance.

Merrick’s elbow shot out to nudge Raine’s arm, and when Merrick glanced at his red-haired friend, Raine nodded, having noticed the same thing.

Leaning forward, closing any distance between himself and Lessia, Merrick pretended to kiss her cheek.

“That one is blood-sworn to him,” Merrick breathed.

Lessia didn’t respond, but the way her eyes shifted ever so slightly from the king when he straightened told him she’d understood.

If she released him from the oath, he’d probably switch sides.

Rioner feared the fire wielders almost as much as the mental Fae. Not that it was entirely surprising…

Being a water wielder, he could fight them, but Merrick had seen what some of the stronger ones could do during the wars he’d fought. Not even an entire sea could quell their destruction when they got started.

Something in the air shifted as Merrick flicked his eyes between the king, the fire wielder, the two guards Raine already was working on, and Torkher, and he was ready even before the king stated, “I guess we’ll see who survives in the end.”

Before whirling around, Merrick pressed his lips to Lessia’s, wishing for nothing more than time to devour them again. But the kiss lasted no more than half a second as the roar of fire began building behind them and he heard the familiar sound of Fae battle cries.

“Get to the fire wielder!” Merrick ordered Raine before catching Lessia’s eyes again. “And you two stay together!”

He didn’t have to ask twice before Ardow stormed up to Lessia’s side, the two of them looking far too young—and far too injured, in Lessia’s case—for this battle.

Merrick would do everything he could to ensure they wouldn’t have to fight—ideally lay both Torkher’s and the king’s heads at her feet—but he didn’t have time to decide on the best way of doing it before Torkher was upon him, his sword slicing far too close to Merrick’s gut for his liking.

Charging forward, using one of Raine’s tactics to throw the Fae off, Merrick drove him farther away from where Lessia and Ardow still stood, while at the same time landing a strike squarely on the Fae’s nose.

The crunch that followed was so satisfactory Merrick offered the Fae a half smile before kicking him back and lifting his sword between them.

A steady stream of blood ran down Torkher’s chin, but the Fae didn’t even appear to notice as he flung his sword out, meeting Merrick head-on.

“She begged for you, you know. Called out your name in her sleep. She didn’t think you’d come. She thought you’d given up,” Torkher taunted him as their swords clashed.

Again.

And again.

Pressing forward, Merrick used Torkher’s words to fuel his anger and held back the souls begging to be released. He wanted to take this fucking bastard down himself.

“Sh-she won’t survive… this.” Torkher panted now as he lifted his sword once more, and Merrick lunged, refusing to give him a moment’s rest. “Halflings don’t belong in our world. You… you know this.”

“She belongs wherever the fuck she wants,” Merrick snarled as he cornered Torkher against the railing, his sword finally knocking Torkher’s out of his hand.

As the blade clattered down the side of the ship, Merrick’s half smile lifted into a full one, and he angled his sword toward Torkher’s neck.

But the Fae’s eyes weren’t on his as he said, “It appears the afterlife is where she wants to belong, then.”

Merrick couldn’t stop himself. He whirled around, and his heart nearly burst from fear.

While Raine had managed to get the two guards whose minds he’d captured to sit at the side of the ship, he was now fighting for his life against the fire wielder, with Rioner standing safe behind the flames, seemingly directing his guard.

But that wasn’t what had Merrick let out a choked sound.

It was Lessia ripping her arm free from Ardow and sprinting around the flames to approach the fire wielder himself, or… the king.

The king, who’d already noticed her.

“N—” Merrick’s scream was cut short as something lodged in his gut.