Page 95 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

Her presence was immediate, wrapping around me like smoke and steel.You are not okay.

No, I feel fine, I—The words cut off as agony lanced through me, scorching through my veins like liquid fire. My knees buckled, and I crashed to the ground.

I thought you said you anchored me!I gasped, clutching my stomach as the glow beneath my skin flickered, too bright, too wild.

Kaelith’s voice was sharp in my mind.I did—as best I could. But I do not trust you with my full power. You are reckless. You have not earned it.

What for fuck’s sake am I wielding now?My breath came in ragged pants as the fire inside me raged, devouring everything in its path.

Yours,Kaelith murmured.Only it is more powerful due to your connection to me.

I clawed at the dirt beneath me, sweat dripping from my forehead as the pain turned unbearable. My hands trembled, my body shaking apart from the inside out.

How do I stop it?

Backlash cannot be stopped,Kaelith said grimly.But your healing will kick in. There is nothing anyone can do for you.

I barely heard her. The burn was searing through every limb, and I couldn’t contain the scream that tore from my throat. My jacket felt suffocating, the leather sticking to my fevered skin, trapping the heat. I ripped it off, gasping as the rain hit my bare arms.

Cold relief.

I collapsed onto my hands, letting the water drench me, letting it fight the inferno raging in my blood. The sizzling sound of rain against my burning skin was real—or maybe just in my head. I didn’t know. I just stayed there, kneeling, forehead pressed to the damp ground as the storm cooled what felt like a dying sun inside me.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the fire in my veins began to dim. The world blurred, exhaustion hitting me like a blow. My limbs felt useless, like I had run for an entire day without food or water. My muscles trembled, every inch of me hollowed out.

I heard Tae’s voice calling for me, urgent and worried. I forced myself upright, staggered toward the sound, my entire body aching.

But as horrible as I felt, my mind was racing.

The Blood Fae. The way he had looked at me. The things he had said.

“I thought you were a myth.”

“Soon, you will learn you are on the wrong side.”

A chill ran deeper than the exhaustion, settling into my bones.

Because as much as I hated him, as much as I wanted to dismiss his words?—

I couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew something I didn’t.

My legs kept moving as I pulled my jacket on, uncaring that I was soaking wet.

“Ashe!” Riven called out through the storm.

“I’m here,” I croaked as I made my way back to the burned port.

Zander’s lavender eyes darkened as he stepped toward me, his presence looming, but I didn’t back down. I was too exhausted to care. Too raw to give a damn.

“What happened to you?” His voice was sharp, demanding, and I could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on us.

I wiped at the sweat on my brow, barely keeping my knees from buckling. “A Blood Fae attacked me,” I said, my voice rough from the storm of pain still lingering in my body. “And... well, he’s gone now.”

Zander’s gaze flickered, something unreadable crossing his face. “Was that lightning display you?”

I nodded, suppressing a shudder.

“Kaelith anchored you?”