Page 12 of Broken Fates (Severed Flames #3)

Chapter 12

Vale

T he pounding on the door rattled through my bones, steady, relentless. The magic shielding the safehouse flared with every strike, resisting the force behind it.

Xavier stepped in front of me, magic thrumming through the bond, a silent promise of protection. Kian was already moving, his shadows wisping toward the door, twisting like living tendrils. Idris hadn’t moved—not yet—but I felt the shift in him. He was watching, waiting, his golden eyes flickering with barely restrained power.

Suddenly, the banging stopped, and silence crashed into the room like a thunderclap. The absence of sound was worse than the pounding. My pulse hammered against my ribs as I inhaled sharply, magic sparking at my fingertips.

Before I could turn, a rough voice edged with exhaustion drawled, “Took you long enough.”

A flutter of air glided along my spine, and I spun, my magic surging, but the figure in our midst brought me up short.

Talek stood in the middle of the room, breathing heavily, his cloak torn at the edges and his normally immaculate clothing streaked with his shimmering blood. His left sleeve was ripped, revealing a deep gash that had stopped bleeding but still looked raw. Even his short, dark hair shifted unnaturally, the strands lifting in a breeze that only he could feel. Honestly, he seemed half a breath away from collapsing.

I’d only met Talek once before—at the council chamber, on the day Idris presented me as his bride. He had been poised, unreadable, charming in a way that had felt more like a performance than sincerity. The second time I saw him, at my wedding, he’d been distant, calculating. But now?

He was rattled.

Xavier’s blade was already at the Elemental’s throat. Kian’s sword was at his still-bleeding belly. Idris didn’t so much as twitch, but his golden gaze burned. If Talek blinked wrong, he was dead.

Kian’s amber gaze burned with wrath. “You have a bad habit of showing up when you’re least wanted.”

Talek exhaled, brushing a speck of dirt off his tattered sleeve like he was sitting down for tea instead of bleeding onto the floor. "Nice to see you, too," he rasped, his voice raw with exhaustion, but still laced with his usual arrogance. His gaze swung to me. “You’re welcome, by the way. I had to shake a few less-than-friendly parties off my tail to get here.”

Idris wasn’t buying it. He folded his arms, power thrumming around him like a barely leashed storm. “You’re a survivor, Talek. I doubt you did anything out of the kindness of your heart.”

I forced my magic down, exhaling sharply. "How did you get in?"

Talek’s expression didn’t shift, but something flickered in his eyes, the color shifting from pale to dark to pale again. "I found another way."

Xavier pressed his blade in just enough to bite. "Try again."

Talek sighed, rolling his eyes. "Your wards are strong, but nothing’s impenetrable. And before you start throwing me through the nearest wall, you might want to ask yourselves how many other people could do the same."

A muscle in Idris’ jaw twitched. His anger lashed through the bond, hot and crackling. He didn’t like that answer.

Neither did I. I fought to keep my breathing even. The wards on this safehouse weren’t just strong, if how we’d entered was any indication, they were damn near impenetrable. And Talek had found a way through.

My magic twitched beneath my skin, whispering warnings I didn’t have time to listen to.

Kian’s grip on his sword tightened. "I say we kill him now. Saves us the trouble later."

Talek let out a low, rough chuckle, but his usual arrogance was thinner than before. "Charming as ever, Kian." His gaze flicked to me, and his smirk faded.

"Tell us why you’re here," Idris growled, the low rumble of his voice vibrating through the room.

Talek exhaled slowly, his usual bravado slipping just enough to show the exhaustion beneath. His body swayed slightly, and for the first time, I noticed the blood soaking through his cloak.

Not all of it was his, the red clashing with his iridescent blood.

"Nyrah," he said hoarsely. "She doesn’t have much time."

I stilled at the mention of Nyrah’s name, my pulse hammering so hard it felt like it would break through my ribcage. The bond flared, Kian and Xavier’s emotions crackling through the connection, but Idris?—

Idris was a storm barely contained. His rage burned through the space between us, a silent, seething presence.

Talek must have felt it, too, because, for the first time, his smirk vanished completely.

I took a step forward, pushing past Xavier’s protective stance. "How the fuck do you know about my sister?"

Talek’s gaze darted to mine, assessing. "Because I’ve been watching. Listening."

The room went still. All our magic flared.

"You've been what?" Idris’ voice was lethal, his golden eyes flickering like molten fire. The air vibrated with his barely restrained power.

Talek sighed, running a bloodied hand through his hair. "Not like that, Your Majesty," he drawled, but there was no humor in it. He shifted his weight, wincing as his injuries caught up with him. "I had to keep tabs on the right people, and it turns out, your little sister happens to be one of them."

The words sent ice sliding down my spine.

Kian’s fingers twitched at his sides, his voice dark with suspicion. "And who exactly are these 'right' people?"

Talek’s jaw tensed. "The ones Zamarra is hunting."

My stomach plummeted.

The Dreaming throbbed at the edges of my mind, a whisper of shadows slithering too close.

"You said she doesn’t have much time," I managed, my throat tight, and dry as the desert sand. "What does that mean?"

Talek hesitated. And that was enough.

"You don’t get to be vague now," I snapped, my magic crackling in warning. "You found a way in here, past a fortress of protections, through a door that shouldn’t open, with information you shouldn’t have. Either you start explaining, or I’ll?—"

"The Dreaming is bleeding into the Waking." He interrupted, his voice sharp and urgent. "You think you have time, but you don’t. Zamarra has her claws in Nyrah. If you wait, she won’t be your sister anymore. She’ll be hers."

A sharp inhale ripped from my throat.

No.

No, that wasn’t possible.

Xavier’s hand found my waist, grounding me as my body swayed slightly. Kian was at my other side, steady, warm, protective.

"Explain," Idris demanded, his voice so low and dangerous it could have cut steel.

Talek met his gaze, storm-gray eyes unreadable. "Zamarra doesn’t just want Vale anymore. She needs a second vessel—one that can sustain her in both realms. Nyrah is the closest match to Vale’s bloodline, and she’s already tainted by the Dreaming’s influence."

My lungs shrank to nothing, refusing to let air in.

My sister’s face bloomed in my mind—laughing, teasing. We’d never been free—not really, but it was a hell of a lot better than the nightmare version Talek had just painted.

A slow, burning heat built in my chest—something ancient, something raging. I hadn’t fought this long, suffered this much, just to lose her now. The bond hummed at my back—Kian steady, Xavier grounding, Idris still a storm on the horizon—but none of it stopped the weight crushing my chest.

I lifted my chin. "Where is she?"

Talek exhaled, his shoulders dropping slightly, as if he’d been waiting for that question.

"There’s a place," he said carefully. "A sanctuary where she’s being kept. I can get you in."

The words settled over the room like a challenge, a promise, a trap.

I stared at Talek, my pulse hammering like war drums against my ribs. My mind raced, not just through what he was saying—but through what he wasn’t.

The last time we’d listened to Talek, we’d walked straight into a nightmare and almost didn’t walk out.

Xavier tensed behind me, his fingers twitching against my waist. “The last time we followed your lead, we ended up in the middle of an ambush. Selene set a fucking kraken on us, and a mage nearly killed me. Now you just so happen to show up on our doorstep, bloody and out of breath, claiming you’re here to help?” He took a slow step forward, his voice low. “Try again.”

Talek sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I knew that kraken incident would come back to bite me in the ass.”

Kian bared his teeth. “That’s all you have to say?”

Talek met his glare with calm neutrality, but there was something behind his eyes, something shattered. "Selene was compromised. You know that now."

"You could have told us what we were walking into," Xavier pressed.

"I didn’t know."

"Bullshit," Kian snapped. "You knew something."

Talek’s jaw clenched for a moment, his nostrils flaring before he let out a slow breath. "Not enough to give you a heads-up. I knew Selene could be playing both sides," he admitted. "But I didn’t know Malvor had his claws in her."

Xavier huffed, shaking his head. "And you conveniently forgot to mention that little detail?"

Talek’s lips pressed into a thin line. "You wouldn’t have listened—not then. Not only was I new on the council, but my predecessor was part of a coup to kill your bride. I had some information but not all of it, and if I came to you with a maybe and I was wrong, you—or she—would have had my head."

"And why should we listen to you now? " Idris growled, power whipping through the air like an oncoming storm.

His expression turned serious. “Because this time, the stakes are a fuck of a lot higher.” Talek’s gaze met mine directly. “Zamarra isn’t waiting anymore. She’s going after Nyrah. Soon.”

My chest tightened.

"You’re not getting a second chance at this." Talek exhaled sharply. "If you wait, you won’t find Nyrah—you’ll find something wearing her skin."

The room went still. Magic thrummed through my veins, rising like a tide. I forced a breath past my lips, tried to steady myself, but the words wouldn’t stop echoing in my head.

Nyrah. My sister. The reason I’d started this fight in the first place.

The reason I’d run.

Talek dragged a hand through his bloodied hair, the dried cut across his temple standing stark against his skin. "I care more than you think," he said finally, before casting his gaze away, a thread of something like guilt crossing his expression before he shut it down. "I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

The air shifted, weight pressing down on my chest. Because despite everything—despite my distrust, despite the damage done—there was something in his eyes. Something unreadable.

Something that felt dangerously close to the truth.

"If you’re lying to us—if this is another trap—you won’t have to worry about Zamarra or the Guild," I whispered, my magic curling like smoke between my fingers. "Because I’ll kill you myself."

Talek didn’t flinch.

He just gave me a long, unreadable look before finally nodding. "Understood."

The weight of Talek’s words still lingered in the air like a curse.

I barely felt Kian’s hand at my back, barely heard the way Xavier exhaled slowly, trying to keep his own emotions in check. My body had gone numb, but my magic was screaming—pushing against my skin, clawing at my chest.

I clenched my fists, inhaling through my nose, grounding myself in the bond, in the feel of my mates pressing against me. But it wasn’t enough to keep the storm inside me from rising. Nyrah was running out of time.

I wanted to go now. I needed to go now.

But then I looked at Talek—truly looked at him.

The cut at his middle was still bleeding sluggishly. His breaths came too fast, too shallow. His magic, normally a constant, unwavering thing, barely stirred in the air.

And if Talek—the one leading us in—was this close to collapse, we weren’t getting far.

“We leave now,” I said, forcing my voice to stay firm. “As soon as?—”

Idris interrupted, stepping forward, golden eyes flashing. “No. We need to wait—at least until nightfall.”

Silence rang throughout the room, sharp and unyielding.

I stiffened, trying my best not to scream. “We don’t have time to wait.”

His expression didn’t change. “We don’t have time to make mistakes, either.” His golden gaze flashed to Talek. “And if you’ve led us into another trap, I will personally rip your lungs from your chest.”

Idris wasn’t wrong, but it still pissed me off.

Kian exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. “We’re all running on fumes, Vale. Especially you.”

Gritting my teeth, I tried to deny him. “I’ll be fine.”

Xavier huffed a bitter laugh. “You said that before you nearly died. Twice.”

My hands fisted at my sides, any semblance of calm long gone. “And Nyrah doesn’t have time for us to rest.”

Idris’ fingers twitched, but his voice was steady. “And if we go now, charging in half-dead, we lose. We give Zamarra exactly what she wants. Trust me, you do not want to go in half-cocked. It will get us all killed.”

The words struck low and deep, cutting through my stubbornness like a blade. Because they weren’t wrong. If we went now, desperate and reckless, we’d lose.

I exhaled slowly, pressing my fingertips into my temples. “Fine,” I muttered, the word tasting bitter as I swallowed. “We leave at nightfall.”

A muscle in Idris’ jaw twitched. “Good.”

Talek didn’t argue when I shoved him toward the nearest chair. He might have had a sharp tongue, but his body knew its limits, even if his pride didn’t.

I worked quickly, tending to the gash along his arm while Xavier and Kian started gathering supplies. Idris leaned over the map on the table, tracing potential routes, his jaw tight with restraint.

The tension in the room was palpable. None of us liked waiting, but we needed to be smart, and that meant taking a moment to rest. The fire burned low as the sky deepened into twilight. The weight of what was coming pressed against my chest, threatening to crush me.

We were ready. The weapons were sharpened, the bags packed. Talek was as healed as he was going to get. Still, I couldn’t rest. I stood by the window, watching the stars through the warped glass. My mind raced, my heart thundering too loud in my ears.

Xavier pressed a warm hand against my lower back. He didn’t say anything—just stood there, solid, steady. His heat seeped into my skin, soothing the ache I hadn’t realized was burrowing into my ribs.

Kian leaned against the opposite side of the window, watching me through the low firelight. “You thinking about backing out?”

I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “Absolutely not.”

His smile softened. “Didn’t think so.”

Xavier’s fingers skimmed my waist before he turned me, pulling me flush against his chest. “You’re carrying too much of this alone.”

I swallowed hard. “I have to.”

“No,” Xavier murmured, tilting my chin up. “You don’t.”

Kian’s arms wrapped around me from behind, his breath warm against my temple. “You’re ours, Vale. We protect what’s ours.”

The bond between us hummed, a living thing, wrapping around us like a pulse of heat.

Idris finally stepped forward, the golden fire in his gaze dimmed with something softer, something raw.

He didn’t touch me—not yet. But his presence curled around me like something tangible.

“I failed you once,” he said quietly. “I won’t do it again.”

The words caught me off guard, knocking the breath from my lungs. I turned, brushing his wrist. The contact sent a sharp, electric current through the bond, snapping something back into place.

He inhaled sharply, his golden eyes flickering—and then he gave in. His hand cupped the side of my face, his thumb brushing the edge of my jaw. He didn’t kiss me. Didn’t move closer. Just stayed there, his touch a promise.

The night pressed in, thick and waiting. The fire in the hearth had burned to embers, the only light coming from the sliver of moon spilling through the warped glass. It cast sharp shadows, twisting the edges of the room into something unfamiliar. Like the world was already shifting beneath us.

Breaking away, I adjusted the weight of my blades, fastening the last strap tight against my hip. My hands felt steady, but inside, I wasn’t.

Xavier caught my wrist before I could move too far away, his grip firm, grounding. “We’ll find her, Vale.” His voice was steady, but the intensity in his gaze told me what he wasn’t saying. Then his voice rang loud and clear in my mind.

“I won’t let you lose her.”

Kian leaned against the window, his amber gaze molten. “We’re bringing her home.”

Idris was quiet for a long moment, watching me carefully. Then, finally, he reached out, tracing along my wrist before his hand settled against the center of my chest.

The bond snapped into place like a breath of fire.

It wasn’t just warmth—it was pressure, something sharp and sudden. My breath stuttered, the connection slamming open between us, unfurling with the weight of everything unsaid.

“I’m keeping my promise, Vale.”

His voice—his thoughts—tore through me, sinking into my marrow. A rush of heat curled through the bond, familiar and devastating, like a home I hadn’t realized I’d been locked out of.

I hadn’t felt him like this in days. Not since I died. Not since he let me go.

The intensity of it made my knees weak. I gripped his wrist before I could stop myself, fingers digging into his flesh. And yet, he didn’t pull away.

“You will get her back, no matter what it takes.”

The certainty in his voice shattered something inside me. Relief burned through my every vein, fierce and raw. My chest tightened, my throat thick with words I couldn’t say.

He was here. Truly here.

Tears welled in my eyes, and I blinked fast to keep them from falling. But I felt him catch the emotion anyway, his touch pressing against my skin in silent reassurance.

Xavier’s arms tightened around me. Kian pressed his lips to my temple.

We weren’t whole yet, but we were getting there. And gods help anyone who tried to break us again.

The night was deep when Idris finally pulled away, his voice low and certain. “It’s time.”

Talek shifted near the door, arms crossed, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. “If we’re going, we need to move. The longer we wait?—”

“—the closer she is to slipping away,” I croaked, finishing the thought for him, my stomach knotting.

The weight of it pressed down on my chest. Nyrah was out there. My sister. My blood. And for everything I’d done, everything I’d sacrificed, if I couldn’t get to her in time?—

No. No more what-ifs. No more waiting.

I turned to my mates, inhaling deep, grounding myself in their presence.

“Let’s bring her home.”

And together, we stepped into the night.