Page 55

Chapter Fifty-Five

A elia

A battlefield stretched endlessly before me, a ruined expanse of earth drenched in fire and shadow. The air reeked of charred flesh and molten iron, the stench of war curling into my lungs. Oh, gods, no. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. I appeared at the heart of it all, shadows swirling, the only sound my own ragged breathing—until the first luminous arrow whistled through the air.

I moved instinctively, dodging and twisting into the void, my nox pulling me into the shadows before the mystical projectile could strike. I reappeared behind an archer, a Light Fae with golden wings and a gleaming sword, driving my dagger into his side before he could even register my presence. The crystal at the end of my blade shimmered, the glow catching my eye through the chaos. It had never done that before, had it?

More warriors rushed toward me.

From the left, a Shadow Fae bared his teeth, his twin umbral blades slicing through the haze. From the right, a golden-clad Royal Guardian launched a burst of rais in my direction. Two courts. Two enemies. Both coming for me.

A wicked smile curled my lips, the muscles in my jaw twisting without my control. Why was I smiling? I didn’t enjoy all this death, this terrible destruction.

They have no idea who they’re facing . A sinister voice echoed through my darkest depths.

This was a nightmare; it couldn’t be real. Or was it? Reign said the battles in my nightmares were real, which meant so was this.

I flung out my hand, zar igniting at my fingertips, a scorching bolt of hellfire surging from my palm. The Shadow Fae barely had time to scream before the flames swallowed him whole, burning through his obsidian armor like paper.

The Royal Guardian shouted in triumph, thinking I was on his side, but I whirled on him next.

With a snap of my wrist, I sent tendrils of nox curling through the ground, the living darkness slithering up his legs, his arms, his throat. He thrashed against the bonds, his rais dimming as the shadows choked the life from him.

Goddess, no! Why was I doing this? It was as if I were a mere bystander, watching as my body performed without my approval. “Reign!” I shouted into the madness. “Reign, please, wake me up, get me out of here!”

More Fae flooded in, Light and Shadow both, and I let go.

A blast of pure rais erupted from my chest, a radiant inferno of raw energy that sent the entire battlefield reeling. The ground cracked. Trees ignited. Bodies flew back in every direction, screaming as their flesh burned. I felt nothing. No remorse. No regret.

Only power.

This is what I was meant to be. This is what I was always meant to be. The child of twilight. A storm of light and darkness, fire and fury.

Helroth, Elian and Tenebris all thought they could chain me, force me into servitude to one court or another. They thought they could claim me. But I belonged to no one.

No, that wasn’t true… I did belong to someone. Reign .

I walked through the wreckage, my boots leaving scorched footprints in the smoldering remains. My heartbeat was steady. My breathing even. I was untouchable.

And then…

Standing in the middle of the battlefield, a form appeared, blonde wisps of hair tangled across a blood-spattered face. A tall, radiant figure with familiar piercing blue eyes and a smile that warmed the battling chaos in my chest.

Heaton.

Real or not real?

He looked at me like he knew something I didn’t, like he’d been waiting for this moment all along. A dark voice inside me willed my body to attack, to burn him to cinders where he stood.

But I couldn’t move.

Raysa, it was Heaton . After all this time…

The battle raged on, twisting around us. The corpses, the fire, the ruin—all of it growing more vicious, more frenzied. Something snapped inside of me at the sight of my friend, the tether between my body and soul was once again whole. I was in control, not my power.

Heaton tilted his head. “Finally,” he murmured, voice curling around me like smoke. “You found me, princess.”

Princess? How did he know?

“Heaton?” My voice cracked on his name. “Is it really you?”

He stepped closer, the warmth in his eyes gone, the familiar blue shimmering like shards of ice. “It is.”

There was something about the frosty edge to his tone that kept my boots planted in place, despite the longing to throw myself into his arms. “Where have you been? We’ve been so worried about you. Rue will be so relieved you’re alive!”

The hiss of approaching umbral blades jerked my body into motion. I slid to the ground just as the projectiles flew over our heads. Heaton dropped down beside me, muttering a curse before throwing his hands out, and a radiant shield ballooned around us.

“Damned Shadow Fae bastards,” he snarled.

I glanced across the battlefield, through the glittering veil, and a familiar form took shape, cutting across a line of Light Fae. Liora? Blinking quickly, my vision cleared, and a raven-haired female stood in her place, launching hellfire across the troop of Royal Guardians. Good gods, what was happening to me?

Reaching for Heaton’s hand, I stood, pulling him up with me. “We have to go.”

Heaton jerked free of my grasp, glacial gaze meeting mine. “I can’t. It is my sworn duty to fight the Umbral Guard.”

“But why? Have you ever stopped to consider why you’re fighting each other?”

His eyes glazed over, a blank expression settling across his features. “It is my duty to the king.”

Clutching his broad shoulders, I shook him, putting all my effort into moving the towering male. “Snap out of it, Heaton! You cannot die out here. There are worse enemies coming for all of us?—”

A harsh, bitter laugh curved his lips, icing the blood in my veins and cutting me off. “The Night Fae, you mean?”

“You know?” A gasp escaped.

“Of course I do. And you’re right, the worst is yet to come.”

An ear-piercing roar echoed overhead, lifting my gaze to the sky. Through the luminous shield that protected us, a streak of gold cut through the clouds of smoke, followed by a flash of gleaming onyx. Sol and Phantom.

Heaton tipped his eyes to the sky, following my line of sight. “Looks like the professor has found you.”

Reign. He came for me. Relief flooded my chest, my heart swelling at his mere proximity.

I reached for my friend, my team leader, my best friend’s brother once again. “You must come with us.”

“I cannot, princess.” He shrugged free of my hold, taking a step back into the chaos of battle. He lingered just inches from the edge of the shimmering protective shield.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” I hissed.

“It is your title, is it not, Princess Aelia of Inferna?”

Realms…

Helroth. He did this. Had he meddled with Heaton’s mind, too?

The earth rumbled beneath my feet, the tremor coursing up my legs. Screams and shouts ricocheted across the battlefield, heralding the arrival of the dragons.

“Aelia!” Reign’s anguished cry was like a spear to the heart.

You are in big trouble, young lady . Sol’s thoughts sailed through our bond, and I canted my head over my shoulder to find him and Phantom only a few yards away at the edge of the forest.

In all the turmoil, I hadn’t taken a moment to scan our surroundings beyond the battlefield. We were at the foot of the Feywood Forest, along the border of the Wilds. How had I not noticed earlier?

Thank the goddess Aidan was safe and sound in Shadowmere. My heart clenched at the thought of all the helpless Kin I’d grown up with living only a few miles away. Please, Raysa, keep them safe .

A storm of shadows approached, drawing my thoughts back to the present. I could barely make out Reign’s form through the interminable darkness, but I could feel him. Curses, he was furious.

The silky tendrils of night surged closer, piercing the radiant orb without issue, then wrapping around my body in a possessive hold. Reign appeared a moment later, his shadow wings propelling him toward me.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted before he had a chance to utter a sound.

“Gods, Aelia…” A torrent of emotions played across his handsome face, from red-hot fury to cool relief as his penetrating gaze razed over me, inspecting every inch of my body.

“You came for me.”

“Of course I did, starlight. I promised I would, didn’t I?” His lips claimed mine in a fierce, quick kiss that left me aching for more. As he held me out to arms’ length, that lethal gaze swept over me.

“I’m fine, I swear, not a scratch on me.” I wished I could say the same for the Fae I’d attacked. Remorse lanced through my chest, sharp and bitter.

The tendrils of shadow coiled around my form lifted me from the ground and carried me closer to their master once more. Reign’s hand curled around the back of my neck, pinning me to his unyielding chest. “Fuck, Aelia, I was so damned worried about you. Don’t you ever do that to me again. You have no idea?—”

“I’m so sorry,” I repeated, my lips pressed to the familiar fabric of his tunic. “I don’t know what happened. I overheard you and Kaelith, and I was so angry, so scared, I simply lost control.”

His hands skated across my back, drawing slow, comforting circles. “We’ll discuss your shadowtraveling once I have you safe and sound within the walls of Duskridge Manor.”

“Sure, just as soon as I convince Heaton—” I spun around, prepared to beg my team leader to return with us—but he was gone.