Page 21

21

Malice

“You’re doing amazing,” I whisper, my tone a revered hush. “Just a little more… There, just like that… Good fucking girl .”

The silver ring around Dagny’s iris fades as the last piece of her mental wall settles into place, her eyes returning to a lovely, warm chocolate brown as the untamed energy of The Far Place is cut off. She slumps forward in my arms, her body utterly spent, and a wave of relief travels down the bond in the absence of that thrumming, violent energy.

“How do you feel?” I ask, rubbing my palm soothingly over her spine. “Any better?”

“Yeah, actually… A lot better…” Dagny’s lids lower as her muscles unwind, sinking deeper into my chest and spreading pleasure throughout my being.

Dagny’s other mates sit in a half circle, worry rolling off their shoulders as they stare at the beautiful creature in my arms. They’re ready to spring into action and rip my head from my shoulders if anything goes wrong. As if I would let it.

Slowly, Dagny raises her head, blinking away the haze coating her vision as she stares deep into my eyes.

“What’s next?” she asks, her voice hoarse. “I’m ready for anything.”

“You’re ready to pass out, is what you are,” Fenryr grumbles, his expression pinched in distress. “Why don’t you take a little break? When Cyprien and Lir get back from their hunt with Kaebl, we can?—”

“Would you stop worrying so much?” I snap. “She wants to try. Let her.”

He crosses his arms, his lips forming into a pout. “I don’t want her to get damaged.”

“Would you listen to yourself?” I scoff. “She’s your mate, not a possession.”

“She’s mine. I fail to see the difference.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t know why I keep fooling myself into thinking you’re capable of productive conversation. Just… stay quiet and let us work.”

I place Dagny carefully onto her feet, keeping one arm around her waist on the off chance her legs give out. “Good?”

“Perfect,” she murmurs, pulling her shoulders back and forcing her chin into the air. “What else can you show me?”

I gesture for her to take a seat on the floor, then crouch in front of her, reaching out and grasping her palms in mine. “Remember how you built the wall? Just do that, but in reverse—just a brick or two—enough to let a sliver of energy into you.”

Dagny closes her eyes, her face pinching in concentration as she attempts to chip away at her barrier. A rush of magic travels down the bond, filling my chest with its tingling warmth as a silver ring beams from beneath Dagny’s eyelids.

“Good. Now focus—bend it to your will—force it into the palms of your hands.”

I shift out of the way just before a powerful gust of air explodes from her palms, shooting through the space where my head used to be. Dagny’s eyes widen as her barrier slams closed, cutting off the flow of magic and causing the wind to still.

“Oh my gods, are you okay?” she asks, her voice laced with desperation. “Did I hurt you?”

“Not this time.” I grin, spreading my arms and tilting my head side to side to show I still have full use of my body. “You’ll have to try a little harder next time.”

“I think I’m good for a minute or two,” she says, her head falling back to the heavens as she tries to catch her breath. “Just need a minute… that was harder than I thought it would be.”

“It is. But it will be an immeasurable asset in battle.”

“Yeah, unless they hit me with their air magic first,” she murmurs.

“No, they won’t. Most demons can’t use magic. And if they can, they prefer to use their teeth and claws to fight. You can draw directly from the source, but others gain it from consuming souls—a lot—and there are simply not enough of them to support widespread use. Even Kaebl and I and the others have to use our magic sparingly.”

“The energy… where does it come from? Why do I have access to it, but you don’t?”

I let out a breath, my gaze flicking to the horizon as I consider how to answer her question. “To be honest… no one really knows why halflings have that gift. We’ve only observed that souls born in the mortal realm and brought here have a stronger tie to the magic in this place. So it’s safe to assume your ability has everything to do with your lineage. However, we do know this place and all the magic flowing within it comes from the welwigs.”

“The trees?” she asks, her lips parting in shock. “The fucking trees ?”

“No need to get so worked up about it,” I murmur, a silent chuckle shaking my chest. “And yes. They’re the… gods of this world, if you want to think of it like that. Everything in The Far Place begins and ends with those cursed trees—a giant, frozen, fucked-up circle of life. They feed the land, create the beings, drive us to hunger… no one knows how or why, only that they do.”

“That’s… ominous.”

I nod solemnly. “But they also provide us with drugs, so I have a soft spot for them.”

“Well… at least that makes sense.”

A chuckle shakes my chest as I look into her eyes, so warm and tender and different from the way I’m used to her staring at me. “Any other burning questions?”

“I think I’m good for now.”

“In that case…” I turn my attention toward the four demons burning a hole into my profile, a taunting smile pulling at my mouth. “Perhaps I should let Fenryr take you for a small rest. Just for the rest of the day. I see that look on your face.” I know deep down she wants to keep going, to train and fight until she physically can’t move anymore, but I also cannot allow her to push herself to that point. “We’ll start first thing tomorrow when the others return from their hunt. Deal?”

“Okay,” she murmurs, her gaze narrowing. “But not a minute later.”