Page 31

31

NARANUS

T here’s omething warm on my chest. Something soft .

I wake with Eryss in my arms.

Her breath feathers against my collarbone, her delicate weight pressing into my chest. Dangerous.

Every instinct screams at me to push her away, to remind her, remind myself , that she is the enemy. That I should not crave the shape of her against me, the way her fingers are curled into the hard lines of my torso as if she belongs there.

But I don’t move.

I don’t push her away.

Instead, I breathe her in.

The fire that burns in her magicless body is still there, trapped beneath flesh and bone, smoldering. A wild thing leashed. She doesn’t trust me, and she shouldn’t. But gods help me , my grip tightens anyway. I can feel the steady drum of her heartbeat, the faintest shift of her hips against my thigh. She is warm, alive, despite everything trying to take her from me.

I shut my eyes for just a moment. Just one moment more.

The door slams open.

My body moves before my mind catches up.

Eryss is wrenched from me as I snarl, rolling us both off the bed. My wings flare, my body still sluggish from my injuries, but my claws are up, bared, ready to rip whoever dared enter.

Thryx.

He stands there, unflinching. “Warriors are inside the stronghold.”

I freeze.

Eryss stiffens in my grip, her fingers curling against my chest as she tries to twist free. My pulse spikes, not because of the fight waiting beyond these walls, but because of her.

I release her.

She steps back, breathing uneven, but she doesn’t run. Not this time.

Thryx’s golden gaze flickers to her before returning to me. “Drenir’s men broke through the southern watch.” He tosses me a set of clean armor. “They came looking for you.”

Of course they did.

I grit my teeth and force myself to stand, ignoring the stiff pull of barely-healed wounds. “How many?”

“Dozens. Maybe more.” Thryx’s jaw ticks. “And they’re not alone.”

That has my full attention. “What else?”

He hesitates.

I hate hesitation.

Thryx exhales sharply, as if already anticipating my wrath. “They brought something new . Magic, strong magic.” He glances at Eryss. “It’s Purna magic.”

The world slows.

I turn to Eryss, watching the way her face locks up .

She knew.

I step toward her, rage licking up my spine. “You knew about this.”

Her jaw tightens, but she doesn’t retreat. “I didn’t.”

“Liar.” My voice is deadly soft. “Your sisters are working with them. Aren’t they?”

“I don’t know ?—”

Another lie.

She wants to believe they wouldn’t betray her, but deep down, she already suspects. I see it in her hesitation, in the way her throat moves as she swallows.

I stalk forward. “You think I’m just going to let you waltz out there with your precious little kin and whisper your way into my enemies’ ears?”

She snarls up at me. “If you think I’d ever betray you—” She clamps her mouth shut.

There it is.

She doesn’t even realize she just admitted it.

The implication of that admission slams into me like a stone wall.

Thryx shifts at the door. “We must not waste time.”

No, we don’t.

I yank my armor over my head, wincing as it grates against my raw skin. My body protests, but I don’t have the luxury of weakness. Not today.

Eryss watches me, her breathing a little too quick, her hands clenched at her sides. She’s trying to decide something, trying to understand what’s happening inside me, inside us.

I don’t give her the chance.

I step closer, leaning down until my mouth is level with her ear. “You stay behind me.”

Her fingers twitch. “I don’t take orders from you.”

“You will if you want to live.”

Thryx clears his throat. “I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but we really need to?—”

The entire stronghold shakes.

Stone splinters, deep booms echoing through the halls.

I shove Eryss toward Thryx. “ Get her out of here. ”

Her rage is instant. “ You are not locking me up again ? — ”

But then we hear it.

The sound that stills us both.

The sharp, hollowed-out whistle of something unnatural, a scream woven into the air itself.

Eryss pales. “That’s?—”

Magic.

Purna magic.

I slam open the door and step into the chaos.

The halls are lined with battle . Gargoyles are locked in combat, my warriors clashing against a force that shouldn’t be here .

At the center?

Catalina.

My eyes burn, my lips curling into a snarl.

The Purna stands among the wreckage, magic coiling around her fingertips, a halo of eerie white light shimmering against the soot-stained air. She sees me. Sees Eryss.

And smiles.

She lifts her hand and the magic erupts .

It slams through the stronghold, splitting stone, sending my warriors flying .

I move , snatching Eryss and pulling her behind me, wings wrapping around her as debris rains from above.

Her breath shudders against my back. I feel her heartbeat spike.

She wants to believe Catalina would never.

But she knows better now.

The stronghold rumbles again.

I drag Eryss forward, shoving her toward Thryx. “Get her to safety.”

“No—”

I ignore her protests. “Thryx, if you let her get caught in this?—”

Thryx swears but nods. “I won’t .”

Eryss thrashes against my grip. “Naranus?—”

I yank her close, my face inches from hers. “I’ll deal with your sister. You deal with your conscience .”

Before she can argue, I shove her toward Thryx.

I turn to Catalina.

And let the beast out.