Page 38 of Redemption (Deliverance Duet #2)
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Iris
“ N o!” I scream, the word ripping from my throat. I reach out a moment too late as the arrow shoots towards him.
Everything seems to move in slow motion as pure power presses against my barriers, and in my desperation to save Alaric, I release it. There’s no time for me to think or even attempt to form it into anything useful, so it simply rips from my chest in a raw burst of energy. Pain racks my body, pulling a cry from my lips.
The ground shakes beneath us, my power creating a shockwave that causes the earth to buckle and shift. No, it’s more than that. Something is growing out of the broken land. In a distant part of my mind, I realise what’s happening. My power is that of life, and that’s exactly what is occurring. I called life to me, plants growing and weaving into a protective barrier of thorns. They shoot up impossibly quickly to create a shield in front of Alaric, but I’m still too late.
The arrow pierces his shoulder, knocking him backward with the force. An echo of his pain reaches me through the bond, but I barely register it over the horror of what I’m seeing. Time suddenly returns to its usual speed, and the forest is in an uproar.
The Unseelie are roaring and snapping at the Seelie, their horrifying teeth exposed as they push against the curse that keeps them contained.
The humans look confused but ready, their weapons raised and pointed towards the Unseelie.
I feel so disconnected from everything that’s happening around us, my entire focus on Alaric’s bleeding body and the arrow protruding from his chest. Sick to my stomach, I lurch forward, crossing the border to reach him. Nyx is at my side in an instant, gently moving me to one side and scooping Alaric into his arms. I don’t know how I thought I was going to drag Alaric back behind the border alone, so I’m grateful to Nyx.
Once over that invisible line, Nyx lowers him to the ground, fae surrounding us in an instant. Dropping to my knees, I place my hands on him, needing to feel his beating heart beneath them. Blaise is on his other side, wearing a look of anger so fierce that I almost don’t recognise him.
I don’t know how long we have until the king demands our attention again, but we have a little respite now that Alaric is back in Unseelie territory. While the barrier won’t physically stop the Seelie like it does with the Unseelie, it has symbolic importance that will make them pause. If they cross it, then they are the ones who instigated the fight, the aggressors.
Alaric snarls in pain as Blaise places his hand around the arrow shaft, and then they share a look.
“Do it,” Alaric snaps, and before I can register what’s happening, Blaise yanks the arrow out.
My breath catches in my throat, and my eyes sting with unshed tears at his bellow of pain. I’m horrified by the brutality of it all, yet I know we can’t heal Alaric until the arrow is removed. Blood dribbles from the wound, and I press my palms against it, my chest tight. Nothing is happening, and I feel completely overwhelmed. Panic starts to set in as I look down at his chest, realising that if he hadn’t turned when he did, the arrow would have hit his heart, and I don’t think he would have survived.
Sensing my distress, Nyx and Ciaran surround me. They don’t speak, and for that I’m grateful. Nothing they could say will fix this. Simply having them close is exactly what I need, keeping watch over us as Blaise and I try to heal Alaric.
“No! Do not shoot!” The Seelie king’s furious shout echoes around us, causing me to shudder. I’ve never heard him sound so angry. Even when we took Alaric from him before, he didn’t sound so… enraged.
“But, Your Majesty, he crossed the barrier. You said to kill anyone who did—”
Calling my power forward, I try to channel it into Alaric, the protests of the soldier on the other side of the barrier our soundtrack. He’s quickly cut off, and the sudden silence makes me look up.
The king is facing a soldier, his face twisted and demonic. I might be surrounded by terrifying Unseelie creatures, but the person I am the most afraid of is on the other side. It seems I’m not the only one, as those who are closest to the fae in question back away, knowing what’s about to happen.
“Not my son,” the king growls and flicks his hand in a sharp gesture. The soldier immediately grabs his throat, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He gasps, but the only sound that comes from him is an awful gurgling noise. Knees buckling, he falls to the ground, thrashing as he tries to draw air.
No. I don’t want to see this. It’s too horrific. Closing my eyes, I focus on the power inside me, begging it to help me heal my injured mate. I try to block out the noises of the dying fae, which is far easier said than done. Thankfully my power reacts to my fear and anguish, flooding through my hands with a light glow.
It feels like an incredibly slow process, and I think part of that is because of the huge amount of energy I released when Alaric was shot. This gives me time to think over everything that just happened. Something about what the soldier who shot Alaric said sticks in my mind. What was it he said before he was killed?
That he was ordered to kill anyone who crossed the Unseelie line. Does that include me? Considering the king was just trying to convince me to go with him, I am certain there was an arrow with my name on it.
Alaric sighs deeply and shifts beneath my touch, grabbing my hand. “I’m okay. Save your energy.”
Opening my eyes, I meet his gaze before looking down at the trickle of blood leaking through my fingers. I want to ignore him and keep healing him until there is no trace of the wound, but I know what he’s trying to tell me. He thinks I’m going to need to use my powers again and doesn’t want me to use them up on him. He’s my mate, so there is nothing more important to me, but he’s right.
“At least let me stop the bleeding,” I murmur, my gaze going distant as I call forth my healing power once more. It’s not long until a bright orange butterfly flits into view, landing on the hand pressed to Alaric’s wound. Despite the direness of the situation, a small smile plays on my lips. Such a small, delicate creature found its way to us. This forest is perilous to it, yet here it is. Hope blossoms in my chest, and I remember what the goddess said about butterflies being a sign of hope and resurrection. Perhaps we can survive this after all.
Many sets of eyes watch us, and as I lift my hand, gasps of surprise sound from both sides. The wound hasn’t fully healed, but the bleeding has stopped, and some of the skin has begun to knit back together. No human could do that. I just proved to the Seelie that I am more than the weak human the king portrays me as.
After checking that Alaric is okay, I press a kiss to his forehead and slowly stand, turning to face the Seelie once more. My mouth drops open at the tangle of thorns that has formed a crude wall between us, small, white flowers now blooming down its length. It’s shocking. I never thought that my power could be so… destructive.
“I never wanted my son to get hurt in all of this.” The king’s voice pulls my attention away from the thorns. I fix my gaze on him. His expression is tight, and for once, I actually believe him. Somewhere inside him, past his unwavering hatred for the Unseelie, is a love for Alaric, but it doesn’t change the facts—his actions led to all of this.
He must see my lack of compassion for him, as he narrows his eyes and clasps his hands behind his back. “Iris, let’s end this.”
I want to scoff with mirth. Does he really think I would just give myself over, especially after what just happened to Alaric? I don’t trust him. His hatred for the Unseelie is too strong. If he felt he had an advantage, he would attack whether I was involved or not. There is some truth in what he said, he is worried about what might happen if I brought down the curse, but he was looking for an excuse to exterminate them long before I came along. The truth of it is written in that narrowed gaze of his.
Nyx takes my right hand in his, Ciaran doing the same on my other side, reassuring me that I’m doing the right thing. There’s a grunt of pain, and I glance over to see Alaric on his feet, his arm wrapped around Blaise as they stand with us, their faces fixed with determination.
Shoulders back, I hold my head high. “I’m not going with you.”
The king sighs and shakes his head. “I didn’t want to do this, yet you have forced my hand.” Despite his words, I see the excitement in his eyes. “Bring her forward.”
My heart leaps in fear. Her? Who is he talking about? Judging from the way he’s acting, he’s pleased with the way things are working out. He brought a trump card with him, and now he gets to use it.
A woman is dragged forward. Her hair is a mess, and her clothes are ripped and stained, but I immediately know who it is—my sister, Jasmine.
“Jas.” Her name comes out like a gasp, my strong, determined exterior cracking.
My mates’ hands tighten on mine. Do they think I’m going to run over to my sister? Am I? I don’t know, but seeing her so dishevelled is breaking my heart. She was always so pretty and put together. I almost don’t recognise her. Her presence here has blown all of my plans out of the water.
“Breathe, Iris,” Nyx murmurs quietly, his thumb stroking the back of my hand. I feel his dark anger prowling beneath his skin. He could lash out in a second, but now they have Jasmine, he won’t risk harming her with a blind sweep.
“All I want is for you to return to your life where you belong,” the king continues, his voice light as though he’s being reasonable. “Go back with the humans where you can’t harm us. I’ve even arranged a nice little agreement for you.” He smiles widely and gestures for someone to come forward.
Everything disappears from focus as a man walks towards us, a smug look written across his handsome face. It’s Robert, Mayor Marshal’s son from Brine. How did they even know he was part of my life? Jasmine must have told them when they captured her. I’m so shocked by the change of events, I can barely think.
“Take your sister and go back to your little human village, get married, have babies, and die, just like nature intended.” The fake kindness in the king’s voice is replaced by the sharp tone of an ultimatum. “Leave fae matters to the fae.” A dark, wicked smile spreads across his face. “Otherwise, your sister will be the one to pay for it.”