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DISCOVER HER DARK SIDE (AND ADMIT YOU LIKE IT)

ARABELLA

I watched in horror as Kazimir collapsed at my feet, every inch of his body jerking like he’d been struck by a vengeful god.

A scream ripped up his throat—an animalistic wail so raw that I wanted to clap my hands over my ears.

The runes etched across his skin flared violet-black, pulsing uncontrollably.

“Kazimir!” I dropped to my knees and grabbed for him, desperate to keep his head from cracking against the stone floor.

The instant my palms touched his shoulders, an electric jolt tore up my arms—pain so sharp it wrenched a gasp from my lungs. Our entanglement bond locked us together, flooding my nerves with every ounce of his torment. It felt like thousands of scorching needles driving into my bones.

He let out another ragged scream, his eyes rolling back until I saw only white threaded with black veins.

Pressure coiled around my skull—his pain or my own or both.

I barely knew anymore, and I refused to let go even when instincts screamed at me to pull away.

This was Kazimir, the man I couldn’t bear to lose.

Even if it meant scorching agony for me, I’d hold him.

Behind us, Vex stood by the doorway, daggers dripping fresh blood. “He’s been overextending himself for a while,” she said, her voice tense. “He never rested when he should have.”

I stared down at his contorted face, my heart thudding with fear. How much pain had he hidden? In all the times we’d argued about it these last weeks, I’d never imagined this magnitude of suffering.

“Do something!” I shouted at Vex, fury and desperation boiling over.

“I’m not a healer,” she answered softly, “but you are, my lady.”

Right. I was a healer. More than that, actually. And the nauseating wave of pain that hammered my mind told me it was magical overflow. With the entanglement tying us together, maybe I could siphon some of his agony.

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to open that bond. A hideous torrent of agony poured in like hot iron flooding my veins. For one nauseating heartbeat, I trembled on the edge of letting go. Then I pressed my knees into the stone and refused.

My hearing dulled as though I was submerged underwater.

The entire world shrank to blistering pain in my head and the sight of Kazimir’s convulsions finally subsiding.

His breathing steadied, ragged gasps slowing to deeper gulps.

The runes on his skin dimmed from their fiery glow to a faint flicker.

His eyes fluttered open at last. “Arabella…” he rasped. His voice sounded torn, shredded from the force of his screams.

“Don’t talk,” I managed in a hoarse murmur. Pain still throbbed through my muscles, but I clung to him, determined to bear it. “Just shut up and let me carry it for a second.”

He looked like he wanted to give me one of his usual smirks, but all he managed was a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Slowly, with trembling effort, he pushed himself upright, leaning heavily against my shoulder.

My entire body wavered under his weight.

Still, I latched onto that pounding energy inside him, drawing away its sharpest edges.

An explosion thundered in the distance, rattling the walls of the citadel. Shouts rang out somewhere beyond the corridor. My stomach twisted in dread. This place was my home now—these were my people being attacked by so-called heroes.

“Kaz,” I said urgently, voice raw, “the Heirloom. If they get ahold of it?—”

“They won’t,” he snarled, though he practically collapsed against me. Another violent crash somewhere overhead made dust trickle from the ceiling.

Vex swept her gaze down the corridor, daggers raised. “We have to get there. If the tower collapses, or if they breach the wards…”

I couldn’t believe we’d left that artifact in a half-ruined tower. “Why didn’t we relocate it?”

“Wards,” Kazimir muttered, leaning on me. “We built that chamber specifically to shield it. Even if Skyspire falls, that chamber is safest.”

A third explosion rocked the hall, and my jaw clenched. “Let’s move. I have some heroes I’d like to personally eviscerate.”

With Vex leading, I helped Kazimir hobble forward.

His arm slung across my shoulders, his weight pressing me down with every step.

My senses stayed on high alert, adrenaline forcing me to adapt to the constant burn of his pain.

As terrifying as it felt, I didn’t want to relinquish contact.

Not when I knew how close he was to losing control.

The corridor teemed with bodies—some dead, others dying. Choking coils of magic and the reek of blood kept my pulse hammering. My chest felt too tight.

We’d nearly reached the eastern tower when a dozen Guild assailants rounded the corner. Without a second thought, Vex leapt forward, her daggers glinting.

“Go,” she barked. “I’ll handle them.”

“There are too many,” I protested.

“Get the Heirloom,” she insisted fiercely. “And kill any bastard who dares to touch it.”

I swallowed down the urge to argue. Kazimir pulled me the other way, and I forced my feet to move. Vex’s battle cries erupted behind us, followed by shrieks of panic from the Guild members.

Kazimir guided me through a servants’ passage hidden behind a ragged tapestry.

The cramped tunnel smelled of dust and stale air.

He stumbled against the narrow walls, and I felt each footstep echo in our entanglement, a sickening pull that made me lurch too.

I concentrated on steadying him, channeling everything I had to ease his suffering.

We emerged into the eastern courtyard overshadowed by the tower. My stomach sank at the sight of three more Guild members waiting, staves raised. They spotted Kazimir’s distinctive silhouette, recognized me at his side, and drew themselves up with righteous fervor.

“Dark Lord,” a gray-haired woman snarled. “Your reign of terror ends now!”

Kazimir gave a half-deranged laugh. “Fucking heroes,” he said hoarsely.

“At least they dressed the part,” I muttered, stepping forward despite exhaustion coiled around my limbs. “You can’t just barge in and kill people, then pretend you’re morally superior.”

She glowered at me. “Lady Evenfall, please step aside. We’re freeing you?—”

“Freeing me from the only person who taught me to harness my power?” Rage sparked through my veins. “Spare me your sanctimonious drivel.” I flicked my hand, sending a burst of inverted healing magic that cracked the stone at the woman’s feet. She scrambled back.

Kazimir seized that opening. The bond between us pulsed with a careful exchange of energy.

His shadows surged outward in a black wave.

The old woman hissed, trying to fight him off.

Another one lunged for Kazimir’s exposed back, but I intercepted, forming a shadow dagger and blocking her staff.

Sparks hissed on impact. She aimed a bolt of light at Kazimir just as I shoved my dagger aside and slammed my hand to her throat.

No illusions this time. I let my lethal magic flow. She stiffened, eyes wide, then dropped. My stomach lurched at how easy it was. Another corner of me exulted in the power, a savage satisfaction that I’d survived.

Kazimir dispatched two more assailants with brutal speed.

The last woman attempted a final staff assault, but Kazimir’s shadow spear tore through her with a wet, sickening sound.

Her strangled cry echoed, then died. The courtyard fell quiet except for our gasping breath.

Kazimir nearly sagged to the ground, but I caught him.

He gave a ragged, delirious grin. “You are so fucking sexy right now.”

My heart squeezed. “Focus, you bastard. The tower.” If I let myself dwell on the rush of his compliment, I might fall apart.

We kept moving, ignoring the renewed chaos rising behind us. The double doors to the eastern tower still stood, though a new wave of Guild forces thundered somewhere close. Kazimir pushed me forward, his eyes flaring with feverish determination.

“Go,” he growled. “Get the Heirloom. If they seize it?—”

“No,” I whispered, tightening my arm around his waist. It felt wrong to leave him here like a cornered beast.

“Now, Arabella,” he ordered, voice cracking. As if to punctuate his point, three knight-mages charged into the courtyard, swords and spells gleaming.

I hated every second of it, but I knew Kazimir was right. If they got the Heirloom, he was dead anyway. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed his collar and crushed my mouth to his in a single savage kiss.

“Don’t you dare die,” I breathed against his lips. My entire body trembled.

He let out a harsh exhale that might have been relief or desire. Then I tore away, burst through the tower doors, and slammed them shut. The lock caught with a hollow clank. Even with the wards, it wouldn’t hold for long.

Inside, the spiral staircase was half collapsed. I’d been up here before with Kazimir’s help, but now I had to do it alone. My head whirled, my muscles screamed for relief, and the aftershock of his torment still echoed in my blood. I dragged myself upward.

Where the steps had fallen away, I conjured shaky platforms of shadow to vault the gaps. Thank the gods Kazimir had forced me to practice. Every time I wavered or stumbled, I pictured his face contorted in pain. I swore I wouldn’t let him die defending a useless chunk of relic if I could save it.

It felt like hours, but in truth, it was only moments before I burst into the tall chamber at the top. The Heirloom’s amber glow pulsed erratically, as though in distress. The walls quivered under repeated assaults below, cracks creeping along the stones.

I clutched my ribs, trying to calm the thundering of my heart. My eyes flicked across the room. If I failed, if the Guild destroyed the Heirloom or twisted it to their own ends, Kazimir wouldn’t survive. I couldn’t lose him. Not now that I’d finally admitted how deeply I needed him.

My legs nearly gave out, but I forced them to stay upright. There was only one choice left to save us both.

And I would make it.