Page 268 of The Queen’s Shadow

I glanced up at Anaya. I couldn’t talk about this here, I didn’t need her eavesdropping on shit about my bonded. Torturing her would have to wait. I turned to Aiden.

“Keep her contained. Kasha and I need to deal with something.” I said, and Aiden frowned, but nodded.

“You got it, Chief.” He eyed Anaya cautiously. “Try not to be too long, you know she’s a slippery little cunt. I had to stay up all night to watch her.”

I nodded, knowing better than anyone just how slippery Anaya could be. There was a high probability even Aiden wouldn’t be able to keep her from escaping forever. I stalked towards her, and buried my shadowstone dagger into her side, driving it all the way to the hilt.

She screeched in pain and rage, which was music to my fucking ears.

“If you’re gone by the time I get back, Anaya, just know there is no fucking corner on this planet you can hide where I won’t find you.” I warned her. “No one touches my mate and lives.” I spat on her, then snatched up Kasha, and bolted back to the heart of Olkuyrbe.

“What do you mean you’re leaving? Everyone is here to meet with you!” Rhyalla complained, but I was barely listening. I was strapping my guns back to my body and making sure that Kasha had enough to eat before we left.

“We’ll be back. It’s an emergency… I think.” Sometimes I wished I was better at all this metaphysical shit. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I was overacting, but something felt wrong and I knew better than to ignore my instincts.

“If Raven’s in trouble I have to help her.” I explained and Rhyalla pursed her lips, finally nodding.

“You’re right. Do you really think it’s something bad?” She asked and I shrugged.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. Kasha, baby, you ready?” I asked and she nodded, looking worried.

“Yeah, let’s go.” She said. I was glad she had her powers back, or there would have been no way for us to cut back through The Veil to The Court of Pride. I dropped a kiss on my sister’s head.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can, I promise.” I said, and she nodded, looking concerned.

“Be careful.” She frowned, looking back and forth between the two of us.

I winked at her, “Never.”

Then Kasha used her magick to cut through The Veil and we stepped through worlds, finding ourselves standing back where we had started. The common room in The Court of Pride.

Conrad

Ihad nearly forgotten how good Nytara was with a blade. I was barely able to keep her from stabbing me, let alone get past her defenses. To make matters worse, I was at even more of a disadvantage without my magick. I kept reaching for it reflexively, and feeling a rush of disappointment each time I was left grasping at nothing.

“Mi nah know how mi cut di bond without mi magick.” I grunted to Nytara, as I dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding another well placed strike of her blade. She followed it up with a blast of ice that forced me to barrel roll across the ground. I leapt back to my feet with a huff, looking for any openings in her defense I might take advantage of.

From sparring with her so much in Italy, I knew her fighting style well. I knew she favored her right side, and I knew she tended to follow a parry with a magickal assault. The time after the magickal attack she usually fell back into a defensive stance. If I could catch her at the tail end of an ice blast, right before she resumed her defensive stance, I could maybe cut the bond on her right side.

The problem was, mi nah feel it without mi magick…

“I will try to push it out from my aura as much as I can, but you may need to cut right to my body.” She said, barely out of breath despite the fact we had been at this nearly an hour. “It is very difficult to handle the bond at all, it only tightens and attacks my magick if I try to fight it.”

I rolled out of the way of another swipe, not even bothering to counter. At this point, I was just trying to avoid getting hit.

“Mi nah want tuh hurt you.” I panted. I knew basic healing magick, but I was no Meredith, besides, who knew when my powers would return. If I cut too deep, I could put The Siren’s life at risk.

“We don’t have a choice, Obeah Man. If you get an opportunity, you must take it. I will do what I can on my end to make sure the bond hits the blade.”

Gritting my teeth, I nodded. I watched the knowing signs of her setting up her parry, magick combo. It was now or never.

She swiped her blade down, and I slipped out of the way, bracing myself for the icy attack that I knew would come next. This time, instead of throwing myself away from her, I hit the ground and rolled towards her, underneath her icy spray. Her eyes widened in shock and before she could fall back onto the defensive, I arced Bond Breaker wide, catching her directly in her unguarded side. She must have realized what I was doing at the last moment because I heard a gasp and a sizzle, and then there was an explosion of energy as the sword cut through Nytara’s slavery bond.

With no magick to protect myself, I was blown across the room with the release, and I slammed into the far wall of the villa, feeling the stucco crumble beneath me on impact.

Rhatid, dat hurt!

I hit the ground and found myself winded and unable to breath. I could see Nytara from where I lay, gasping on her knees. I felt a rush of relief when I realized her restructium had protected her from the brunt of my attack, but Bond Breaker was so sharp, I could see that it had left a significant gash in her armor.