Page 35

Rion

Rion woke to his body being dragged along a cold floor. His arms were above him, wrists pulled taut with the familiar bite of metal. Of iron.

But that was nothing compared to the searing agony lancing through his chest.

He tried to keep quiet and fight the blinding pain that felt like a hot iron had severed through—through—Rion’s eyes snapped open.

No .

Where was it? Where was his—

Rion wrapped his hands around the chains and yanked hard enough to drag his body upward and simultaneously knock his captors off balance.

Arianna.

Rion slammed his fist into the warrior’s jaw on his right. He yanked a small knife from its sheath at the male’s waist and threw it into his companion’s throat. The male collapsed, gripping the blade as he choked on his own blood. Rion struck the one below him again. Again. Again. He wrapped the chain around his fist, slamming it against the male’s face over and over until he no longer drew breath.

Rion fell back, blood drenching his hand. He gasped for breath, reaching for something that was no longer there.

The bond. The bond. The bond.

Did that mean Arianna was—he couldn’t even think the word, not without choking on it. The image of an open chest with the heart ripped out haunted him, only this time it was Arianna’s face twisted in agony.

Rion vomited all over the floor.

His mind spun, his world with it. Arianna was gone. She was gone. She was—his fists clenched. No. She couldn’t be. Vairik needed her right? Was this just another glamour meant to throw him off?

Rion gripped his tunic right over the empty void in his chest. He couldn’t breathe. He needed her for that. He needed the comfort of the light she’d brought into his life. Without her—

His vision blurred, but Rion blinked away the tears before they could fall. An illusion , he told himself. This was all just an illusion. Arianna wasn’t gone. She wasn’t—Rion’s body shook against his will and he clenched his fists, fighting back the emotions pulsing through his body.

He sat there for several moments, breathing through the pain. It wouldn’t dissipate. He’d had knives shoved through his body, magic too. He’d experienced the pain of heartbreak and betrayal, but none of it compared to this.

Don’t let him steal another piece of your soul.

Rion recalled the words of that strange voice. Is that what Vairik had done? Was he just trying to break him?

Alive , Rion tried to convince himself. Arianna was alive. She was somewhere in this castle and still needed his help. If he stayed here and wallowed in grief, he might really lose her forever.

And if she was really gone—no. He wouldn’t stop until he saw her body. He wouldn’t stop until he took her back to Levea. Breathing or not.

Rion forced his eyes open. He stared at the metal around his wrists, then tore through the pockets of the dead Fae beside him. Rion found a ring of keys. His hands trembled as he fumbled through the set, trying one after another until the latch clicked and the iron fell to the floor. Rion kicked it across the stone before unlatching the other.

His magic surged, moving in a frenzy that matched the storm raging in his chest. It tore at the stones, breaking them into pieces that floated around his body.

Rion blinked, trying to clear his head. The bracelets were gone, which meant he had no way of knowing exactly when Conall would blow this place to hell. His rune was gone too, though if he were facing Vairik, then it was irrelevant anyway.

Rion forced himself to stand. Bubbling vials of blue liquid lined the hall. Each was about the size of his torso and contained … something within. He didn’t pause to study them. He didn’t want to know.

Rion looked up and down the quiet space, counting the doors that stood between the vials.

Rion ambled toward the first door and pushed it open to find a large cylindrical chamber attached to the back wall. It stood empty with shackles inside that looked like they’d clamp around a Fae’s wrists and ankles. A mask hung to the side with a large tube attached to it.

Rion’s stomach twisted and his world tilted. He stumbled back, gripping the doorway to keep his balance as the pain continued radiating through his chest.

He needed to get himself together. Rion tried to remember what he’d been doing before his capture. The images blurred. He’d been chasing Arianna down a long corridor until—Talon.

Shit . Rion’s head snapped around and he darted back into the hall. He risked glancing at one of the objects floating in the vials and his heart skipped. It looked just like a heart. Bile rose through him again and he looked away. He’d know if it were Arianna. Some part of him would know.

Rion scented the air, hoping to find the male, but an acrid stench filled the space, blocking out everything else. He tried again, dragging himself down the hall with his hand still clenching his chest.

Another door opened and a group of Fae emerged in deep conversation. They froze upon seeing him. Their eyes widened, but Rion was on them before they could even cry out.

He slammed his elbow into the jaw of the first, then snapped the male’s neck. Rion ripped the blades from the male’s belt and launched them at the others. Two hit their mark.

Glamours rose, trying to pierce his mind then wind tore through the space, stealing the air from around him.

Rion dove for the one wielding it and sank his teeth into the male’s throat before tearing it out. He turned to the final one. Knives clattered to the floor as the male raised his arms in surrender.

Rion grabbed him by the front of his tunic. “Where is she?”

“I—I—” The male trembled, his entire body seizing up in fear.

Rion shook him and slammed his back against the wall hard enough to crack the stone. “Where is she?” Rion repeated. He’d be damned if he let Vairik trap Arianna in one of those contraptions. She wouldn’t be someone’s experiment. He wouldn’t let anyone touch her again. Ever.

“Down the hall,” the male managed. He lifted one hand to point. “The other doors.” The lie’s burning scent hit Rion hard and he snapped the male’s neck before throwing him to the side.

The searing pain in his chest wouldn’t stop. It made him want to curl in on himself and let it all end. Let Vairik have him. Let death sink its claws into his soul.

But he had to see for himself. He couldn’t give up until he knew for sure.

Rion stumbled into the room they’d emerged from and studied the cylindrical container before him. The door on this one was shut and that bluish liquid from the vials covered the small front window.

Rion snarled and ripped the door from its hinges. Warm liquid came gushing out, spilling all over his feet and legs. Without it, a body hung limply from the shackles within. Rion didn’t recognize the Fae, but he still reached for the keys hanging on the side of the chamber. He unlocked their ankles first, then caught the body when he did the same for the Fae’s wrists.

Rion carefully removed the mask from their nose and mouth.

Their skin was strange, wrinkled and loose and the creature in his arms gasped for air and looked around as if they couldn’t quite see. Rion leaned them against the structure.

“Can you stand?”

The male didn’t answer. He simply sat there, gaping like a fish out of water. The Fae began shivering. Rion caught the Fae’s head as he fell to the side and curled into himself. Sympathy tugged within him, but Rion didn’t have time to waste. He had to find Arianna.

Moving as fast as his aching body would allow, he rummaged through a set of cabinets and found a pair of cloaks. Rion draped one over the Fae’s shoulders and folded the other beneath their head. Their breathing and heart rate were erratic and he doubted the male would live long.

With no other alternative, Rion left him and moved on to the next room, still trying to ignore the bubbling vials along the walls.

Another cylindrical container stood against the back wall. This time, Rion peered through the small window slot first. Another Fae male floated inside, his hair floating around his body like dead pond grass.

Rion debated releasing him, but the first Fae’s heart was already fading. Pulling him out would only result in an agonizing death. Rion was certain the creature had suffered enough at Vairik’s hands.

Rion moved on, his heart racing each time he peered through a small window. Part of him hoped to find Arianna, another part of him didn’t want her anywhere near this place.

When he stepped into the next room, Rion caught a familiar scent and bounded for the metal chamber. He ripped the door off its hinges and the blue liquid rushed over his already soaked boots. Talon fought against his restraints and Rion cursed before grabbing the keys hanging off to one side. He ripped the mask off Talon’s face and the male gagged, gasping for breath as Rion unlocked each shackle.

Talon nearly ran him over as he stumbled out of the contraption. The male collapsed to the floor, shoulders heaving, swiping at his face as if the mask were still there.

Talon’s eyes were glazed over with fear. More fear than Rion had ever seen in him. Talon retched then looked up through dripping hair to focus on Rion.

Rion just clutched his chest, willing the excruciating pain to subside.

Talon tried to clear his throat but his voice was hoarse. “Where are the others?”

“I’m looking.”

Talon tried to rise, fell, then stumbled to his feet, his back hitting the wall and knocking half a dozen metal tools to the floor. He tilted his head back, chest still heaving as if he couldn’t catch his breath.

They stood in silence, waiting for someone to come investigate the sound. None did.

“Come on.” Rion began combing through rooms again. Talon followed, neither male moving as fast as Rion would like.

Rion wanted to find the stairs and tear his way through the castle until he came face to face with Vairik. But if he left and Arianna was trapped in any of these rooms, he’d never forgive himself.

And if they ran out of time—Rion clenched his jaw. It’d take a split second and the entire place could come crumbling down on top of them. If he had Arianna, he might be able to survive, but without her—Rion pressed his fist against his chest, still fighting the pain.

He stumbled through door after door after door. Talon didn’t try to release the Fae within. Maybe he already knew what the outcome would be. Or he just didn’t care right now.

The corridor stretched on and on. Had these Fae been used for Vairik’s experiments? Was he siphoning their magic? Did Vairik have others plans and intend to—

Talon took off sprinting down the hall, his movements still unsteady as he leaned too far one way then over corrected, zigzagging down the corridor. Rion followed, his breath shallow as he tried to keep up.

Talon had already torn the container’s door off its hinges before Rion stepped over the threshold. Raevina tore out of the chamber roaring and swinging. Her fist collided with the side of Talon’s face and she pinned him to the ground, snarling as flames circled her body.

“Raevina,” Rion called. The shadows stretched around her, darkening the space as those fierce eyes snapped up to him. Liquid dripped from her long braids but recognition sparked and her magic guttered. She looked down at Talon, then let herself roll off and collapse next to him.

“Are you okay?” Talon asked.

“Does it look like I’m okay?” she snapped, then sat up again, holding one hand against her head as if it were pounding just as much as Rion’s. He had no way of knowing how long the female, or Talon, might have been trapped. “Get this shit off of me.”

The scent of Talon’s magic drifted through the air and he did as Raevina commanded, pulling the strange smelling substance from her body before doing the same to his own.

“I’m going,” Rion said.

“We’ll be right behind you.”

Rion only nodded before half running down the hall again. Several doorways later and Rion roared before ripping another container apart. He desperately yanked the mask off and unlocked the shackles. Saoirse fell into his arms and Rion sank to the floor with his sister’s limp body.

Her heart beat, but her chest wasn’t rising. She wasn’t—she wasn’t breathing.

Rion quickly laid her on the floor and pressed his hands against her chest. Talon and Raevina flew into the room, their magic poised to strike. Rion didn’t bother looking at them. He wasn’t sure how much his heart could take. He put his hands together and pushed down on her chest over and over again. Raevina slid to the floor beside him, pinched his sister’s nose and blew breath into her lungs.

She didn’t move.

“Saoirse,” he called, voice desperate.

Raevina did it again.

Again.

Saoirse’s body convulsed and Rion grabbed her shoulder, pulling her toward him as she coughed and sucked in breath after breath. She grabbed Rion’s arm, clinging to it with an iron grip. He bowed his head, thanking the gods as a trickle of relief washed through him.

“Where—” Saoirse struggled to catch her breath, fighting her shaking body. “Zylah. Where?”

“We haven’t found her yet.” But if she were inside one of these containers, Rion wasn’t certain the half-breed would survive. He wasn’t sure if Vairik would even bother to keep a half-breed, magic or no. He hadn’t found any yet, which just solidified the theory that the male might be using these Fae for their magic.

Talon pulled the liquid from Saoirse and Rion’s clothes, then Saoirse leaned on her brother as she rose to her feet. He could feel her trembling beneath him, her body on the verge of collapse.

But his sister stepped. “Zylah. I need to find—” she retched, just as Talon had done, but Rion held her up.

“We don’t have time,” Raevina said. “We have to find Arianna and get out of here. We don’t know when Conall—”

Saoirse hissed and turned on the female. “She’s my mate, I will not leave without her.”

They all stood in shock for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long. Talon called out from down the hall and Saoirse went running. Raevina found Gavin a few minutes later and dragged him inside the room where Saoirse was running her hands along Zylah’s body, searching for injuries.

They all split up after that, searching room after room after room until they reached the end of the hall.

“She’s not here,” Talon said.

“Because Vairik likely has her. If we find Arianna, we’ll find Ellie,” Saoirse said, her gaze still locked on the half-breed.

“Can you tell where she is?” Zylah asked, her voice just as raw as the rest of them.

Rion’s throat suddenly went dry. None had inquired about his injury, not that it was one they could see. He gripped his chest tighter, fire burning through him with every heartbeat.

“No,” he said, voice cracking.

His sister straightened, staring at him. “What do you mean no?” His body shook all over again and Saoirse stepped toward him. “Rion, what do you mean, no?” she repeated.

“I—It’s gone.”

“What’s gone?” Raevina demanded.

“The bond.”

They all fell silent and Rion scented the shock that flew between each of them. He knew what they were thinking.

“She can’t be—” Zylah’s voice trailed off.

“She’s not dead,” Talon said with so much certainty that Rion looked up. “She’s here, somewhere, and we’re going to find her.”