Seth hooks a finger under my chin and tilts my head back. His eyes are midday blue, highlighting how bleak the sky has become.
“Why do you look so weak?” he says, then rushes to add, “When they hit me with a Power Blocker, it removed not just my connection to, but also my immunity to Allure. The potion wore off, and I found myself butt naked in front of the White Castle Dignitaries trying to pitch the idea of ‘Clothes Free Monday’.”
I snort – absolutely loving the idea. Also not telling him I’ve filed it away as a potential future prank as I ask, “Why?”
“Because I stole my brothers’ clothes from the arena changing rooms and made them walk back to the suite naked.”
“So you earned it?”
He leans down and presses a kiss to my temple, whispering, “Maybe.”
Killian stops a few feet away, outside my bubble even if I could feel anything.
I wobble a little, feeling weak but alive.
Key word, alive.
So I suck in a sharp breath and force myself to concentrate on the man and the things I have to say. “I’m sorry.”
Killian growls, stepping back and turning away and looking like he might be about to leave.
“Sorry for what? What happened?” Roarke demands.
“I happened. You don’t understand, I feel hollow – like everything has gone wrong or changed or maybe vanished. But training was still the same. Hurting was still the same. And it made me forget all the other stuff. I …” I want you, Killian, and I don’t care how, but the rest of my sentence fades away.
He starts walking – which is not okay.
“And I’m pretty sure I was kicking your ass,” I shout, making him pause and turn.
Roarke looks at me with surprise, some of the stress fading from his eyes.
“I need details, Vexy,” Seth chuckles.
I smirk and point at Killian. “He’s become a slow old man, and I ducked and dodged and danced around him with ease.”
The with ease part is definitely a lie, but it makes him smirk back at me.
He tugs up the sleeve of his shirt to share the pink line of an almost healed wound. I’m envious, but that’s an old argument.
Seth lowers his lips closer to my ear and whispers, “I’m impressed.”
Which makes me smile bigger.
I’m amused, Seth’s very amused, and Killian at least doesn’t look pissed, but the frown on Roarke’s face says he’s already moved on to the next problem.
He sighs and bows his head, his long hair falling forward in a mess – when’s the last time he brushed it? Defeat is written all over his posture.
“Doesn’t really matter what happened – the potion failed,” he says. “There’s nothing stronger.”
I practically sing and dance. “How long have I got until it wears off?”
“Maybe an hour, Kitten.”
“Well, I’m not sitting around and waiting for it to happen.” Seth looks thoughtful as he talks, part squinting up at the sky and part tapping his boot impatiently. “The tree is immune. It’s just absorbing my power. But what if we all concentrate Chaos at it?”
“We run the risk of using too much, and we could destroy the Spring at the same time,” Roarke says.
“My power works to our advantage.”
“No,” Killian snaps. “Your advantage.”
Silence.
If I am putting him in danger, his power might decide my death is a good idea – I get it. I also understand that Seth can’t control that, not even a tiny bit.
“I want to see the tree,” I decide.
“Pax’s orders,” Killian says, taking a few steps back and sitting down on the log.
His way of saying no – or enforcing it. Or both.
We all turn to face him, and the direction people enter the domain from, with the boulders on my right. He looks defeated – they all look defeated. End of our rope, and one of us is going to fall, but none of them are about to save themselves. No one can save me.
So they’re going to wait and watch until it’s over. I won’t let them.
And I won’t let them sit in their misery.
Determination floods through me. My body may be weak, but this emotion is chuckin’ strong.
“Nope, not happening. I’m the one in this damn bubble, so that makes it mine, and pity wasn’t invited to this party,” I snap, hard.
There’s a half breath where they all look at me in disbelief. I straighten from Seth and plant my hands on my hips, mustering every bit of energy I have to project just how serious I am at them.
Which makes Killian smile. Not a full smile. Not an eyes-emerald and teeth-showing smile. But still a smile.
More words are ready to topple off my tongue when movement in the trees catches my attention.
A wolf – Thane – and he’s covered in lots of blood.
A tingle runs down my spine. A very, very faint hint that I can feel them there. It sparks a more powerful sensation in my chest. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, looking for that connection. The one between them and me – and fail.
Not yet. The potion’s not done yet.
Thane ambles into the domain, trots straight across to the stream, and plunges in. The blood washes from him, leaving a red stain rippling through the water.
A flash of light explodes under the surface, and Pax emerges. His hair is wet, his muscles glistening, and there’s a slight glow still in his eyes. A rush of water falls away from his naked body as he climbs out, almost making me want to tackle the man back in.
The blood’s gone, and there’s no sign of any of it being his. That taken care of, I just stare. He acts like he hasn’t noticed me as he moves towards us. Every bit of him is a predator. Muscles coiled, ready to attack. The carved angles of his chest glint with water, and his fierce gaze demands that even the powerful bow to him. The sigil on his chest is nothing but a few
