Page 103 of Crown of Chaos

“Try not to fail, please,” he mumbled worriedly.

“Trust me, I don’t know how to fail. Plus, I intend to save the world, and I can’t do that if I’m dead. I also need to figure out a path that doesn’t have me becoming the queen of fucking skull cemetery or chained up and forced to watch the people I love betraying me on a constant loop. Whoever decided that shit is pure evil. Besides, your vision can’t be correct because I’ve taken precautions to prevent becoming pregnant unless I wanted it to happen.”

He blinked, frowning as he stepped back. “You think I would lie about the vision?”

“I think you would play tricks and try to manipulate the outcome. I think you all do that because, if I stay my course, there won’t be many thrones left within the realm. Nine Realms stand, but I intend to destroy one. That means others may fall as well. You want to be returned because you still want revenge, which will probably be something like overthrowing you father. So, I’ll help you, but only if you agree not to persecute innocent people.”

“You’d help me take the throne from my father?” he asked carefully. “You don’t know me.”

“No, but you weren’t the prick who was banging his son’s wife simply because you were a king. If that is true, and your only crime was sleeping with his wife because he slept with yours, then this punishment didn’t fit the crime. I’m not even going to touch on the Hecate issue, since she’s a huge fan of forcing herself on those who turn her down. He allowed you to be sealed with an element and allowed the entire world to forget you. He sounds like a self-serving prick. And since I don’t like those types of people and I need allies, yes, I’ll help you take the throne.”

“You’re not from this world, are you?” He twisted his lips to the side as he studied me.

“Nope, but I sealed the portals and made sure we’re stuck here together forever,” I admitted. “We can either make the best of it or live in a war-torn world. Decide,” I snapped, growing weaker by the moment.

“Deal, but first, you have to live long enough to claim it.” He pulled me against him. “I can’t ease the pain, but I can give you strength.” His lips crashed against mine, and he delved between my lips, sending his tongue dueling against mine.

His kiss wasn’t violent or forceful. It did, however, create an ache between my thighs that was growing, spiraling up through me with heat pulsing and thundering against my clit. My pulse hammered, and a soft groan of regret escaped my lips as he pulled away. Electric-blue eyes slid over my face before turning to where a rattle was echoing through the field.

“Ready?” he asked, stepping back to grab my arms and hold them out.

I pulled on the wind, fighting to remain upright. My pain level wasn’t lowering, and my knees threatened to give out. I fought harder, struggling to accept the power of the element rushing through me.

My eyes caught on Esme, who looked worried, but then the wind slammed into my body, forcing me to jerk back almost violently.

Warm arms wrapped around my stomach, and I sagged as my eyes closed and everything stopped. My body seemed to float for a second before it sank into the warmth that the Nine Realms provided.

My mind clasped onto the panic hushes rushing through the women. Siobhan shushed them with reassurances that I was healing. She explained what had happened last time and told them to gather around me. I couldn’t hear Elias, but if he was like the others, he’d vanished the moment I’d freed him.

And inside me?

The wind churned like a tornado rushing through the fields, destroying everything it touched.

Chapter Fifty-One

The sensation of freefallinglasted for a handful of seconds before I collided violently against the ground, abruptly forcing me awake. Pain exploded from every inch of my body, and I groaned. I felt like someone had run me over and then backed up a couple of times before abandoning my body in the dirt. My heavy eyelids were crusted shut, and the residual taste of blood sat stale in my mouth. Something poked into my side, and I swatted at it weakly.

“I think she’s alive.” Esme’s softly spoken mutter forced one of my eyes open to glare at her.

“Can’t I just have five minutes to sit here and contemplate where I went wrong in life?” The words left my lips in a mumble, and no matter how much I wished I actually could take five minutes, it was a terrible idea. So, I tried sitting upright, but I didn’t get far.

“You realize that theactualfucking worldhealedyou. Right?” Esme asked, her violet-colored eyes wide and sparkling. “I’ve never witnessed anything as amazing as that before, Aria. Bright light shot up from the ground and surrounded you. You were floating! We touched you, and it let us help mend you. It wasamazing! In all my time alive, I’ve never felt that much power or pureness. I felt joy and happiness for the first time in forever. It was so insane.” She pushed her fingers through her hair, sparkling with her excitement.

The last time the land had healed me, Aurora had snapped at the girls and told them that if they touched me, I’d die. Apparently, that had been a lie.

“You touched it?” I blinked, lifting a hand to block out the blinding sunlight.

Her head bobbed. “We did, and it recharged us, too. The longer I touched you, the more I understood who you are to become. I was certain before, but I hold no doubt about you anymore, Aria.”

“It was pretty amazing,” Soraya agreed as she handed me a bladder filled with water, her gaze roving over my face. “Although, you still look like shit.”

“It doesn’t heal everything. It just stops me from dying,” I said, wondering if I was still so sluggish because I’d almost fully drained myself fighting Hecate before I called the keeper of the element. The water element hadn’t been like this, but he’d wanted me to take it from him. He’d dragged my ass into the depths and forced the issue. Elias hadn’t made it difficult either, which I was thankful for.

Esme helped me sit upright and then settled in behind me to help keep me steady as I sipped the water. It was then that I realized a small crowd had formed just outside the open gates of the stronghold.

“They’re the ones who came out once the battle died down,” Soraya offered. “Most are witches who were being held here.” The witches were easy enough to pick out. They were the ones who looked underfed and had bandages on their feet, legs, or wrists. “Avyanna ransacked the castle and brought out supplies to treat the ones who were being tortured. They seem to be okay enough to move, but a few are heavy with child. Apparently, the lord here was trying to breed the evil out of the lines’ and took liberties with a lot of them. He didn’t die, by the way. He was hiding in the garderobe. Esme almost ate him while we were waiting for you to wake up from your power nap.”

I laughed at Soraya, sliding my gaze to a man who had his hands tied behind his back. He’d been badly beaten, and his face was a mixture of dark-purple bruises with angry blue ribbons through them. One eye had completely swollen shut, but his other one was open enough for him to glare at us.

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