Page 245 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

The woman twisted her wrist, and her helmet melted away.

No, not Dianna at all.

“Xavier,” she purred. “My yeyras. I’ve missed you.”

Kryella.

Her hands clamped down on the sides of my head. My vision burned green, and I screamed inside my head, her power burning me to my core. I screamed as my soul burst into flames, and for the first time in the last few months, my mouth moved under my own control. My knees buckled, but she continued to pour more of her magic into me. Iassulyn would be a fucking paradise compared to this torture, the acidic burn making me want to claw my skin off.

Kryella finally stopped, and my hands slapped down on the bridge as I panted, sweat beading on my skin. I panted, realizing it was me who made that motion, me who finally had control over my body.

My head snapped up, my eyes brimming with tears. “I-I,” I stammered. “I can move. You fixed it. Me,” I damn near sobbed.

Kryella knelt, her armor bending to points at her knees. She reached forward, and I flinched, expecting pain again, but when she cupped my cheek, there was nothing but the comfort of her touch. “Of course.”

Kryella dropped her hand and rose to her feet with easy grace before turning to the woman next to her. She slid her helmet back, and blonde hair spilled past the breast of her suit.

Athos. The goddess Athos. It was impossible.

My mind swam, and my blood pounded. They were dead. They had been thought to be dead since the Gods War, but . . . the proof was standing before me. My mind reeled. We never saw a body or their light burn through the sky. Samkiel never spoke of it, but we assumed. “How are you alive?” I choked out.

Athos did not hesitate. “We are The Eye.” The lethal soldiers behind her stood tall, holding the thick silver shields I remembered from before the fall of Rashearim. Gods, so many gods. “We are the last rebellion against Nismera the Conqueror. What we need to know now is how many more of you are alive?”

ONE HUNDRED AND SIX

DIANNA

My eyes shot open, my breath catching in my throat. I could tell by how clear my vision was in the dark that my eyes glowed crimson. The dream receded, just a fleeting memory I couldn’t remember or catch. I finally focused on the Ig’Morruthen, and a chill ran up my spine when I heard what the beast was screaming.

Danger!

Danger!

Danger !

I went predator still, assessing the room. Firelight flickered against the walls, and the curtains on the large bay window danced lightly with the cool breeze. Rain, a slow drizzle, emptied from the dark gray clouds. Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a low rumble of thunder.

Heat blanketed my back, and a slow, even breath tickled my shoulder. Samkiel’s head rested against mine as he slept, his arms holding me in a vise-like grip, protecting me even in his sleep. I tried to calm my raging heart, wondering what startled me from my sleep. But I didn’t see anyone in our room, not even a single book, candle, or tablecloth out of place, so why had I awakened as if someone was watching us from the end of the bed? Why was my beast going crazy with distress?

I sighed and relaxed back against Samkiel, deciding it was just the remnants of the forgotten dream. I wrapped his arm tighter around me, but I felt it again as soon as I closed my eyes.

My instincts screamed at me to wake, urging me to leave. An insistent thread pulled tight, wanting me to follow it.

I forced my eyes closed a fraction tighter, denying the pull, telling myself it was nothing, just the echo of the nightmare. Kaden was dead. He wasn’t here, and Isaiah was locked deep beneath the castle.

Still, a tug pulled at me, beckoning me, and I wondered if something was wrong in the castle. I carefully lifted Samkiel’s arm and slid beneath it as quietly as I could. He sucked in a breath before groaning and turning over onto his back, his arm now draped across his bare chest, the other above his head. Gods, he was beautiful. I forced myself to turn away and slipped off the bed, reaching for the robe on the nearby armchair. I slipped it on, taking one last look to make sure he was still asleep.

Samkiel’s chest rose and fell evenly, the sheets tangled around his thighs now. He was deep asleep in all his naked glory, but besides my normal appreciation of the godly body he was blessed with, my eyes caught on his midsection. Where that deep, bruised scar had slashed across his abdomen, there was now nothing but smooth, healed skin. I had felt it earlier when he had stripped first himself and then me before taking me against the wall. I had run my hand over it to make sure it was real.

A part of me still hoped that it had all been just another nightmare. Looking at the absence of the wound, I could almost believe he hadn’t been ripped from me, but the gaping ache where my soul had once been proved the truth. The only thing that eased the throb of the loss was being close to him.

I peered out the open window, still unsure how he had taken all his power back. I had asked Reggie for clarification once we returned, and Samkiel dragged Isaiah downstairs. Reggie said the sheer force of will and drive to protect me had been the catalyst. He said he willed them back into his body faster than he had time to process, and he still wasn’t sure what he had done was possible. Gabby loved me, but I had never been loved like Samkiel loved me. No one had cared for or protected me as he did. I still was unsure I was even worth it after everything I had put him through. But my cold, dead, aching heart swelled, thinking of such love and how, no matter what, it was mine.

I left his massive sleeping form and headed out the door, going quietly so as not to disturb him. As soon as I stepped into the hall, that damn tug happened again. My body jerked to a stop, and I glanced down. Whatever was pulling at me wanted me to go down. My blood ran cold.

Had something happened to Logan, Neverra, or Cameron? Had Isaiah escaped? Was he on a rampage downstairs, and we hadn’t heard it? I didn’t stop to think as I ran down the hall, taking the steps three at a time. Logan was down there, as were Neverra and Cameron. Even with Cameron’s increased strength, I knew Isaiah would rip him apart with his bare hands.

I ran down the hall, doorways blurring. I turned a corner and sped past the open door to Samkiel’s study before skidding to a halt. The hem of my robe tangled around my thighs as I backed up, my eyes narrowing. My heart thudded in my chest, alarm bells screaming in my head.

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