Page 6 of A Spark Of Revenge

“Oh, Valen,” tears instantly brimming up.

“No pity, Mi Sol. It is behind us, you have already saved me.” He flashes a bright smile at me while reaching yet again to wipe my tears. “I’m just sorry that I made you cry again.” I reach up and grab his hand, surprising even myself by kissing his fingers. I pull back immediately, collect myself, and move to the present again. It’s oddly quiet, and that worries me. What happened to the Regalis brothers? Had they given up and left us here?

I almost snort at the idea. If it had only been Creed out there, then maybe. But Lennox is too damn stubborn to give up or allow me any kind of freedom. Not to mention Razar. I kinda panicked and stabbed him in the chest before he shifted into that monster, an action I almost regret now that I think about it. But hell, I fucking panicked! But now that I know who they are… what Razar is, I really shouldn't feel any guilt.

Only I do.

“Regina? Why the name change?” I ask, trying to distract myself from my confusing thoughts. But now that I think of it, Valen’s called me that more than once, and I want to know why. I liked his other nickname for me more. It was more unique, and I must admit, I liked being the light in his life. Regina is cute… but it kind of scares me a little. I’m no queen, and this man is the very definition of some fantasy king—the unworldly, handsome Elf or Fae who runs a kingdom with charm and beauty. “I liked Mi Sol,” I admit, blushing a little when I realize I just said that out loud.

“Why can’t I use both?” he asks, voice so quiet I have to lean in to understand him. “I like nicknames,” he adds, and I chuckle, then frown when the floor under me shakes, but no sound accompanies it.

“What was that?” I ask, my hands moving to the floor under us as it shakes again. I strain my ears, trying to hear what may be causing the shaking, but it's silent. Eerily so. The hair stands up on the back of my neck as small tremor after small tremor racks the building. “Shit, is there an earthquake?” I ask, looking over at Valen to see if he knows what's going on, but he only smiles back, his eyes unfocused as he stays lying on the floor.

Pushing to my feet, I move to the tiny window to see if the guys are still outside, but when I get about three feet away from Valen, something stops me dead in my tracks, almost like I’ve run into a wall. “What the hell?” I gasp, rubbing at my now smarting nose that I crushed against the invisible wall in front of me before reaching out with my hand. My fingers press against something solid, and I can feel my mouth drop open in shock.

“Bubble,” Valen mutters, and I twist on my heel, staring at him in surprise when I see him sitting up on an elbow, his slightly unfocused eyes trying to follow my movements.

“What?”

“I… put up… a bubblllle,” he slurs, then grimaces, pressing a hand to his head. “I heard voices and didn't want us to be discovered,” he rasps, then smiles, tilting his head to the side as he studies me. “You are very beautiful,” he remarks offhandedly. I blink in surprise at the sudden change of topic and furrow my brows.

“Are you drunk?” I ask worriedly. Valen laughs and nods, then hisses in pain, and lays back down. I rush over and kneel next to him. “Valen?”

“Really l-low on magic,” he explains, and I nod.

“Right, how can I help with that because as much as I like your little…” I trail off, looking around us, and shake my head before looking back at him. “Bubble. We unfortunately have already been discovered, and those men out there won't be leaving me alone anytime soon,” I explain. Valen cracks a pale green eye open, a frown marring his beautiful face.

“Men? How m-many men?” he asks, trying to sit up with an angry gleam in his eyes, but he doesn't make it far, his arm gives out after only a second of effort.

Shit, he’s really not in a good way here.

“Uh, three, I think? I would need to check and see if any of them have left yet. How can I help you with the magic situation? Because you are way too heavy for me to be tossing over my shoulder and carrying you out the door, especially with Stooges One, Two, and Three out there.”

“Stooooges?” Valen asks in amusement, and I smile back. “What is a stooge?”

“They are.” The ground shakes, and I wince. “You know what? That's not important right now. We need to get out before Lennox, or worse, Razar breaks in here.”

Valen curses and nods, closing his eyes, and I can feel whatever magic he constructed around us flicker, then crack with an audible pop. It makes Valen groan and jerk before he tries to sit up, his eyes glazed with worry when they land on me.

Like a rush, sounds from the outside world come back to me, making my eyes widen when I hear a roar of anger before the church shakes again. Creed's worried voice is there, but muffled beneath Lennox’s raging, and I wince.

Shit, they sound mad.

Valen's eyes widen almost comically so, darting toward the church door as he stares at it in confusion. He is probably wondering who is freaking out. “Meyer,” Valen whispers, his tone cold as I creep close to the window.

I look over my shoulder, finding his glare trained on me as he snaps his fingers and points to his side. I arch an unimpressed brow at his demand and roll my eyes as I go back to what I was doing. I need to figure out how to get Valen and me safely out of this damned church without the Regalis brothers seeing us, then figure out how to replenish Valen's strength. Once we’re safe, I can tackle the other things that I need to do, like figuring out where Jordan is and getting him out of the Castle.

Curling my fingers over the cold, dusty edge of the window, I peer through, only lifting myself enough to get an unobstructed view of the men outside. When I realize they aren't paying any attention to the window, I stand a little taller, then squeak in surprise when a large hand curls around my calf, and I’m being yanked back to the floor.

I immediately slap a hand over my mouth when Lennox’s roars suddenly stop, then narrow my eyes at Valen. He’s glaring back at me, his green eyes narrowed in anger as his hand moves from my calf up my waist, trailing his fingertips softly over my side until his elegant fingers wrap around the back of my neck.

“Meyer?!” Lennox bellows, and I sigh in exasperation, pointing to the door with an accusatory look on my face. Valen only shrugs, his angry look still in place. He opens his mouth to say something, and I press a finger back to my lips, making him roll his eyes in response. “Meyer, I swear to”—SMACK—“Ow! Fucking Hell! Creed, smack me again, and I will gut you!” Lennox roars, and I can’t help the small smile that twitches at the corner of my mouth. Jeez, I forget how big of a princess Nox is when he doesn't get his way. Creed shouts something back at Nox, and I use their raised voices to lean forward and talk to Valen.

“I have to figure out how to get us out of here. Stop being difficult,” I hiss in frustration, trying to pull back. But Valen's fingers only tighten around my neck, keeping my face close to his.

“I have to keep you saaafe. Y-you need to stay close to me,” he mutters, and I roll my eyes.

“Yeah, no offense, but I’m pretty sure you need to stay close to me so that I can keep you safe. You can be the knight in shining armor next time,” I respond, making Valen's slightly unfocused eyes twitch a little. I move my hand and rest it on top of Valen's before tapping it a few times, trying to get him to let me go.

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