Page 28 of Claiming the Dhampir

“No!” Brance bellowed.

He raised his hand, but Alyssa reacted immediately, almost like she anticipated his attack. She slammed both palms into his chest. Fire bloomed with the impact. Brance stumbled backward, beating at the flames quickly consuming his shirt.

I didn’t look forward to the smell of burning fabric—or worse, hair and skin—but it was the perfect distraction. They were no longer paying any attention to me.

I ran to Kenrid’s side and fell to my knees. I grabbed the nearest chain and pulled as hard as I could. No, it wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done. My subconscious knew I couldn’t yank those bolts out of the floor, but I had to do something. There was no way I could release Nathan, for all the same reasons I couldn’t look at him.

Brance and Alyssa wouldn’t stay distracted forever.

I glanced over my shoulder. The two of them were still locked in battle. Brance’s clothes hung in smoldering tatters from his body. Alyssa’s hair stood on end in several places, and scorch marks covered her face and arms. I didn’t want to contemplate the magic they were using against each other.

It looked like the other fae weren’t too keen to join the fight. They huddled by the door, watching their leaders. Thankfully.

“Here.”

I yelped at the hand being thrust in front of my face. The fingers uncurled, revealing a key.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was wrong to believe them.”

I looked up at the man offering the key to Kenrid’s freedom. He hung his head and seemed to deliberately avert his gaze away from Kenrid. I wanted to believe his guilt and regret, but he’d stood by and let all this happen.

He could beg for mercy later. I snatched the key from his hand and found the lock on the chain. After several agonizing seconds, I finally got it open and started throwing off the piles of chain.

“You could help me get these off him,” I snapped.

“No, I can’t,” the man said. The pain in his voice made me pause. “Iron is like poison to us. I’m surprised you can touch it without burning your skin.”

I looked up at him, then back at the burn marks on Kenrid’s chest. I’d read the fairytales about iron and the fae, but I hadn’t realized it was true. It’d never come up during our discussions.

“I guess it proves I’m more human than fae,” I lied and turned back to my mate.

Dark bruises marred Kenrid’s perfect face, but it didn’t stop him from giving me a small smile. How could he possibly be smiling right now? Being more cautious, I moved the rest of the chains. The man next to me helped me pull Kenrid to his feet and guide him to the edge of the room.

Just in time.

The floor shuddered beneath my feet, and the windows rattled in their frames. A spiderweb of cracks raced along the walls and across the ceiling. Kenrid slid to the floor with a groan, taking me and our helper with him. What kind of spells were those two throwing at each other? Did they realize they were bringing down the house?

Kenrid groaned, bringing my attention back to him. I knelt by his side, trying not to touch him. He squeezed his eyes closed and let his chin drop to his chest. I could only imagine how much pain he was in.

“Kenrid, what can I do to help?”

He didn’t respond. I felt so damned useless. We still needed to untie Nathan and find a safe place for him to heal. Maybe even a few pints of blood to replace what he’d lost. If we could get past Brance and Alyssa, who still seemed determined to kill each other.

“No!” Brance bellowed.

I jerked my attention from Kenrid just in time to see Brance lash out at Alyssa, punching her in the jaw.

She crumbled to the floor, her head bouncing off the hard tiles. She didn’t get back up. I winced but still had a hard time feeling bad for her.

Brance raced to the nearest wall and braced his hands against it. A wave of magic bloomed around him, making my ears pop and my eyes water with its intensity.

“What is he doing?” I asked.

“Someone is destroying the wards,” the fae next to Kenrid said. I really needed to find out his name.

Kenrid chuckled. I looked at him and sucked in a breath. He was smiling, but it wasn’t the one he normally reserved for me. The look on his face gave me chills. It screamed revenge. I could imagine this version of Kenrid setting the world on fire.

“I’ll have to get in line behind Damon to set that fire,” Kenrid said, reaching up and cupping my cheek in his palm.

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