Page 162 of Storm of Secrets and Sorrow

“I agree,” Katya said from the sofa in Theon’s room at the townhouse. It was the only place warded well enough to keep godsdamn Ford from knowing what they were doing.

“Death?” Axel demanded, whirling to Auryon. “I thought you said the poison would paralyze her?”

“It will, which in time, will probably lead to death.”

“Probably?”

Auryon shrugged. “I am not an Oracle, so I cannot say for sure, but death has followed in the past.”

“What if I kill her?” Luka asked, looking more apprehensive than Axel had ever seen him.

“That is a possibility,” Auryon answered, not straying far from the fireplace.

Theon, of all people, had cleaned Kat’s wound. The blood might be gone, but the wound was far from healed. Axel still kepthis distance, though, not trusting himself to be near her after what he’d nearly done in the archives.

Luka moved forward, dropping down beside Katya. “Are you sure about this, Kat? We can find a Reselda Legacy, a Healer who might?—”

“I think she’s right,” Kat rasped, her speech already sluggish. Every blink was slow, as if it was too much work to reopen her eyelids.

“Just do it,” Axel said, panic starting to bubble up.

Luka glanced at him, nodding once before doing just that.

Black flames flared, casting dim shadows all around them, before he wrapped that same fire around Katya.

And she screamed.

It was a scream Axel felt in his soul, and it had him lunging forward. Theon was there though, wrapping arms around him from behind. One was wound tightly around his waist, the other banded across his chest. Axel knew he was saying something, but he couldn’t hear him. He may as well have been speaking in a different language because all he could hear was Katya’s screams. All he could feel was agony andburning. Gods. Hewasfire. That was all he could think. He was on fire, and she was screaming, and he couldn’t get to her.

His shadows appeared, trying to pry Theon off of him, and Theon was forced to battle back. Shadows and darkness fighting, both desperate, but in the end, Theon was still stronger. He always would be.

It could have been minutes, but it felt like hours that dragged on and on. Katya’s screams would haunt him for the rest of his days. At some point, he’d sank to the floor, Theon going with him, his hold never lessening. Axel clawed at the floor, trying to crawl to her, until finally Theon released him.

In the next blink, Axel was shoving Luka aside with a snarl and scooping Kat into his arms. She was naturally warm withfire in her veins, but now she washot. Her clothing stuck to her, but golden eyes blinked up at him.

“Are you all right?” she whispered, her fingers drifting up and brushing across his lips.

All he could do was huff a laugh of disbelief, tucking her in closer and resting his chin atop her head.

It wasn’t until that moment that he processed what he was doing. That he realized he was holding her tightly to him. That he realized Luka and Theon were staring at him. Luka was looking back and forth between Kat and him, and Theon had a look of knowing disapproval on his face.

Theon could go fuck himself.

“Is there anything else?” Axel bit out tightly, directing his question to Auryon.

“She will be tired, but recover fine. The wound will scar,” the female added.

With a look at the others, he said, “I’ll leave you two to deal with her,” before he rose in a fluid movement, bringing Kat up with him.

“Axel—” Theon started.

“Don’t,” was all he said to his brother as he started for the door.

“You need blood,” Theon called after him. “After all of that, you need it. To keep her safe.”

“I won’t hurt her,” Axel ground out, pausing in the doorway.

“Are you sure about that?”

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