Page 174 of Lady of Darkness

“I know. I am sorry.” A sad smile crossed his lips as he lowered her hands to her sides. “Eliza is fetching your tonic. You can sleep.”

“Make it stop, Sorin. Please make it stop,” she whispered.

He pressed his forehead to hers, and his ash and cedar scent wrapped around her. They sat like that, gazes locked, until Eliza returned with her tonic. When he pulled the stopper from the top, he said, “This is the last night you will take this. When we are home…” he swallowed thickly. “When we are home, you will step out of the cage this puts you in, Love. You will be free. No one will ever cage you again.”

He brought the vial to her lips, and she allowed him to tip it into her mouth.

He helped her ease into her bedroll. Lying on her back, she stared up at the night sky. The little bit she could see between the trees anyway. She felt the weight of the other blanket he had gotten as he spread it over her. She tensed slightly when he settled down beside her, inches away.

The roaring in her head had stopped, but now it was empty. Silent as her tonic began to drag her towards sleep. She could hear Callan arguing with Finn and Sloan. She could hear every word as he tried to push past them to get to her.She heard Eliza tell him he was not getting near her tonight.

“I should go talk to Callan,” Scarlett sighed. “I should go explain.”

“You do not need to explain anything to him.” Sorin’s tone was clipped as he spoke.

“Do you have something against the Crown Prince?”

“Besides the fact that he has shared your bed and kissed you more than I have? Not particularly, but that is enough, I suppose,” Sorin answered.

Scarlett wasn’t quite sure what to do with that tidbit of information, but the ache in her chest clenched tighter. “He will fight Eliza on this,” she replied quietly.

“Eliza can handle them.”

“Really?”

“Eliza is terrifying without her magic, but she currently wears your ring on her finger,” Sorin answered. Scarlett glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He had his hands behind his head, his eyes fixed upwards.

“Eliza is Fae?”

“Yes, and she is powerful. Your ring will be of more use to her right now should we have any unwelcome visitors tonight, as my power is greatly depleted. I need to reserve the little I have left to portal us once we cross the border tomorrow,” he answered.

“Is she more powerful than you?”

“No.”

“Is she more powerful than the Fire Prince?”

“No. The Fire Prince is the most powerful fire-wielder in the Courts. That is why he is the Prince of the Court,” Sorin answered.

“You said you would help me kill him,” she whispered softly.

There was a long beat of silence. “I did. I will.”

“How? If he is that powerful?” Scarlett questioned.

“I know his weaknesses.”

“You do?”

That was surprising. She couldn’t decide if he was on good terms with the Fire Prince or not.Was he in his good graces, or did he work against him with the queen?

“Yes, but let’s discuss this tomorrow. As delighted as I am that you are once again speaking to me, you need to rest, Scarlett. We need to be on our way with the sunrise. I do not doubt Mikale and the Lord will have sent others after us,” Sorin added.

“Then why did we stop? Why not ride through the night?”

“One, because you are injured. Two, because I needed you to take your tonic tonight. I could not have your magic spiraling out of control in the middle of the night,” he sighed.

That made sense.

---