Page 146 of Wicked Heirs

All I could smell was my burning flesh.

And then it was gone.

The agony dissipated.

The incantation stopped.

Xavier released my wrist.

I opened my eyes to find all three of them crouched around me.

Xavier sank his fingers into my hair and stroked comfortingly. “It’s over.”

“It’s okay now,” Talon said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

Orpheus carefully took my wrist, examining the mark now there.

A red-raw three-inch jagged circle with a thick line through it.

“It’s done.” He looked at Xavier. “You did well. I’m impressed.”

Xavier pulled away from me and the guys. “If only that was the end of it.”

“If only it could be, you stubborn fucking fool,” Orpheus shot back.

“Lock it up,” Talon told them. “Let’s get Alena back to her chambers. She just went through some nasty shit.” He helped me to my feet, then wrapped his arm around me, guiding me back through the forest as Xavier and Orpheus trailed just behind. “Do you want me to fly you back?” he asked, obviously noticing that I was staggering a little in my step.

I nodded. “That would be nice.”

“I’ll just teleport her if she’s too weak right now,” Orpheus said.

“I’ve got it,” Talon bit back at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“You two! You and X battling back and forth! Enough for tonight, all right? Fucking enough. Can’t you tell that Alena’s at her wit’s end with it too? No, of course not, you’re too busy going at each other. Well, fuck that, the two of us are done with you both tonight. I’ll stay with her, make sure she’s okay through the night. The two of you, cool the hell down.”

Their stunned expressions were the last thing we saw before Talon suddenly called his wings, unfurled them, then took hold of me and soared us into the sky.

He was right, I could do with a break from them, from it all.

Tonight had been a lot.

None of it good.

I just needed to take a beat.

I feared it would be my last real chance in a long time with what was coming.

27

~Talon~

I winced as Alena was knocked to the ground again by a powerful bolt of magic.

And unnecessarily powerful bolt.

Of Ore’s magic.

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