Page 97 of The Mirror in the Mountain

I saw the moment he took in the handprint blistering the skin of my neck, just as his shadows raised the sleeves of my nightdress, exposing the burns on my wrists. His expression turned murderous.

“I’m okay,” I repeated softly. “Please don’t wake anyone up to heal me. Not when everyone needs their strength today.”

Bash looked ready to argue, then let out a shaky breath, obviously trying to settle the turbulent mix of fear and hatecareening down our bond—his rage reflecting in those beautiful shadow-filled eyes. Then I was enveloped by the safety of his arms, his shadows as they wound tenderly around me.

The pressure in my throat tightened unbearably.

“What did he want?” Bash asked, quiet fury lining each word.

“My surrender.” The attempt at nonchalance was lost to the quaver in my voice.

His jaw flexed. “Unconditionally, I’m sure.”

I let out an empty-sounding laugh. “He must know we’re close, somehow. Either through the bloodbond, or…” I didn’t want to even think about the possibility of spies within our ranks, though I knew it was naïve not to.

“He probably wanted to be sure you hadn’t already beat him there,” Bash said tightly.

I winced, knowing the rancor in his tone wasn’t meant for me but despising it all the same. Silently, I berated myself for letting Aviel get so close, for not having the wherewithal to push him out of my mind sooner. A shudder ran through me at yet another violation. Bash pulled me closer, as if his arms alone could shield me from further threats.

When he spoke again, his voice was a broken whisper. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I hate the thought of you near him without me.”

From the guilt across our bond, I knew he didn’t just mean now.

“You never left me, Bash,” I whispered, burrowing my face into the crook of his neck, breathing him in. Letting his scent wrap around me as surely as his arms—of petrichor and safety. “Not even then.”

“Eva…”

“I know,” I whispered.

And I did. Because everything he felt, I felt too—no more walls left between us now. His fear, not for himself, but for me, born from that unrelenting love that lined the bond between us.

“If he knows where you are, then we need to get moving right away.”

I heard what he had left unsaid. The fear that despite our best efforts, we would be too late.

Bash’s lips pressed into my hair as I listened to his heartbeat beneath my ear, even our breaths synchronized. Holding each other for one more moment before we went to face our fates.

Chapter 42

Eva

Amaelstrom had opened above Adronix like it sensed us nearing it, lightning flashing across the stormy skies in an endless flurry of light and shadow. Icy rain poured down in a torrent and even the circular pockets of magic Yael conjured around us were unable to keep the chill from my bones. My heavy cloak stayed tightly wrapped around me as the sleet turned into snow. Yet the cold ran deeper than that, like the frost had invaded my very blood.

The closer we got to the icy mountain, the more I felt like I was losing my mind. This close, its presence felt like a constant thrum inside my head, growing more demanding with every step. Perhaps that was the mirror that waited within, luring me like a moth to a flame.

Or, if fate was to be believed, a fish already on the hook.

My nerves skittered as we came to a halt. I turned to see Bash striding toward me, the hilt of his sword rising above his shoulder from where he had it strapped to his back, the two daggers on either side of his narrow hips exposed as his cloak streamed behind him. His storm-filled eyes studied me, his snow-speckled lashes brushing against his freckled cheeks as his eyes narrowed at whatever he saw.

I dismounted Nisa, my boots hitting the frozen ground hard. “What are we waiting for?”

Bash closed the gap between us in two long strides. “The next section of the route is prone to avalanche. A few Elemental water users are riding ahead to make sure it’s safe. They’ll report back as soon as we can proceed.”

I wondered if he realized he ruled so easily. Effortlessly commanded the trust of his people, their respect freely given because it had been earned, not because of his titles, but through years of serving alongside them in this war.

Not for the first time, I wondered why he hadn’t been chosen to lead this realm. He was eligible for the Choosing, after all. And yet, he hadn’t once mentioned the desire ever crossing his mind. Perhaps I should simply be glad of the fact that he was myanimaand would lend a level of credibility to my own claim through his devotion to me.

Part of me hoped that if I were to fail, Bash might take my place as the leader this realm deserved. Another part of me knew without a doubt that if I were to die in the attempt, Bash wouldn’t be far behind.

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