Page 92 of Ruled By Magic

I battled for another breath, only half filling my lungs. My body weighed me down, my limbs lead weights anchoring me to the floor. Poison. Agony tore through me—the sickening sense of being destroyed from the inside out.

“Give it to her!” A ragged, desperate plea. “I’ll do what you want.”

Adante snorted and shook his head. He waved to the bartender, who walked behind the bar and pulled open a door. Four men emerged. My vision blurred, the edges of their black-clad forms softening as they neared me.

“Bind him.”

The men all pointed devices at Leo. I couldn’t make them out, but the effect was instantaneous—he cried out, grabbing his head.

“I’ve been told the process is unpleasant.” Adante straightened and approached Leo.

Black bloomed at the edges of my vision and grew to dancing spots. Adante’s voice echoed and the pain in my body faded, replaced by a hideous numbness.

“Is his power bound?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Secure him.”

A man—a blurred blob now—moved toward Leo. My eyes became heavy, lids drawing down.

“The antidote! I did as you asked.”

“Yes, I suppose you did. What is she to you, anyway? Why do you care so much? Be honest and I might just save her.”

“She’s special. I love her. Please!”

I relaxed. The agony had dissipated and numbness seeped through me, blanketing my mind. My body was a distant thing, solid and unmoving.

Pain flared. My head. Someone grabbed my hair, lifted me, and forced my head back and my mouth open. Liquid splashed down my throat.

In the liquid’s wake, agony tore through me as nerve endings blazed to life. I convulsed, limbs twitching as I dissolved into a violent fit of coughing. I sucked in air. My vision swirled and shuddered. As my lungs found air, my eyes cleared.

Leo knelt, hands secured with straps behind his back, more straps binding his legs. Four men formed a square around him, each pointing small black devices at him. Adante leaned against the bar, watching me.

“Liv, are you okay? Can you breathe?” White-faced, Leo’s eyes drank me in as if nothing else in the world mattered.

I opened my mouth, twitched my fingers and toes. Everything still seemed to move. Working some moisture into my parched mouth, my tongue thick and dry, I managed, “Yes.”

Leo’s features softened. “Thank Zantus.”

Horror crashed over me. I’d been moments from death. Images flooded my mind—everything I’d almost lost. It could all still be taken away. Adante was a cruel madman, and Leo had just surrendered to him. For me. Hysterical sobs tried to bubble up in my throat, but I forced them down and struggled to a sitting position.

Adante took a step toward Leo. “A prince of Atar, throwing yourself on my mercy to save the life of your whore. Pathetic.”

“Leave her alone.”

“I’ll decide what to do with her soon. My court seemed taken with her after the show you put on last night. She’d make a nice addition to the Palace Collection. Or perhaps one of them will keep her for himself.”

Horror drenched me.

“You fucking bastard.” Leo spat the words out. “Don’t you see how stupid this is? What’s the point?”

Adante frowned. “Did you really think I’d let you walk out of here? A challenger for the throne, and stronger in magic?”

“I don’t want your damn throne!”

“I don’t believe you.”

---