Page 10 of The Prince's Mage

Especially if he was still determined to try and kill Marcella even with Gavril there.

Aimilia nodded. “I’m on it; just keep him from watching my hands. And let’s hope you’re a good teacher.”

Nikias, however, did not miss the exchange. He slammed his fist on the wall and snapped, “Commander, you know that as long as that demon breathes my brother isn’t going to let go of her. What do you think you gain now? Leftover scraps of affection he barely had for you as a friend? You deserve better than that. Are you ready to just let go of everything you ever wanted to stay in his good graces and live the rest of your life second best to that demon?”

“Hey!” Gavril stepped in front of Aimilia, who had turned her head at Nikias’ words, shielding her from Nikias’ sight. He hoped her movements were the act of Nikias’ words getting under her skin and upsetting her more than anything else.

It was like Aimilia had said. Like Nikias didn’t expect to live much longer so he didn’t care about the consequences of his words or actions.

Gavril narrowed his eyes at Nikias. “You donotget to talk to her like that. Just because your human decency and any sense of right or wrong died when Faustina did doesn’t mean the same for the rest of us.”

Mentioning Faustina had the desired effect. Nikias’ seething was fully directed on Gavril and the girl in his arms who looked just like the Desero demon. He slammed his fist against the wall again, the vitae brightening as it held him back. “Watch your mouth! Everything I’ve done has been to clean up your mess! I’ve been doing all of this for your benefit and so Aimilia can have everything she wants! But it’s not like you care about your oldest friend with the way you’ve been treating her ever since that demon got her claws into you.”

Aimilia didn’t even blink, she was too focused on her runes. Good.

Gavril kept Nikias’ eyes on him as he snapped, “Just because I don’t love Aimilia romantically does not mean the care I do have for her is any less because I do love my wife. You don’t get to decide what’s best for all of us. You don’t get to decide my marriage is a mess for you to clean up. Besides, what do you know about what any of us want? Maybe getting everything we want isn’t worth it if the price is this ocean of blood you would have us drown in.”

Gavril snapped his mouth shut the second Aimilia’s hand brushed his back. He followed her lead and took a few steps back, catching sight of her rune out of the corner of his eye as the illusion took over. He kept walking backwards as the illusion of him, Marcella, and Aimilia appeared where they’d been a moment before. Nikias didn’t even blink, the illusion replacing them was so seamless.

It looked like Aimilia had grabbed him and they’d turned away from Nikias to whisper quietly. Nikias’ eye was twitching and his lip was curling up at the fake scene.

As Gavril kept walking backwards, catching up to Aimilia, he could see her fingers continuing to fly as sweat dripped down her brow, tweaking the illusion. The fake Aimilia would shift her weight, the fake Gavril would bend lower. The fake Marcella in his fake arms was deathly still, easier to focus on making the other two move if no one was expecting Marcella to move much anyway.

He forced himself to look away from the fake as nausea rose up in his throat while the knowledge that he’d been too late pounded at his head. He focused on her breathing against his skin. Her heart was beating now. That was what mattered.

Once they were out of Nikias’ range of hearing, Aimilia whispered, “Go, hide her in your room. You just need a few hours. I’ll hold the illusion as long as I can—” They both looked back to see Nikias slam his fist against the wall again, as he barked at their fake-whispering forms. Aimilia continued, “—and when it and the wall falls, arresting me will take some time—especially since I won’t be going quietly. That gives you until dawn when you can get before your parents and invoke your vow with your father.”

Gavril’s eyes widened and he whispered back, “I can’t just let him arrest you.”

Aimilia smirked despite the strain it was clearly taking on her to split her focus between a conversation and a realistic illusion that was also hiding them from sight. “My uncle will make sure I get released immediately. I’ll get grief about dishonoring the house, but I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll hide Marcella and then I’ll come back.”

Aimilia shook her head, her fingers twitching to keep the illusion moving realistically. She looked at Marcella in his arms, her lips twisting in a pained, sad smile. “Don’t. I’m a commander in my own right. I can handle your brother and the dungeons for a few hours. Your wife needs you right now more than I do.”

Marcella shifted in his arms, and the illusion in front of Nikias started to weaken, so Gavril tightened his grip and took off. He was fairly certain Marcella wouldn’t actually want him anywhere near her, not after he’d so thoroughly failed her a second time and was responsible for the agony she’d gone through.

Responsible for her dying.

Responsible for saving her life when she’d been about to die again. Ripping away the thing she’d begged him for the first time she’d gone up on the table. The thing she’d begged him for so she wouldn’t end up back on the table again.

He didn’t want to see his own reflection in the mirror—of course she wouldn’t want him near her. He hurried through the dark halls. Thankfully, Gavril had been preparing for the day he hoped to have Marcella moved from her cell in the dungeons to her proper quarters—the room connected to his—so he already had several complex protection runes set up that would actually keep her safe so he could return and help Aimilia. No one who meant her harm could get past the doorframe.

Although, the way Marcella had crawled into his arms and whispered that she was alive and safe was forever burned into his mind and skin. He would not let himself get his hopes up. He would not let himself read anything into it. She had just survived the operating table for far longer than most Sordes ever had. She’d died, even if only for a few minutes before her heart started back up. Her mind wasn’t in the right place, and as soon as it was, she wouldn’t want him anywhere near her.

But he would protect her regardless.

The peace he’d been chasing, using her and the rock to try and achieve it…

It was not worth this.

He would not let it be her blood that bought peace.

And whatever that might cost him, he would sacrifice it all.

Let Areator burn itself to the ground. Let his people and the Sordes slaughter each other until they were all extinct, so long as Marcella lived.

Chapter4

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