Page 105 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“Let me go.”

Rion did, even as he pulled his magic up to surround his own body in case Talon changed his mind. He knew better than to underestimate the warrior despite his age.

Weaver. He had weaver blood in his veins. It explained so much.

“Where is she?” Talon growled as he stared down at the female. Her image kept shifting, as if the glamour were trying to reclaim it’s hold.

“I don’t know.”

Talon turned to him then, his face still a mask of rage. “And how do I know you’re you?”

“You’re not dead.”

Talon scoffed then shadows wrapped around the female. Her body disappeared seconds later, vanishing as if she were made of smoke or mist.

“Where’s Arianna?” Talon demanded.

Rion clenched his fists. “I lost her.”

Talon’s gaze snapped up. “Who’s with her?”

“No one.”

Cold silence drifted between them. The kind that told Rion they were all about to face their worst fears.

“Conall said Vairik wants you and Arianna, which means he won’t kill her.”

“If you knew half the things Niall did to me that wouldn’t comfort you.” Rion’s mind kept flashing back to the memory of that female lying on a table and how her chest had been ripped wide open. Then to the dark creatures that had resembled the Fae far too much for his liking.

“Do we split up?” Talon asked.

Rion ground his teeth. It’d been so easy to turn them against one another. Would they be able to do it again? Did they risk it?

“No, we stay together for as long as we can. We se—”

The floor shook then turned to shadows beneath their feet before everything crumbled beneath them. Rion reached for something to pull him out, but every stone he grasped broke away. Talon cursed, trying to do the same.

Neither found purchase and they both fell into a darkness that consumed everything.

Chapter Thirty-One

Arianna

Arianna’s entire body trembled when she woke. Her breath clouded in the frigid air, and she blinked against the brightness of the room. White walls surrounded her, devoid of anything that might offer a scrap of information. She tried to move her arms, but her wrists and ankles were clamped down with thick metal bands. Another wrapped across her torso, locking her body in place.

Iron. Panic engulfed her. Her head pounded and her side burned, telling her the knife hadn’t been an illusion.

Ellie. Gods, what had that monster done to Ellie?

Arianna twisted her head to take in the room. A single metal chair sat in one corner along with a small table with a clipboard resting on top. No pen or pencil.

The plain iron door across from her had a small window on the top. If she freed herself, she might be able to see who stood on the other side. Were her friends strapped to tables as well?

Was Rion?

Arianna reached for the bond, but Rion was silent on the other end. No pain. No movement. She hated that feeling. She’d spent weeks unable to reach him and had felt their bond unravel strand by strand. It’d been excruciating.

Arianna tried to focus on the steady rhythm of his heart beat. It took several moments, telling her he wasn’t anywhere nearby, but at least he was alive. She’d rest in that small comfort for now.

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