Page 24 of The Sacred and the Tormented

Rion tilted her head and whispered her name, his voice cracking on the syllables. He tugged at their bond. Nothing. He pulled at it again, desperation overwhelming everything else.

Open your eyes, he willed.Open them and tell me I haven’t lost everything.

The Dark Fae were increasing in number, battering against his magic. Their teeth snapped just out of range and Rion looked up at them, growling low as he clutched Arianna to his side.

He had to get her away from here. Protect her at any cost. Without her—without her, he’d unleash hell upon this world before jumping into the flames himself. She was everything, everything, everything.

Another lunged and Rion roared, rising to his feet with Arianna in his arms.

This battle needed to end. He had to kill them all so Arianna could get the help she needed. But they just kept coming, pouring from the darkness with no end in sight.

Panic seized his heart. Maybe if he got her back to the village—Zylah was there. She could help if—his blood ran cold as he turned around.

There was another hole in the wall, and he watched in horror as three more creatures barreled straight through the wooden structure. An entire section fell and the Dark Fae swarmed in like a dam breaking free.

He could feel Arianna’s blood rolling down his arm now.

Lightning flashed on the western side and Rion’s hope died in his throat. There was another wave coming they hadn’t even seen. It was a spec in the distance, but Rion knew an army when he saw one. Either it was Niall or more Dark Fae. They wouldn’t be able to withstand it either way.

Rion’s eyes locked on a male still fighting on top of the wall. Talon. He shouted commands Rion couldn’t hear. Not due to the noise, but the roaring in his head. Talon was pointing to them, but no one was available to obey his commands.

Rion’s breathing accelerated and he stepped back. The creatures still surrounded him, but they were lighter on this side. If he left—he swallowed hard, his heart beating so fast he was sure it’d stop.

He could run with her. Save Arianna from this fate. Maybe. She might still die anyway, leaving him alone.

They were all going to die. His mother. Saoirse. Talon. The villagers.

But Arianna. If he had her, maybe he could—

Rion stepped back again and let his magic pulse out from his body, knocking the Dark Fae back.

Nothing else mattered. Just his mate. He had to protect his mate.

Rion clenched his jaw, gave Talon a final look, then pivoted on his heel. He held Arianna tight, his heart thundering as he slammed through the creatures separating him from what he prayed was salvation.

Not for himself. He’d already been damned decades ago. But Arianna. Arianna deserved to live, even if it meant she’d ultimately damn him too.

Chapter Eight

Ellie

I am Lady Evelyn of Móirín and the future High Lady of Levea. I am the daughter of the High Lord of Storms. Sister to Arianna, The Queen of Alastríona. I have been trained to endure. To persevere. To overcome. I will not falter. I will not fall. I have a mate. Gavin from Pádraigín,but a half-breed with Móirín’s magic in his veins has claimed my heart. I will protect Levea at any cost, even if that cost means my life. The people are everything. There is no home without them. I will remain their future. I will not allow myself to be manipulated. I will not break.

The door slammed open and an all too familiar scent had Ellie’s stomach curdling. She could still taste the dry vomit on her tongue from earlier when—when—her head spun, pounding, pounding, pounding as she tried to pull her thoughts together.

A rough rug bit into the side of her cheek and she cracked one eye open to study the maroon fibers.

She hated this rug. This room. The High Lord’s study.

It’d become her second home. Second dungeon more like. She much preferred the cold stone floors of the other one.

Candles flickered at various points in the room, none doing much to erase the darkness surrounding her. They merely made her remember things she’d rather forget. Things that caused her skin to crawl. Like the nauseating feeling of the High Lord’s magic slithering through her mind. The feel of the iron shackles as they bit into her wrists and ankles. The piercing sound of Kirian’s screams…

A shudder went through her too cold body. Goose flesh rose on her skin and her stomach rolled again, threatening to empty.No, not yet, she begged. If she didn’t move, he wouldn’tknow she was awake. She just needed to stay still a little longer. She needed time to think.

Ellie cracked her eyes open again. Niall was here, though she hadn’t heard him arrive. Maybe she’d fallen unconscious again without realizing it.

The two males stood staring at one another. They always did that. No, was that right? Maybe they never did it. Too many images were swimming through her head for her to sort through. She needed Kirian. He’d help her set everything straight.

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