Page 30 of The Sacred and the Tormented

Arianna needed both, but to trust strangers anywhere near her… To let them touch her…

No, they wouldn’t have to, he knew how to dress wounds. He could just use their medicine himself and perhaps the advice of a healer.

Did he really have any other choice? The Dark Fae were still being fought back and more Fae were joining them, their curious gazes staring at Rion and the magic circling his body.

Rion threw the male he’d been holding then eyed those in the vicinity. “Anyone that tries to touch her dies.”

“Understood,” the male still kneeling said.

He didn’t have enough time to assess them. All he knew was the male wasn’t lying. He was from Móirín, or so his scentclaimed. Arianna’s heartbeat skipped again and Rion darted for her.

The scent of her blood washed over him the moment he let the rocks crumble away. His heart clenched at the sight of her and the wound on her side. Gods, she needed help and she needed it now.

This was worse than any nightmare.

This was reality.

Rion carefully scooped her into his arms and emerged with his magic still spiraling around his body. It fought against his control now, but he couldn’t let them see that. His limp was bad enough.

The kneeling male slowly rose to his feet and stared at Arianna in awe for half a heartbeat before shouting commands for them to march north. Rion only hesitated a second before following.

“It’ll be all right,” he whispered to her. “I’m going to make everything all right.”

Chapter Ten

Rion

Time raced and stood still, coming in waves. Some moments felt like water crashing through him, dragging his mind beneath the surface while others felt like everything had frozen over. It left him wondering when the next crack would come or whether his reality would shatter entirely.

Those surrounding him whispered, more to themselves than to him, but there were a select few that were brave enough to speak to the unpredictable creature in their midst.

The group that’d promised aid moved fast, yet it also felt as though they were trudging through mud, climbing a steep mountain peak after a fresh snow with no end in sight.

Somehow, the Dark Fae had disappeared. He remembered killing a few, sending his magic out to crush their bodies. The warriors accompanying them had seemed grateful, but he’d hardly paid them any attention. Not with Arianna fading.

No, she’d be fine. They’d get to this promised camp, she’d heal, then they’d escape back to the village to—to … Rion bit the inside of his cheek and tasted blood. Physical pain was the only thing rooting him in their reality, that and the steady rhythm of Arianna’s heartbeat.

They rode in a wagon now, the contraption pulled by two horses. Rion couldn’t remember where it’d come from. He’d hardly listened to the explanations. He didn’t care. He just wanted to get wherever they needed to go. He just prayed that it wasn’t directly into the enemy’s hands.

Arianna’s heart, though steady, sounded … wrong. He couldn’t explain it. He only knew it wasn’t right and she needed help as fast as these Fae could provide it.

His gaze roamed over the blood soaking her tunic, then the stains on his hands. There was more on his clothes too.

Too much.

Too much. Too much. Too much.

Only one other person sat in the wagon with them. A female, her hands trembling and also covered in his mate’s blood. Bruises lined her neck. He studied them, wondering if he’d been the cause. Rion searched for the memory, but there were so many others. He’d killed someone, maybe several of their comrades.

They only had themselves to blame. He’d warned them not to touch her. Or had he done it before?

A male remained nearby. The same one who’d stopped Rion from killing them all. He’d convinced Rion this female could ease some of Arianna’s pain. Possibly stabilize her. It was only after Arianna’s heart had skipped another beat that he’d relented.

His hands shook. He couldn’t heal her. He had no power here.

“Can you close the wound?” The male asked, his voice frantic. The others were worried too, he could scent it in the air all around him and he hated it. He hated them. He hated himself for ever allowing this to happen.

“I’m trying.” The female sniffled and Rion glanced up just long enough to see a tear roll down her dirt-stained face. A sliver of guilt trickled through whatever emotions were swirling around his heart.

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