Page 74 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“He never used her in his mind tricks though. That was always you.” Arianna froze. “I’ve watched you die a million times. In a million ways,” he admitted. “And my heart went with you every single time.”

“Rion.” She turned then and the way he stared at her had her own tears falling. Gently, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Rion’s arms circled beneath hers and he buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent as if it might steady him.

The prospect of her death was the very reason he’d run. Why he’d panicked and trusted strangers when left with no other alternatives.

“When this is all over. We’ll go somewhere. Just us.” She pulled back and brushed her hand through his hair. “I want a life with you. When we finally come out, I want you at my side and we’ll rule this continent together.”

Rion tenderly kissed her lips. “Haven’t I already told you I’m yours?”

Chapter Twenty

Talon

Talon opted for the tunnel on the right. He was silently thankful the corridors were long and walls thick. He didn’t want to overhear anything going on between his friend and Rion. They deserved their privacy anyway. Both had more than earned it.

A short winding hall on his left led Talon into a small cavern with a pool at its center. He inhaled the crisp scent and felt his magic respond to the water. With Fiadh’s and Móirín’s rocky alliance, visiting had never been an option. He ventured a guess that this might be the last time for a long, long while.

Talon loosened his robe and folded it before setting it neatly on the floor by the entrance. He placed his weapons on top and leaned his sword against the rock before sinking into the hot water.

A flame in one of the sconces cracked. He eyed it then waded to the far side and let his head fall back against the stone.

A resistance group. It seemed too good to be true. It was too sudden. A blinding ray of hope in the darkness.

Conall’s explanations made sense even if Talon didn’t agree with them. As a commander, he knew what it felt like to lose his warriors. He understood that guilt and the burden one carried as they played through different scenarios that might have resulted in a better outcome.

But Conall had simply chosen not to fight. He’d gone into hiding with the sole mission of freeing those held captive while they waited on The Divine. Not to mention how the male had virtually ignored Rion through the years.

Talon shook his head. Could this Vairik’s influence really extend so far? Were they all still suffering from that male’s magic or had they broken it by learning the truth?

Talon clenched his fists. He didn’t like the idea of Rion or Arianna walking into Ashling. According to Conall, Vairik desperately wanted both of them. The best plan would be for the pair to return to Levea and lie low. Avoid the masses. Maybe even go into hiding.

But he knew neither would agree to it. Especially with Ellie in that male’s clutches.

A familiar sense of pain and longing washed through him at the thought. He wondered how she was doing.

Talon was no stranger to war or the hardships that accompanied it. He’d seen firsthand how horrendously the slaves had been treated. He’d witnessed bodies tortured beyond recognition. Fae begging for death with their final breaths. He’d seen others ripped open, their organs picked apart by the creatures of the forest. And he’d had no way of knowing whether death had granted them mercy beforehand.

Talon pulled the tie from his hair and slipped under the water’s surface, letting the heat wash over his face before emerging again. He stared at his reflection as droplets rolled down his face.

Defeating a ten thousand year old Fae wasn’t going to be easy. They’d gotten lucky with Niall. More than lucky and he was only seven hundred. Ten thousand—the number kept repeating in his head, but maybe that was the wrong thing to dwell on.

Talon could hear his old commander’s voice in his head yelling him to focus. He wished that male was here with him now.

No—he wasn’t a child. He could formulate plans just as well as his predecessor. He just needed a few hours of sleep, then he’d reconvene with Rion and then Conall’s generals once they arrived. They’d finalize the plans, rescue Ellie, and kill Vairik before their world could erupt into another war.

Quiet footsteps echoed down the passage. Talon pushed his wet hair back and inclined his head to listen. His gaze traveled to the weapons he’d deposited on the other side of the room. He had the water. It wouldn’t take but a few seconds to grab them.

But Talon nearly stopped breathing when Raevina strolled through the entrance. She paused just inside, eyes scanning the space before landing on him.

“You’re alone.” Her tone came out accusatory. As if she’d expected otherwise.

“What are you—” His words died when she loosened the belt of her robe and let it fall to the floor. She stared at him as she tied her hair on top of her head then stepped forward, her hips swaying as she walked into the pool without an ounce of modesty.

His throat had gone dry. Closed up entirely. He couldn’t form words. Thoughts were a distant memory.

“Do you always stare at women when they’re undressing?” She settled against the opposite side of the pool and closed her eyes, oblivious to the effect she was having on him.

Talon bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. He tore his eyes away and stared at the water, his face burning.

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