Page 26 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“I am your High Lord,” he said, “and you’ll do well to remember your place.”

Niall choked and grabbed the male’s arm with both hands. His father’s arm, Ellie remembered. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she stared at the flames forming before her. Her eyes watered with the smoke, but it was the most clarity she’d had in days. Weeks.

Ellie scented their horrid magic crackling through the air. It reminded her of things she might have once loved. The breeze coming off an open plain. The sea air as it brought in a storm.

No longer.

Ellie tensed, ready for the two to brawl. She wouldn’t be able to give them space if they did. Her chains wouldn’t allow it. She’d be caught in the middle of—

“I apologize,” Niall finally choked out.

The High Lord released Niall and backed away. Ellie could have sworn she saw a smirk on his shadowed face as his son rubbed his neck. Gods, would it kill them to light a candle?

“You don’t mean it,” The High Lord said. Niall didn’t respond. “No matter. I raised you to be ruthless.” He sighed. “I just didn’t expect teenage level rebellion to follow you around for seven hundred years. It’s tedious.”

Silence filled the room again, along with more smoke. Ellie resisted the urge to cough. Her lungs burned, but if she made a sound, they’d know she was listening.

Niall said, his tone calm, “If you want me to capture the female, I can obtain her easily enough.”

The High Lord waved a hand. “No, you can’t. She’s with her mate and their bond has grown strong. We have to proceed carefully if we want to keep it from solidifying, otherwise, I’ll be forced to abandon this land altogether.”

He tapped a finger on his chin and turned away from Niall as if lost in his own thoughts. “I have one more thing I want to try before that happens.”

Niall opened and closed his fists several times. His jaw worked and it took several moments before he finally said, “You told me I was to be King of Alastríona. You’ve told me that since I was a child.”

“It was a truth I needed you to believe. I didn’t anticipate it taking so long for The Divine to be born into this world. She is the key to everything. If I’m to understand how to finally erase what’s been made, then I need her.”

“You’re not making sense.”

The High Lord looked at his son as if Niall were still five years old. “You are no more the rightful King of Alastríona than I am. We are nothing. Warriors. Underlings to be used and discarded. But in my new world, we will be kings.” The High Lord eyed him when Niall didn’t respond. “Perhaps this time will be different. Perhaps you are old enough to bear the burden of the truth.” Niall straightened as the High Lord approached.“I’ve tried this before. Twice. Both times, you turned against me. Understand, I won’t forgive a third.”

Ellie didn’t understand how Niall held his ground. She would have run. She wanted to run right now.

Smoke still curled in the air and a flame was spreading, slowly consuming the fabric one strand at a time.

“Tell me the truth,” Niall demanded.

A cruel smile spread across the High Lord’s face. “I plan to break the mating bond.”

Niall didn’t so much as blink. “You can’t break it.”

“I can,” his father reassured. “All I need are the first ones the bond was granted to. The Divine and her mate. With them, I can stop the curse. I can end it all. The bond is a cage. It traps Fae against their wills and puts shackles over their souls. I plan to free the world from those very shackles.”

Niall opened his mouth and closed it again, thinking through his next words carefully. “What makes you presume it’s unwilling? I’ve seen plenty of mated pairs.”

“Have you not also seen those who suffer with a refused bond? Those who want nothing to do with their mated partner, yet are cursed to live with that pull for eternity? Have you not witnessed the unhealthy relationships where males and females alike justify everything their mates have done simply because their souls are bound to them?”

Niall didn’t respond and his father turned back to face the fire, still ignoring the flame spreading through the middle of the room. His voice was softer when he spoke again. “Every once in a while, the bond gets it right. But for the rest of society, it leaves them crippled and hopeless.”

“Were you caged once?”

The High Lord shook his head. “No, but someone dear to me was and I couldn’t save her.”

Niall remained silent again, likely trying to absorb the impossible task, his mind working to sort through the how and why it was so important to his father.

“What’s the plan?”

The male’s gaze shifted to Ellie and she stiffened when their eyes met. “You’ll see soon enough.” He waved a hand and his magic swept through the room, extinguishing the flames and carrying the smoke toward the nearest window. It raced through, pushing out as if it couldn’t escape the male fast enough.

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