Page 27 of The Sacred and the Tormented

She couldn’t escape this male at all.

Ellie’s body shook and she wondered how long it’d been since she last ate. She could barely rise to her hands and knees as she tried to drag herself, chains and all, away from Niall and the High Lord.

The male smiled at her and fear settled in the pit of her stomach.

Not again. Gods, please, not again.

She didn’t want him in her head. She couldn’t bear it. She wouldn’t live if he dragged her back to that cold mental room.

Ellie whimpered when he stepped forward.

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, dear Evelyn.” She met the end of her chains and clenched her jaw, hoping beyond hope that he might just leave her alone.

Rion had survived this. He’d suffered through the same mental prodding and come out on top. But was she as strong as him? Could she hold out and maintain a grip on her sanity?

“Don’t look at me with so much contempt. We should try being civil, shouldn’t we?”

“Go screw yourself.”

The High Lord clicked his tongue. “Such foul language in the youth of today. It’s disheartening to know our future sits in your hands.” He paused to study the burned part of the rug,then stepped over it. He reached out a hand and white-hot pain speared through her mind, twisting like a sharpened knife.

Ellie screamed and screamed and screamed. The male plunged deeper. He took her back to that room. Slammed her against the cold metal wall, then tore at her memories, swiping through them, shredding them bit by bit.

Papers flew from the desk. Some she recognized, others she didn’t. And there was a stack she could no longer distinguish from. They were all fraying at the edges. All burned and torn.

A tear slid down her face.

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 Alastriona. I have been trained to endure. To persevere. I will not falter. 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 not allow myself to be manipulated. I will not break.

Chapter Nine

Rion

The world had lost all its color. It was just darkness swirling around him, clawing at him, stealing little fragments of his soul that’d allowed faded pigments to seep in from the edges.

His feet pounded against the rough ground. His magic took the brunt of the fight, never stopping. His breath escaped in jagged spikes, as if it, too, were trying to escape the nightmare unfolding before him.

The edges of his vision darkened, threatening to take him under. Had he expended too much energy? Had he never fully recovered from Niall’s captivity? Had he been fooling himself all along?

Rion clutched Arianna tighter, listening to her heartbeat above the roar of the chaos. Her breaths were labored and the scent of her blood had his mind reeling.

Just like his nightmares. This was exactly what he’d suffered beneath Niall’s spells. Did the male have him again? No, no, this was real. He had to remember this was real and that Arianna was really in danger this time. He was the only one who could save her. He just had to get away from these creatures first. Maybe he could find a village or—

Ice spread rapidly beneath his feet and Rion slid, turning his body so that his back collided with the hard ground. The Dark Fae lunged for him, but Rion’s magic burst out, tearing their flesh from their bones. He spun and righted himself, baring his teeth at the foul creatures as he kept running.

He couldn’t stop.

Arianna couldn’t afford for him to stop.

A wave of fire came at him from his right and Rion ducked around it, always moving so his back was to the danger to protectArianna from it. He felt the creatures hitting him from various sides. Claws and teeth that managed to get through his magic and nip at his flesh.

But he didn’t feel the pain. He couldn’t feel anything above the panic radiating throughout his body.

A spear of ice flew through his upper arm and Rion winced at that, but still didn’t stop. He just sent another wave behind him, hoping it might catch the creature responsible.

They were thinning, if only slightly. Many gave chase, as if they thought the pursuit were a game. Others prowled the woods away from the main hoard and lunged for him as he sped through the trees.

Rion could see a set of mountains outlined in the distance. The mountains had always been a refuge. He could use them. He could get to them and hide and—then what? He knew how to stitch small wounds and care for burns and the like, but Arianna … Rion glanced down at her for a brief moment again. She rested in his arms, completely limp.

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