Page 126 of Draekora

‘On its own, no matter the circumstances, your will reigns supreme over his.’

Niyx’s words flooded her mind, giving her the assurance she needed to hold her ground when Aven reached her and, with a roaring cry, swung his sword towards her neck.

Watching as if in slow motion, Alex didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. All she did was wait until the blade was less than an inch away from her skin, and that’s when she gavehercommand.

“Stop.”

Instantly, the weapon came to a freezing halt, as did Aven, who stood motionless before her.

“You have a choice now, Aven,” Alex said, her voice quiet even as his eyes scorched with liquid fire. “You can keep your Claim on Jordan and remain here with us where, as you can see, my will reigns over yours.Or…”—she paused for dramatic effect, mostly because she found it almost sadistically pleasing to torment him—“… you can give up your Claim and willingly Release him to me.” She reached forward and patted him mockingly on the cheek. “Take as long as you want to think about it. I have all the time in the world.”

In their past skirmishes Aven had always recognised when it was time to retreat, and the same was no less true now. With a single spoken command, Alex had out-willed him and seized control over Jordan. Unless he wanted to remain trapped with them—and obedient to Alex—he really only had one choice.

With an expression that promised a world of retribution, Aven barked out the words of the Release and vanished from the space. Almost instantly, the cage holding Jordan disappeared from sight in a genie-like puff of smoke—and so too did Chateau Shondelle and its surrounds.

With Alex’s overriding connection to him now complete, her consciousness fell swiftly back into her own body. Her eyes shot open in time to see her friend surge up to his feet only to collapse onto his hands and knees in the snow, gasping as if he hadn’t been able to draw air into his lungs for weeks.

“A-A-Alex,” he tried to hack out between gasps. “H-H-How—”

“Shh,” Alex hushed, reaching out with a comforting hand. “Just catch your breath.”

She felt the tug of the Claim between them as her unintentional order took effect. With a wince and a mental ‘oopsie’ to herself, she didn’t retract the command, knowing that he was close to suffocating and needed all the help he could get.

Aware that he wasn’t capable of answering right now but still wanting to make her point, Alex rubbed soothing circles on his back and said, “Do you remember when you and Bear once told me that there’s no such thing as magic?” She paused as she reflected over everything that had happened since then—including her stint in Jordan’s flippingmind—and finished, “You’re both so full of it.”

He let out a startled laugh, his only concession, but it was enough to tell Alex that he agreed with her statement wholeheartedly.

As soon as his desperate panting began to ease, she helped him sit back up, waiting anxiously to see what he would do next. She had, after all, technically stolen his will from him, just as Aven had done. But she was hoping—

“You have no idea how good it is to see you,” he whispered, his voice a rasping, choking sound, his bright blue eyes swimming with emotion. “No idea.”

And without any hesitation, he threw his arms around her, pulling her to him so tight it was almost painful.

Alex returned his desperate hug, scarcely believing it was really happening. Fearing she would soon wake up and realise it was all a dream, she held on all the more tightly, afraid to let go.

When they eventually drew apart, it was with wet eyes and wobbly smiles, but as much as Alex wanted to remain in the beauty of the moment, she knew their jubilation couldn’t last forever.

“Jordan, I need to tell you something,” Alex said quietly.

“I already know about Luka, Alex,” he said, his voice just as quiet.

His words surprised her because, with everything that had happened over the last few weeks, she’d forgotten all about his brother—and what the confirmation of his death would mean to Jordan.

“I know it was all a lie, that he’s not really alive,” Jordan continued. “When I told you all that, even though Aven gave the verbal commands that I could speak freely, he mentally negated those orders, forcing me to say what I said. He knew that if you thought I’d willingly chosen to have him Claim me, then you’d be more devastated than you already were.”

“He was right,” Alex whispered, replaying the awful scene in her mind, the visual being easy to summon considering they were currently in the same location the traumatic moment had taken place.

“None of it was real, Alex. Nothing from after I returned to the academy from visiting my parents—until now.”

Sorrow washed over her at the depth of her friend’s entrapped misery, and she straightened her spine with renewed determination. “I’m going to Release you so you’re back to being you,justyou,” she said. “But before I do that, I’m so sorry, Jordan, but I have to give you an order.”

His eyes instantly shadowed. “What order?”

Tentatively, Alex asked, “Do you remember what happened with King Astophe? Did you, um, see?”

Jordan looked confused at first, like he didn’t know what she was asking about, but then realisation hit him. His face paled and his eyes widened in horror.

“I killed him—I killed the king of Meya!”

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