Page 63 of The Dark Rises
“I learned how strong I am. Stronger than you, certainly,” I coolly inform her. When she scoffs, I smile. “You could never endure the things I did. You were a tyrant, pulling and tugging on my leash when the whim took you. Constantly trying to crush my spirit. I used to think you did it out of sheer joy, but I realize you did it to escape the misery inside you. And no matter how hard you tried, my spirit remained intact. Hell of a feat in itself and a clear victory for me.”
I scan her from head to foot. “Something crushed your spirit, and instead of fighting, you went into hiding. Pathetic.” I sneer at her. “Every day, I got up and faced you. Over and over and over. Hiding wasn’t an option. Neither was running. For someone who had little power, that’s pretty damn amazing. The only thing I regret is not believing in myself enough to find a way to leave you sooner.”
She jumps to her feet. “There would have been nowhere to hide. I created you. Like the shoes on my feet, you were mine.”
Madoc comes striding in, darkness swirling around him. “Shut up. If you speak to her like that again, I’ll let Cormal dump you in The Pit or Below for five minutes. That’s how long it would take to have you weeping and begging.”
He grits his teeth. “Tell us. What’s your price? Denir’s life? Happy to oblige.” At my request, he’d left us alone to chat, but having her within reach is driving both him and Cormal crazy.
Her eyes are distant as she stares at something only she can see. “Soon, I’ll tell you.”
Infuriated, his power builds, but I place a hand on his arm. Torturing her will only piss her off. We need to show her we have options, too.
“You told The Wild Hunt Denir doesn’t have the power. What will they do when he can’t display it at the anniversary of his coronation?”
“End him,” Madoc says with a gleam in his eye. “Too bad you won’t get to rub your revenge in his face.”
Leandra stands and makes her way to the bars. “Clever.” She looks from Madoc to Cormal, who’s been sitting in the corner listening to everything. “Unfortunately for you, Cormal, they will end your sister, too.”
She laughs at his furious roar. “Yes, I’ve known for a long time she was Riona. It played nicely into my long-term plans.” A mocking tone to her voice, she adds another dig. “You’re not very good at keeping the women you love safe, are you?”
Furious, Cormal holds out his hand and aims at the floor beneath her feet. Electricity sparks and rises. With a twirl of his finger, it flows from the floor into her. Leandra’s body jerks as it moves through her body. She raises her hand to stop it, but her magic is gone, stripped by the cuffs on her wrist and the bars surrounding her. Falling to her knees, she spits at him.
Her shoulders slump for a brief second, but something inside her rallies. “I will never surrender. Revenge is the only thing left to me. It is my right.”
The way she says it tells me this isn’t about jilted love. Needing to think, I leave them in the dungeons, torturing Leandra, and go find Rivan in the training room. He takes one look at my face and opens his arms wide.
“Any progress?” he asks, cupping the back of my head and holding me to him. His thumb rubs softly across my neck in a soothing manner.
“I may have to wear this bracelet forever.” My pitiful statement is muffled by his chest, but I can’t bring myself to raise my head from the haven of his arms.
He scoops me up. “Let’s take a break.” He carries me into the elevator, and when the doors open, the sweet smell of roses and honeysuckle fill the air around us. Theron’s garden on the roof.He and Fallon spend quite a bit of time up here close to nature. Their own kind of rejuvenation.
Rivan sits in one of the chairs and stares up at the night sky. “Wherever we decide to call home, I want a place on the roof to escape from everything.”
I smile, thinking of the secret place he showed me on top of the light Fae palace. “Yes, but with comfy chairs. And blankets. And snacks.”
He bends his head and kisses me. Butterflies dance in my stomach as the warmth of him spreads through me. “And lots of kisses.”
“Mmm, yes, lots of kisses,” I agree. My hands skim his biceps, enjoying the feeling of the muscles he’s developed in such a short time. “Why haven’t you added the runes back to your body?”
He’s silent for a few minutes. “I don’t need them around you.”
The words make my heart ache and sing at the same time. He purposely left his skin blank to show me he doesn’t need their protection, because I won’t hurt him like she did.
“I love mine,” I remark, showing him my palm. “And I think I want more of them. They’re beautiful.”
“Dangerous, too,” he murmurs, but a smile lurks in the corners of his mouth.
“The island protected me,” I confide. “When the Phoenix soldier was regenerating on top of me, it shielded me from his faery fire.”
His head tilts. “Really? I knew the runes on your body woke up the old magic, but I didn’t know it protected you, too. Interesting.” He settles back in the chair. “You know. There is a rune that will reinforce your shield. We could start with that one.”
I roll my eyes. “Madoc.”
“Madoc worries about your safety. He talks about it all the time,” he confides, probably hoping it will win Madoc points.
“Maybe he should talk to me about it instead of barking at me all the time,” I say, snuggling further into his arms. Staying up all night, trying to get Leandra to agree to transfer the power from me to Madoc, has worn me out. “Let me close my eyes for a few minutes, then I’ll go back down there.”
