Page 29 of Realm of Nightmares
She would never forget those words, as they were as familiar to her as her own heartbeat. Closing her eyes, she was taken back to that moonless night when swords rained down from the sky. Those same words, a whispered caress on the wind.
“I’ll find you, Maeve. In another life, in another realm, I’ll find you.”
Maeve opened her eyes, a wave of sorrow crashing into her.
Despondent and numb, she trudged down the steps. Low-lying mist crawled over the ground and a fine fog had settled, weaving its way through the buildings, diminishing her ability to see. She kept her pace slow, retracing the way back to the library.
Yet the ache in her soul wouldn’t ease.
She clutched the necklace she always wore, doubling over.
“Tiernan.”
But the mating bond to the High King had gone silent.
A broken sob escaped her, only to be muffled by an icy cold hand that covered her mouth as she was stolen into the shadows.
* * *
Tiernan satin a chair on his balcony, plucking at his guitar. It was a weepy sort of melody, one with no direction or meaning. He strummed another chord, all the minor notes, and watched as the final blossom from the plumeria tree outside of his room fell to the ground.
He reached out, catching it in his palm before it withered away completely. The petals were soft, white with a vibrant yellow center, its once comforting fragrance fading away with the rest of the world.
A spear of panic lanced through his heart. Volatile and frenzied, the rush of hysteria hammered through him, so he crushed the flower in his fist. He lurched out of his chair, toppling into the railing of the balcony. He gripped it with one hand, holding on as a turbulent wave of fear swallowed him whole, drowning him. It was sudden and blinding, as though his soul was being scorched from the inside out, until he was nothing but smoke and ash. But the relentless terror did not belong to him.
It was Maeve.
No.
“No!” he roared, the rage in his voice carrying up into the sky.
Magic exploded, laced with vehemence. The clouds turned black, churning as he called the storm. Wind blasted through the palms, shredding the leaves from their stalks as it tore across Niahvess. Lightning fractured the heavens in a blaze so bright it resembled the burn of the sun. The ground beneath his feet quaked as thunder erupted all around him, the sound of it like that of the mountains collapsing at his command. Hail plummeted from the might of his wrath.
He was the violent chaos.
He was the tempest.
Maeve was terrified. Alone. And he couldn’t get to her. He couldn’t save her. Ravaged with the turbulence of her emotions, he knew every last thread of his control was on the verge of snapping.
“Maeve!”he shouted to her through their bond, but the only response was another insurmountable crash of fear.
It slammed into him, and the Strand marking his heart caught fire.
“MAEVE!”
Someone shouted his name.
Tiernan whipped around, wild with rage.
“Tiernan!” Merrick burst into his room, lifting one arm to shield his face against the powerful gale. “You must stop this at once, your magic is too strong! It will devastate the city!”
“I’ll kill him!” he fired back. “I swear to the gods, to the Ancient Ones, if she dies, I will show no mercy. All will feel my vengeance. All will suffer at the hands of my wrath.”
“Let go.” Merrick held his gaze, his eyes alight with caution. He slowly raised his hands, palms up.
Tiernan snarled.
“Your Strand binding you to Maeve is still intact.” He pointed to his chest. “If anything were to happen to her, you would know.”
