Page 30 of The Lost Nation

Astrid frowned.“What’s this now? Make sense child!”

The witch was trying to explain as she took great, heaving gasps of air, but a horrific sinking feeling was already turning my stomach sour.

Benedict was right, it was a trap. Just for the wrong reasons.

“One moment the children were there, and the next they were gone! Spirited away by black shadows!”

Astrid and half the witches tore back towards their village, but I was rooted to the spot. Thad hadkidnappedall the demon-born half-breeds. Butwhy? He wouldn’t sacrifice them to that white pit of magick the way Severn did, would he?

Hewouldn’t. IknewThad.

At least, I thought I did. Left with the humiliation of a rejected mate bond, I didn’t knowwhatto think anymore. Was everything that had happened between us in the fortress a lie?

I felt the wards stir, but it was only Benedict and his warriors returning. Astrid was rushing back over the grass, feeling their arrival as well.

Then I felt it. Felthim.

Thad.

I flew down the coastline line until I saw him out on a small cropping of rocks out in the water. Xana was wrapped in his arms, and she shot me a look of complete terror before disappearing.

With herstill in his arms.

I screamed in distress and rage, and there were immediately hands and bodies everywhere, sniffing me for injury and trying to figure out what was wrong.

I screamed my rage to all of them, and the witches weren't far behind me.

“THEY’RE GONE! THEY’RE ALL GONE!” A witch shrieked as Astrid tried to calm her. Ronan and Kieran yielded to Benedict as he searched me for injuries, and found none. The rest of the drakens kept a nervous, respectful distance.

Seeing I was uninjured, Benedict quickly fumed.“Thatbastard. He attacked Aldurandused it as a diversion. What kind of monster kidnapschildren?”

Benedict gathered me into his chest, and I felt Kieran and Ronan on either side of him. I gave another small trill of distress. “Wren? What is it?”

I pushed myself off of his chest, trying to force my voice to work properly. “That isn’t all he’s done. He’s...he’s kidnapped Xana. I saw him grab her and shift.”

Benedict dropped me, and exploded in fury. Kieran dove over me, his wings flared to protect us both from the violent waves of white and black magick that crashed over the cliffs viciously. The other drakens fled to the safety of their village, and the witches weren’t far behind them. Only Astrid remained, her hands dancing through the air as she methodically diffused the magick into the wards. “Calm down," she ordered.

Benedict whirled towards her, the magick happy to have a target to focus on. “HE TOOK ONE OF MY FEMALES! HE TOOK HER BACK TO THAT PLACE!”

I elbowed Kieran to get him off me, and put a hand on Benedict’s shoulder. The dragon sigil on my shoulder twitched at his excess magick, undulating as it ran up and down my arm and sneered at Benedict.

Benedict's anger drained away, and his shoulders slumped with defeat.“I promised them that they would be safe. Ipromised.”

The defeat gave way to shame, and I fell with him to his knees.

Kieran laid a hand on his other shoulder, “We’ll get her back. We’ll join forces with Aldur, and Cantrada. We will use the fury of all four witch clans. I don’t care what it takes.”

Pain, rage, and betrayal bled through my heart. It felt like Thad had taken a spike and driven it deep into me. Whatever lingering affection I had for him was well and truly dead.

Just as he soon may be.

Chapter 15

Ronan

This didn’t make any sense. Not tactically, not strategically, or even emotionally. Why would Thad attack Aldur, while simultaneously kidnapping a female draken and the children?

It was clear that the children were the real goal—but why?

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