Page 62 of Chained

He sat up, using the last of his functions to half-shift into his wolf form, baring his fangs against the faceless entity, but he had little power now. That didn’t stop him from trying to fend off the power that consumed the medical bay.

Cade hissed, but the darkness swirled around him as it had me, and a burst of fury rushed through my veins.

No! It won’t take him! I won’t let it.

Without any regard to my health or personal safety, I rushed toward the cloud, determined to stop it.

“No, Zephy!” Cade growled through his snout, but his body hadn’t fully shifted, his weakness apparent.

His call refocused the entity’s attention on me, the swirl swooping in on me. But I was ready, every step I took filling me with more anger.

“Come on,” I urged the force. “You want me. Come and get me.”

With that, I turned to run from the bay, silently hoping that the blackness would follow me. I glanced over my shoulder, and to my relief, I saw the smoky trail following.

My heart thudding in my throat, I fled, weaving down through the halls, dodging, and calling out mockingly until I was again at the back doors, where I could have proper control of the elements.

“MISS?!”

Somewhere in the palace, someone was calling out to me, but I couldn’t reply. I had a limited window to handle this monster and draw it away from Cade. The memory of how it had almost killed me tickled the back of my mind, but I didn’t let it fester. If I didn’t lead it away from Cade, it would certainly finish him.

“Come on,” I hissed, bursting back into the night, my legs wobbling, but I steadied myself, all of Cade’s power burning through me in unison. “Come and get me!”

A rush of air followed me outside, but as I turned, I commanded the clouds to gather, rousing a torrent of rain and lightning to spill from the sky, blocking myself from the force of blackness.

I felt its confusion, the spell weakening against my own magic, but I refused to let it recover from the surprise. Instantly, I set loose a tornado, countering the whirlwind cloud before it could move in. Through my peripheral vision, I saw a flock of guards and Aradia rush out of the doors, and I fell back to allow them in to capture the diminished curse as I collapsed to the ground.

“Miss!” Maywin cried, falling to my side.

I staggered to my feet, brushing her off. “I’m all right,” I promised, watching as the guards and Aradia worked to contain the dark spell. I canceled my own weather-fueled spells and backed away from the scene with my maid, my body shaking.

“Oh, thank all the gods,” Maywin whimpered. “There’s so much chaos in the palace right now. I thought…”

I offered her a taut smile but continued through the halls. “I’m fine. I need to get to Cade. Find us guards to escort us back to his suites and to stand guard.”

“I don’t want to leave you, miss.”

“It will be fine, May,” I promised. “We need the guards. Please.”

Swallowing, she nodded warily, but I could see it pained her to leave my side. She was so loyal to me. I was lucky to have Maywin on my side, but she was no warrior.

“I’ll be right back. Please, don’t go anywhere until I return. There is something happening in the palace, and no one can explain it.”

“Be careful, Maywin,” I murmured, but I was less concerned about my servant than I was about my king.

We parted ways, and I found Cade where I had left him, half-conscious on the gurney, his breath still uneven. He had changed back into his mortal form, his face pale and gaunt. He did not look well, and all I could think of was bringing him to the security of his rooms.

“We need to get you to your suites, Cade,” I told him softly, sitting him up. “Do you think you can walk with me?”

He nodded, but I didn’t have much faith in his assertion. The moment he stood, his knees buckled.

I let him lean on me, and together, we moved with painful slowness toward the door. Each step seemed to cause him agony, and it hurt me that I had no way of carrying him the way he had carried me.

“Come on, Cade,” I whispered encouragingly. “We’ll be safe soon.”

“What is going on out there?” he muttered, raising his handsome head to home in on the commotion beyond the walls.

“That’s a matter for when you’re stronger,” I told him firmly. “The guards have contained the spell, and Aradia is enacting another shroud over the palace.”

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