Page 199 of The Revered and the Pariah

“I’ll be all right.” It was a lie and he knew she could smell it. He was far from all right.

Rion rose slowly, but his knee buckled and he stumbled before catching himself.

Arianna had backed away, away from him, and the wave of fear radiating from her almost sent Rion right back to his knees.

She was . . . afraid. Of him. Gods. Gods, no. Guilt flashed across her face and Arianna avoided his gaze. Her hands flexed, but remained where they were.

Not Arianna. Everyone else he could handle, but not her.

Rion lifted his wrists. “They’re iron,” he said, unsure if it woud help. Unsure of anything. “I can’t use my magic.” She didn’t indicate whether that knowledge eased her fears, but he saw the flash of anger at the sight of them. If Arianna was afraid, if she needed it, he’d wear a pair of shackles for the rest of his life.

“We’ve lingered long enough. Let’s go,” Talon said, interrupting the awkwardness with the voice of a commander. He walked past, offering Rion a look of sympathy.

Kaylee yelped, but Eimear caught the girl before she fell. Kaylee gripped her ankle, then Arianna was at the little girl’s side.

Arianna slowed her movements when Kaylee recoiled. “I won’t hurt you,” she promised.

Kaylee looked her up and down. She absorbed the black clothes, the blades and the blood and didn’t release her hold on his mother. “What hurts?” Arianna asked, her voice surprisingly gentle. A voice he remembered.

Let me help you.

The girl pointed to her ankle and Arianna cupped the joint with her hands. Light filtered through the gloomy darkness. The child cried out once, then settled. He understood the sudden pain followed by relief. It was something he’d felt a million times. And something he’d beg to feel just once more.

“Would you like me to carry you?” Talon asked, but the child frantically shook her head, moving to hide behind his mother again.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Arianna asked Eimear.

His mother lowered her head in reverence. “Nothing I can’t handle until we find shelter.”

Arianna nodded, then stood and followed Talon. She hesitated beside Rion and her mouth opened once as if she might offer to help. Her fists clenched and unclenched. Rion stepped, determined to show her he wasn’t too bad off, but he stumbled again and cursed.

Concern flashed across her face and she turned to Talon. “We can’t travel like this.” Talon’s expression was grim as he surveyed the area. Gods, he hated being the one to slow them down, but there was no fixing it now.

After a minor argument, Talon and Arianna left the three of them sitting within the gnarled roots of a tree while they scouted for shelter nearby. Rion didn’t have the energy to argue. He sank back to the ground, defeat settling heavy over his soul.

She was afraid of him.

Eimear placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn’t flinch away. “You left out the part about The Divine being your mate.” He didn’t respond. “What did you do that’s so unforgivable?”

Rion’s head lowered. What hadn’t he done? “I hurt her.”

“How?”

Should he count his losses and confess everything now? Did he tell his mother about the despicable creature he’d turned into after she’d disappeared?

“I—Niall’s magic made me think she was someone else.” His voice broke again. “I thought the male had hidden her somewhere, then I—” Rion couldn’t voice the words. “I hurt her,” he said again.

“Then it wasn’t your fault.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.”

Rion clenched his teeth. “I deserved everything I got in that cell and I deserve more for what I did to her.”

“That’s for her to decide.” Yes, it was and he was ready to take whatever Arianna threw at him. He thought he was ready, anyway.

He wouldn’t beg, nor would he try to change her mind. He wouldn’t make her suffer in his presence if she didn’t want him near.

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