The beast lumbers to my side and peers at eye level before charging Reagan. He curses and lashes his whip before jumping back.
“You’ve come for me, I suppose,” Niethal says as he twists his sword, the blade glinting in the reflected light of Reagan’s whip. “Well, hurry and let’s finish this. I have a city to claim.”
The shouts and clang of metal from the surrounding battle fade from my ears as I concentrate on Niethal. I clutch the hilt of my sword tighter and charge. Niethal’s blade connects with mine with such force that vibrations shake my arm.He leans forward, pushing on his sword. “I know what you have lost. A bond with another is a rare gift few have experienced, and to only have it for such a brief time must be devastating. To know the future you may have had is gone, a tragedy, some would say.”
Gritting my teeth, I push hard against my blade and toss him back a foot.He smirks. “Grace was lovely. I can only imagine how much lovelier she will become once she is reborn.”
He slashes so fast I don’t even blink before his blade catches my forearm, but the pain is small compared to the gaping void in my mind. I take the opportunity of him being so close and ram my fist into his face, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone. Blood pours from his nose, and he groans, clutching his face with his free hand.
“Not bad.” He turns to the side and spits blood. “Your father at least did one thing right by teaching you to fight.” He wipes the blood from his nose and signals me to come again.
All the talk of my father and Grace is his attempt to goad me, but it won’t work. The fact he knows about the bond doesn’t bother me. With Grace gone, it makes no difference. The only thing I care about, my only purpose left, is to end him.
A glimmer of light from the house grabs my attention, and I still. My shadows left a ring around Grace and the healer, and it’s there that a faint light flickers. Niethal’s back is to the house, so he doesn’t notice.
“Appears killing you will have to wait.”
The surrounding darkness bends to my will, and tendrils of shadows wrap around his torso. His mouth opens, but before he can utter a word, his body flies across the field.
Sprinting toward the house, I leap over the bodies of beast and fae, but see no sign the Ossano have killed any of the kings, much to my disappointment.
My feet barely touch the steps as I dash onto the porch and burst into the protected bubble. With one look from me, the healer scrambles away.
Grace’s hand twitches, and I drop to my knees next to her.
Her eyes are closed, but I swear the lids flutter. Thanks to the healer, the wound on her chest is mended, but her skin is still deathly pale. I search for the bond, for where she should be, but only find emptiness.
Without warning, flames swirl around her fingers, climb her arms and encase her body with a heated pulse. When her eyes snap open and land on mine, it’s as if time stops. Every agonizing moment since the dagger pierced her heart falls away. The tension in my chest releases as I gaze into her eyes, which are more gold than blue or green.
“Grace.” Her name rolls off my tongue like an answered prayer.
She stares at me, unblinking.
There’s no emotion in her eyes as she sits up and looks around us at the field where the crowd has gathered. Her flames intensify, and I reluctantly rise and stumble down the porch stairs. The fire grows wilder, embers sparking on the wooden porch.
“Grace, you’ll burn the house down! Stop!”
The reds and oranges spin so violently that heated gusts blast in every direction. I shield my eyes from how brightly she burns and take another step back. Her flames flare to a dazzling white, their light competing with my shadows, pulsing against each other. But I don’t dare push back for fear it may hurt her, nor do I know if I even could. It’s like a floodgate of magic has opened inside her.
“Grace!” I yell, trying to reach her through the haze, but she doesn’t hear me.
When I glance to my right, I find Niethal standing there, just as astounded as me. His sword hangs loosely from his right hand, covered in the black blood of the Ossano. His nose must have healed because there’s no sign of our fight besides a smear of red across his chin.
The other kings may be nearby, but I don’t care to check.
Her fire jumps, setting the house ablaze and reducing it to ash within seconds.
She’s completely lost in the flames.
I reach for the bond once more, but recoil as an intense heat scorches my mind. It’s so excruciating my head might split open.
Niethal shifts on his feet and takes a small step toward Grace, appearing as lost in the flames as she is.
With the light of her fires reflecting in his eyes, he smiles and whispers, “Rise, Firebird.”
CHAPTER 31
GRACE