“Your eyes,” Veses uttered in a hoarse but awed voice.
“Yeah?” Bele glanced to where Reaver lay unmoving in his mortal form and then to me. “What about them?”
“Don’t play coy, Bele. It was you who Ascended.” She gave Bele a bloody smile. “It must be my lucky day. There’s a bounty on your head.”
“By the look of your face, I would definitely say it’snotyour lucky day.” Bele smirked. “And that bad day is going to continue when Nyktos returns.”
Taking shallow, too-short breaths, I pushed onto my knees. That was as far as I got for a moment. Pain radiated across my ribs and pelvis. Blinking until my blurred vision cleared, I saw my dagger lying between Reaver and me.
Veses lifted one shoulder. “Not as bad as the day you’re going to have when Kolis rips your heart from your chest and devours it.”
“There are far tastier parts of me, but whatever.” Bele inched farther into the chambers, watching the Primal closely as I forced myself toward Reaver. Each inch I half-crawled, half-slid across the floor felt as if daggers were jabbing my ribs. “If you’re here for me, you’ve found me.”
“I wasn’t here for you,” Veses said as I snatched the dagger from the floor. “You’re just a boon.”
Bele frowned. “Well, if you’re here for her, that sounds like a problem.”
“You think?” Veses snapped.
“For you,” Bele added as I reached Reaver’s side. “You do realize who she is, right?” Bele jerked her chin at me. “That’s Nyktos’s Consort. You have to know that. And that’s one of his draken—one ofNektas’sdraken.”
“Do I look like I care about either of those things?”
Bele laughed softly as she circled the Primal. “You will.”
“What do you think you’re going to do with that sword?” Veses demanded, turning her back on me completely.
A deep, angry-red bruise had formed on Reaver’s chest. I ran a hand across his too-pale forehead, smoothing his hair back. His eyes were closed, and the embers…they throbbed, nearly as acutely as they had in the aftermath of paying the price Kolis had demanded. He wasn’t just injured.
“Reaver’s hurt.” I glanced over my shoulder, wiping the blood off my chin with the back of my tingling hand.
Bele’s gaze briefly met mine as she managed to get between Veses and us. “How bad?”
A knot of emotion lodged in my throat. “Bad.”
“He’ll be fine.” Veses rolled her eyes, but her voice wavered. “He’s a draken.”
“He’s a child!” I spat.
“So?” Veses lifted her chin. “He shouldn’t have come at me.”
“Veses.” Bele tsked softly. “Are you that weak that you saw a youngling as a threat?”
“Not a threat. A disrespect.” Veses sneered. “And you didn’t answer my question about the sword. You can’t attack me.”
“I can’t?” Bele continued edging toward Veses, forcing her farther away from me—and Reaver.
“You know the rules,” Veses said. “She’s not his Consort yet, and the draken, youngling or not, has no right to defend her against me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Ah, yes, the rules. But as you said, there’s already a bounty on my head,” Bele said. “One I’m sure involves bringing me toDalos, dead or alive. So what if I break a rule?”
“Reaver?” I touched his cheek. His skin was clammy. Wincing, I grabbed the soft blanket from the chaise and draped it over him. His chest barely moved. Concern grew rapidly. He hadn’t woken up, and he seemed to have unconsciously shifted forms. I’d seen draken do that when gravely injured.
My throat dried as I sent Bele and Veses a quick glance, knowing I was about to take another huge risk. Veses might only suspect that I was the source of the power she’d felt, but I had to do something. I couldn’t let Reaver die, and I feared the throbbing embers were warning me of that. They sensed that death was imminent.
Isensed that.
And whatever risk I was taking by confirming what embers were inside me was worth it. Reaver’s young life was worth it. Just as Thad’s had been.