Merrick glared back at me. “You tell me. That specific horn is the sound of war. The only people the fae want to kill right now are your kind.” He stormed over, his fists clenched at his sides. “What did you do?”
“Not a damn thing,” I growled. Although now I could feel my own panic starting to rise. “I’m going to find Ella.”
Merrick scoffed. “I thought you said that was too dangerous.”
Stepping away from him, I opened a portal. “I don’t think we have a choice.”
The second I felt the connection to Ella, I closed my eyes and stepped through the portal. However, when I opened them and found myself in a dank warehouse, I’d never felt so much pain rip through my soul. Ella was on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood—her blood.
“Ella!” I shouted, racing over to her.
I scooped her up into my arms, blood soaking through my clothes. Her wrists had been cut, and there was a gash at her neck. The wounds were slowly healing, but it wasn’t fast enough; she was going to bleed out.
“Ella, open your eyes,” I commanded, tapping my hand against her cheek.
Her body was limp, her skin paler than I’d ever seen. My whole body thrummed with fury. There was only one person who would’ve done this to her.Ridge.I couldn’t feel him anywhere, but I had no doubt he was close by. The stone Bane had around his neck was witch magic, meaning Ridge had one working for him.
A guttural roar charged out from inside me as I looked around at the darkened corners, wondering if Ridge was hidden within the shadows.
“Ridge! I’m going to rip your fucking heart out!” I shouted.
A ragged breath escaped Ella’s throat, and I looked down at her. Her lips moved as if she was speaking, but nothing came out.
“Ella, I’m here,” I said, my hands shaking with rage.
Her eyes opened slightly. “Go. It’s . . .” She stopped and swallowed. “You have to go.”
I didn’t need to have a connection to her to know she was about to take her last breath. There was only one thing left to do. Gently, I held her in my arms and placed my hands over her wrists. I had the gift of healing from her aunt Meliantha. But in using that much power, it would break the wall between my humanity and the darkness.
To save her, I had to sacrifice myself.
Chapter28
Ella
The second I heard him shout my name, I wanted to scream for him to leave, to tell him it was a trap. But my body was too weak, and I couldn’t move. I was close to death. A part of me wondered if there would be a Keeper to help me cross over or if I would be going on my own. Kai’s hands were cool to the touch when he placed them on my wrists, but they warmed up quickly.
“Kai, no,” I begged, my voice so low I didn’t know if he had heard me.
His lips brushed mine, and I felt his breath on my ear. “I have to do this, Ella. I’m doing it because I love you.”
A tear slid down my cheek just as the room filled with light. The warmth from Kai’s hands coursed through my body, and I felt the wounds slowly close. Soon, my vision began to clear, and I could see him. His eyes were shut, and his breaths came out in rapid pants. The second my body was restored, I jerked my wrists out of his grasp and sat up.
“Kai,” I shouted, cupping his cheeks. “Kai, look at me.”
When he opened his eyes, I had an instant feeling of terror rack through my body. There was no love or recognition in his cold, gray eyes . . . just evil and death; he didn’t know me anymore. Everything we’d shared had been erased, blocked out as if it’d never happened.
Kai cocked his head to the side, smiling evilly. “What do we have here?”
“Ah, just in time, brother,” Ridge called out. I was snatched away from Kai by two of the dark fae, their stones glowing brighter than before. I could feel them sucking me dry again. Kai stood, and Ridge pulled my dagger out from behind his back, handing it to him. “Welcome back. I figured you’d want this.”
Kai’s eyes lit up as he took my dagger, staring at it as if it was the first time he’d seen it.
“What do we want to do?” Ridge asked.
Kai’s hungered glare raked down my body. “It’s time to kill them all.”
Ridge smiled. “With pleasure. Our moment is about to arrive.”