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Solas went still and his gaze searched mine, as if he were looking for the man he once trusted beneath the shadows crawling over my skin.

When he clearly saw more monster than man, he let out a slow, steady breath as if convincing himself not to argue the command.

He had a soft spot for all of them. How could he not when his bonded had been Mortal.

Every single one of them here had hurt Lyra, and for that, no empathy remained in my chilling bones.

Caelum stood in one fluid movement, already stalking towards a wide-eyed Aldric.

The princeling stumbled backwards, raising his hands in surrender.

“Not that one,” I said, setting my jaw. It would hurt Lyra if her brother were killed or injured on my watch. “The other Mortals.”

“Consider it done, Commander. I will meet you at the gates when I am finished,” Caelum said after baring his teeth at Aldric, who had the common sense to flinch.

Solas muttered something under his breath but trailed behind Caelum to follow my orders with a book tucked under his arm.

He always did as I asked, eventually.

Even when it went against his moral compass, he was loyal to a fault.

My moral compass broke long ago, when I was made into a monster for falling in love with a goddess.

That cold pain in my chest seemed to spread, sending a shiver through my body that reminded me of what winter used to feel like as a Mortal. I let out a slow breath, looking down at my chest to see a small black vein pulsating just underneath my skin.

What the fuck was that?

“I can ask your staff to ready the horses-”

“Fuck off, Aldric,” I snapped over the top of him, honestly, I had forgotten he was there.

My boots slammed against the stone as I walked into the empty hallway, echoing with my urgency.

The thought of the void not letting me go was enough to make me walk to the stables.

These hallways were usually bustling with the life of my court, but everyone would be licking their wounds, too scared to leave the safety of their homes.

Aldric kept pace with me, taking two strides to my one, hand clinging to the large leather bag over his shoulder with such force his knuckles turned white.

“Profanity won’t stop me, Commander. My father will have me killed for betraying his trust. I fear any of the Fae here will sink their teeth into me the moment you leave. Please,” he added, “I would rather die trying to save my sister.”

“You are a fool,” I seethed under my breath, but he had a point. He would die regardless, and choosing for your death to mean something was something I could relate to. “But fine. Come. If you slow me down, I will slit your throat myself and feed you to Caelum.”

“You wouldn’t disappoint Lyra,” he said with conviction but swallowed visibly, the delicious scent of fear wafting off him.

I let my lips curl back into a snarl, wondering if he would whimper the same way his father did if I cut into his flesh. “Do not tempt me.”

There was nothing I was not willing to destroy to get Lyra back.

Chapter Five

Bargain of Trust

Lyra

My heartbeat was slow and wrong in my chest, as though it hadn’t realised it was already shattered.

Each pulse thudded heavy and deliberate, a cruel reminder that it still functioned.