Soul of Flame (Imdalind Series #4)(26)

“Joclyn! I will find you!” His voice again echoed around the stone, making it impossible to be certain where he was.

My eyes darted through the darkened hallways as I ran, trying to figure out where to hide, my feet stumbling as I tried to find my toilet, find the room with the books.

They were nowhere.

I stretched my hand forward to pull me around the corner, only to fall back in fear at the slick surface that met my touch, the cool wetness that covered the stone. Blood dripped down the stone wall in front of me, my body tensing in horror at glistening patches of red that covered the pads of my fingers.

“I-i-t-t’s… al-l i-in-n… y-yoooour h-head-d.” My stutter took over as I stared at my trembling fingers, the stammer so bad I could barely make out my own words.

I backed away from the wall in raw fear, tripping through unfamiliar corridors, only to be met with a wide hand that tightened around my neck, the skin pulsing hot as his magic crippled me. The strong grasp coarse like sandpaper as he burned me.

I tried to scream at the contact, but no sound came out, only my strangled cry as Ryland’s hand cut off my air supply. A sharp pain swelled against my skull as he smashed me into the wall, my lungs gasping as an ache inflated inside of me, my head swimming. My broken nails clawed at his hand and my lungs began to burn, my legs flailing as I kicked wildly in an attempt to get away.

His hold increased as his smile did, the darkness behind his eyes blazing, his voice a low growl of rage in my ears. “Ilyan thinks he can keep you from me. Well, he’s wrong. You are mine and everything about you belongs to me.

“You are mine! Mine… mine… mine!” He moaned again, his voice growing louder with each word as his instability increased. His eyes darted around the room as he mumbled the same word over and over.

My jaw opened as I gasped for breath, my fingers continuing to dig into his hand as I tried to pry it away, to give my body the oxygen it screamed for, little stars of white popping in my vision. I fought the tears as I fought Ryland, my fear swelling in pain as my lungs burned.

“Mine, mine…” His chant had turned into a sob when his hand finally released me from the wall, his arms gathering me into him as he held me against his chest.

I wanted to scream at the contact, at his cold touch against my skin, but I couldn’t move. I could only lean against him weakly as I gasped in air, the pain that had swelled through my body trying to lessen with each breath I took.

The burn in my chest left as his magic rushed into me in an angry torrent that ignited my fears. The painful cold of his magic provoked my own, sending a powerful spark out of my hands, right into his abdomen. I screamed as the magic left, the fear rumbling down my spine as the dark hallways filled with the sound of his scream. The flame hit him with a flash of light that shook the walls around us, sending him away from me and through one of the many wooden doors that lined the corridor.

I watched where he had landed, my breath held in the hope that he had gone, that I was safe. But I knew better.

My soul screamed in horror as he pulled himself to standing, his chest heaving as he faced me. A prickle of panic ran across my neck at the black in his eyes. I felt the fear, the panic, but this time I felt something more, a wave of emotion that ripped through me. Anger.

“I d-do… n-not bel-long… t-to y-you!” I yelled as I rose to face him, a line of fire surging toward him, only to have him snap his fingers and turn the weapon into harmless smoke.

“You are bonded to me! I own you! I can kill you… love you… kill you.” His voice rumbled as he walked toward me, his hands clenching through his curls. His icy eyes bored into me, the look exactly what I remembered from before.

I didn’t care what Ilyan said. It was him. It had always been him. It was Ryland who had always attacked me. And now he was going to pay.

“Not-t anymore!” My teeth ground together as I sent a rush of wind at him in an effort to drive him away, but he didn’t so much as flinch from the power. He only smiled as he rushed me, his wide gait closing the last few steps as he backed me against the wall.

“You are mine, always mine. I won’t lose you,” Ryland whispered, his voice hard and possessive as his hand wrapped around my waist.

Not anymore.

“I-I do not b-belong to you!” I yelled as I grabbed his hair, my fingers knotting through the long strands before I pulled him past me into the wall. My magic surged with strength as I bashed Ryland’s head into the old stones, the ancient masonry cracking under the pressure.

I waited for him to scream, to call out in pain, but he stayed still, his breathing absent until his chest heaved in a low, menacing laugh that caught in my chest and ignited my fears. Fear as black as ice ran over me as he turned to face me, a thick stream of blood flowed from his hairline. The look in his eyes froze me in place for a moment too long. His blood-tinged teeth flashed in a smile right before a stream of red light surged from him, the red-hot burn flaring through my chest.

Fire burned through me as I soared away from him, the agony growing as I blindly reached for anything to grab onto, to stop what was coming. I found nothing. My body hit against the rubble of the now destroyed hallway with a violent jolt. The snap of my body against stone echoed in my ears, and I cried out, an acidic burn moving through me as my back stiffened, my spine arching in agony.

I drove away the burn of pain as my magic rushed to the aches that rippled through my body, healing the bones and tendons that I was sure had fractured. My arms shook as I moved to fight back—ready to face him—when Ryland’s footsteps echoed in my ears. His steps were slow as he moved closer until he towered over me from where I lay on the ground.