What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3)(124)

“If you are not strong enough to free yourself from this bond that cripples you, then I will do it for you, Little Mouse,” Mab said, a sneer on her face as I turned my eyes up to her.

I tilted my head to the side as my blood poured into my mate’s mouth, the promise of retribution lighting my gaze with gold.

Mab took a step back, motioning toward the daemon as if he would step in and consume the magic I prepared to use against her.

Mab’s men grasped Caldris by the legs, trying to drag his limp form from my grip. I held tight, continuing to bleed on his face, his mouth, anywhere I could get that blood. It was a fool’s chance, my only option to keep him with me as I clung to the remnants of our mate bond—holding that hint of life that still remained within him.

That golden thread swayed, feeling more and more fragile with every moment that passed.

Until it didn’t.

Until the golden thread reknit itself, surging brighter than ever.

Caldris’s eyes flung open, the blue lost to the golden light of Fate. Mab gasped, and the daemon swung his sword.

I didn’t realize until it was too late that it came for my head, shielding Caldris with my body as I laid myself over him. The blade was a mere breath from my skin. I felt the wind in the motion as I drew in a shuddering breath.

Knowing it would be my last.

Caldris reached up, his arm moving faster than lightning arcing through the sky.

He caught the blade in his bare hand. Stopped it with an explosion of golden light that tore through the cavern.

The daemon was flung back as Caldris curled me beneath him, covering me with his body. He got to his feet as the daemon hit the ground, scattering into dust on impact. The guards charged him as I scrambled to stand, staring at him in shock.

He reached out a hand, his shadows no longer dark but glowing as he sent the tendrils sweeping toward those who advanced. They wrapped around the guards’ throats, squeezing as the royals of the other courts stepped back from the fray.

I turned, my stare landing upon Mab as she raised a single hand. Her face tipped to the side as I met her glare, watching as those eyes trailed down to the blood dripping from my wrist. The wound had already healed over, but the faintest golden shimmer accompanied my blood as the light from Caldris’s tendrils played off it.

She squeezed her hand when my mate rounded on her, heading for the bigger threat in the cavern. He grimaced but continued on, pushing through her control on him even as his chest stopped heaving with breath.

I tried to send him what remained of my magic, but there was nothing there to give. The daemon and my father had stolen most of it, taken it from me for one reason or another. To protect me or to hurt me—all that mattered in those moments was the way Caldris dropped to his knees.

His eyes flashed back and forth between the gold from my blood and his bright blue, and my own heart stalled in my chest as Mab squeezed.

“Stop!” I begged, squeezing my eyes closed. I couldn’t lose him—not when those few moments without him had been unbearable. “Name your price.”

“My star,” Caldris wheezed, stretching up with a hand to try to convince me not to do it. Not to give her the one thing we both knew she wanted. Mab grinned, clearly pleased with the turn of events.

She tossed her head back and laughed. The sound filled the cavern. She hadn’t anticipated my saving him—hadn’t considered it a possibility.

“We both know there is only one thing I want from you, Little Mouse,” she said, stepping closer slowly. She stopped when she was in front of me, pressing the tip of the blade into the skin above my heart.

“Estrella, NO!” Caldris called.

“Don’t do it,” a male pleaded.

Mab turned her gaze swiftly as her brother stepped up beside us. Rheaghan raised his hands placatingly, trying to convince her that he was no threat, despite his words. “It cannot be undone. I don’t think you understand what an eternity of servitude will mean.”

“I consent. As long as he lives,” I said, the words torn from the depths of me.

Caldris’s horror pulsed along our thread, striking me deep in the chest. Mab wasted no time gliding the edge of her blade along my skin. It tore through the tissue, cutting through the muscle and sinew to create a gash that leaked blood upon my dress.

She raised her other arm—a small snake twining itself around her wrist. He hissed at me, showing iron-tipped teeth just before he pressed his face to that hole in my skin.

I held her gaze as he slithered inside. As he shoved through my ribcage, maneuvering through my body until he found my heart. I felt the moment he reached it, winding his way around the beating flesh.

Everything within me tightened—became unfamiliar. Mab’s will pressed down on me, a heavy weight upon my soul. She took a step back.

“What have you done?” Rheaghan asked, running a hand through his hair.

I turned to look at him in slow motion, my every thought delayed as my skin worked to heal itself. As my body tried to grasp the invader, to find a way to get it out before it was too late.

The tip of Mab’s iron blade lashed out so fast, I blinked in a daze, waiting for my life to end.

Thinking she’d changed her mind.

A thin line of red appeared on Rheaghan’s throat. His mouth dropped open as he sputtered. He pressed both hands to that line, that unnaturally straight line that marred his fair skin.