Eyes of Ember (Imdalind Series #2)(32)

“Hello, little pony, come to be broken?” I froze at the words, my whole body going rigid as my pulse skyrocketed. I felt Ryland’s hand trail down my scalp, his fingers running through my hair. I didn’t dare turn, I didn’t know if I could manage it.

“I like your hair better this way, it’s beautiful. I think, seeing you like this, I would like to keep you as a pet.” Ryland came around to face me, his black eyes the only things I could look at. Not for the first time, I had to remind myself that his mind was gone.

He wasn’t there.

It isn’t him.

It isn’t him. I reminded myself over and over, trying to ignore the heavy thump of my heart against my chest.

Ryland reached up and placed a cold hand against my skin. I felt the warm buzzing of Ilyan’s shield evaporate. Ilyan must have felt his magic surge as his power returned, but I couldn’t look away from the black depths of Ryland’s eyes to see if Ilyan had noticed.

“What? Not going to say hello?” My eyes ran down his face to his lips – the lips I only got to kiss once. Even though my face burned with happiness, I had to tell myself again: It wasn’t him.

It isn’t him.

My head was buzzing with internal yells, many prompting me to run.

It isn’t him “Goodbye, Ry.” I whispered the words before slamming my hand into his stomach. I filled my hand with all the abnormal buzzing I felt and lunged it at him, sending him spinning through the air, away from me, to land on the street twenty feet away.

I didn’t dare look. I took off into the air, needing to get to Ilyan.

At some point in my brief contact with Ryland, Ilyan had begun fighting with Edmund, Cail taking a supporting role; the scene before me was terrifying. I landed further away from Ilyan than I wanted to, scared to get too close.

Ilyan’s and Edmund’s hands moved seamlessly as they fought. Tables, daggers, swords – objects both real and conjured – everything flew across the space between them. Physical weapons to magical attacks, they blended into one another. The energy fields and magic that they fought with sent flashes of color through the darkened street.

I watched for a moment. I needed to get to Ilyan, but more importantly, I needed to help him.

My hand flexed in preparation for an attack when I was struck across my back by a long strand of white-hot heat. I fell to the ground as the burning pain seeped into me before dissipating. I scrambled to flip around on the asphalt only to get tangled up in the remains of my hoodie, which had been shredded by the whip-like attack. I yelled as I pulled at it, frantic to remove it and get away. My efforts were halted by Ryland’s legs straddling me and holding me in place.

“Now, where were you going?” he sneered. “I told you I need to break you.”

He sat down on my legs, the pressure inverting my knees painfully. I moved to place my hands against his skin, ready to attack him, but Ryland grabbed my wrists before I could make contact. He transferred both of my wrists into one hand and leaned towards me, pushing my arms above my head. His searing magic moved into me and blended with my own, his negative energy stopping the flow of magic and blood to my arms. I attempted to pull my hands away, to kick him off of my legs, but he was too strong and his weight too much for me. I could feel my body weakening the more I fought him.

“Do you know how they break a horse?” He increased the weight on my legs and against my wrists as I fought him. “You have to whip it.”

Ryland sliced his free hand through the air in front of me sending the same burning sensation, this time through my chest. I screamed out at the centralized pain. He swiped his magic across me again and again, the pain surging with each new impact. I continued to fight him as I screamed and writhed, my hands still bound as he pinned me down.

I was desperate to escape the agony, but I also knew I should be hurting more. With each painful swipe of his hand the pain grew, only to be swallowed up by my body as I absorbed his energy, his magic, the Z?lství forming a loop between us.

I waited until his next strike and grabbed the burning energy before my body dissipated it within me. I combined it with my own magical energy and shot it back at him through my hands, directly into his face.

Ryland yelled in pain as he fell off me, freeing my legs. I scrambled up, the now shredded fabric of my hoodie falling to the ground. I didn’t wait to see if Ryland was still down. I did the only logical thing that I knew; I ran and hid.

I bolted into a dark alley, the large adobe buildings towering over me and enclosing me in the dark space. A few steps in and the darkness had engulfed me, leaving me alone with my pounding heart as I felt my way along the rough wall, waiting until I was far enough into the alley not be seen. I jumped into the air. The wind caught me and hoisted me onto the nearest roof.

I knew it was pointless to run. I could already feel my own magic pulse toward Ryland, the heavy weight of the pull increasing the closer he got. It was part of the magic of the Z?lství, the bonding. The connection that was supposed to be such a joyous occasion had turned into my own personal hell. I was, at this moment, being hunted by my mate.

I ran and hid behind a large air conditioning unit, knowing it was hopeless. I attempted to convince myself of my need to fight him, no matter how much I hurt at the thought. The pulse of my magic continued to grow as he moved closer. The sounds of Ilyan’s battle with Edmund and Cail from the street below echoed in my ears. The air was becoming thick with the smell of dust and burning wood. I vaguely wondered what had caught fire when Ryland suddenly pulled me up by my hair.