The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire, #1)(87)

Kol, what’s wrong? Lorelai stepped toward him, and he lunged away from her.

Stay back! I don’t want to hurt you.

Yes, you do. The amusement in Irina’s voice was edged with anger.

You’re scaring me. What’s going on? Lorelai put her hands up as if to calm him and tried to approach.

He took a single step back. Pain, like fire-tipped razors, flooded his body. He fell to his knees on the rough cave floor and grasped the collar with both hands while agony squeezed the breath out of his lungs. Something dark and heavy fell across his thoughts, and suddenly Lorelai’s warmth felt very far away.

You need my help. Lorelai dropped down beside him, and he could sense the power building in her hands.

He could also sense the specter of Irina in his mind, a shadow of menace that seemed infinitely more powerful than the magic Lorelai was offering to use.

Irina’s laugh mocked him. Oh, I am infinitely more powerful than your pretty little princess. Haven’t you figured that out by now? I can come and go inside your mind as I please. I can give you pain and take it away. And lest you’ve forgotten our bargain, may I remind you that I hold your very fragile human heart in my hand?

The space where his heart had been seemed to leap into flames. This was nothing like the comforting heat of his dragon’s fire. This was a slow, agonizing death from the inside out, and he thought he’d do anything—anything—to make it stop.

He didn’t realize he was screaming until Lorelai dragged him into her arms, her magic wrapping around him in brilliant strands. But this time her touch was like acid against his skin.

He shoved her away and tried to stand, but something far stronger than him seized his body and forced him to his knees like a supplicant before a throne.

What’s this I see? Irina sounded curious, but he heard the rage underneath. A magical bond created between you and the princess? All pretense dropped from her voice, leaving nothing but fury and power. I’ll punish you both for that.

Lorelai moved toward him slowly, as if trying not to spook him. Kol, please. Just let me help you. It’s the collar, isn’t it?

It’s Irina. He forced the thought toward Lorelai. It was like trying to shove a pebble through a velvet curtain. He concentrated, and more pain exploded through his head, shooting sparks across his vision, but he felt the thought slip through.

Lorelai went still, her breath coming in quick pants as she stared at him. Irina is in your head?

Yes. He tried to show her an image of the pain Irina was sending him, the way Irina had somehow corrupted his bond with Lorelai so that the princess’s magic only made the pain worse, and the curtain that seemed to separate his thoughts from hers now.

Lorelai’s eyes narrowed, and she lifted her chin.

She was going to try to battle Irina for him, but he wasn’t sure if he could survive the fallout.

Why don’t we play a game? Irina’s voice was a hiss of malice against his thoughts, and he clutched at his head as if he could rid himself of the sound. It’s called Which One of These Will the King of Eldr Kill? One match decides the entire game. Ready?

Lorelai stepped toward him, her lips pressed tight, her hands extended.

He shook, both from pain and desperation, as Irina sent him an image of Lorelai, destroyed by the spell in his collar and lying lifeless on the cave floor while Kol, driven wild by Irina’s power, ripped her heart from her chest.

His pulse raced, and he backed up as Lorelai advanced.

Hold still, Kol. She doesn’t get to take you. She doesn’t get to hurt you. I’m the one she wants. Let’s see her try to take me instead. Lorelai’s fierce expression matched her words, and Irina laughed in delight.

This is going to be easier than I thought, Irina said. I made a mistake containing the curse to your collar. I’m going to rectify that the second she touches you. As I’m sure you felt when her magic brushed against you, I’ve all but destroyed the bond you shared with her. The two of us together are unstoppable, Kolvanismir. You will do as you are told. And if you even think about defying me again, I will squeeze the life out of your human heart and leave you with nothing.

I won’t kill Lorelai. He held the princess’s gaze, trying to tell her with his eyes how much she meant to him as he waited for Irina to destroy him.

Lorelai shook her head vehemently as if she could see that he was waiting to die, and took another step toward him.

So then I guess we move on to contender number two in our little game. If you refuse to kill the princess, then you will go to the capital and kill this woman and her children instead. Irina showed him an image of a pretty woman with dark skin and black hair cut close to her scalp. Two boys, who each looked remarkably like Gabril, stood at her side.

Kol clenched his fists as the pain in his chest spread down his veins, and struggled to draw an unfettered breath. Skies, it hurt. Worse than anything he’d ever imagined. Worse than the torture she’d inflicted on him already. Worse than losing his human heart. His thoughts were fraying, and his dragon heart beat was surging, viciously demanding its due.

I won’t . . . Where were his words? He reached for them, and they floated away, awash in a sea of unendurable pain.

You will. Irina sounded satisfied. I own you. I have your human heart in my hand. I have your little bond with Lorelai corrupted. I control what you can remember. I control the pain. I control YOU, and there is no one who can save you from me, Kolvanismir, least of all Lorelai.