Black Crown (Darkest Drae, #3)(68)

Only then did I realize he, and the few remaining members of our party, were tucked around a corner from the room below.

No, I gasped. I’m safe. Don’t. If he did, he’d risk exposing them all. I felt his control slipping and sent him a pulse of comfort and love. Really. I’m okay.

A lie but a necessary one. The power must’ve helped because I felt his control tighten.

Queen Mily was on her knees, her head bowed. The courtier stood over her, speaking, and the stunning redhead brought her hands to her face. The other woman kicked the queen, the former queen, I realized. No matter what she’d been a few hours ago, it didn’t look like she was the ruler any longer.

Draedyn approached her.

My heart thundered against my ribs, my limbs begging to shift or fly or run. I watched, filled with terror as Draedyn’s hand shifted. His emerald talons slid out, and he crouched in front of Mily. His face was impassive as if speaking about the weather, and then his eyes flooded.

The emperor of Draeconia slid the tip of his talon into the abdomen of the young woman.

Mily jerked her head up, her eyes wide and her mouth opened to scream. Only nothing came out. Her hands went to Draedyn’s wrist, and she clawed and tugged, uselessly, to free herself.

Draedyn leaned over, grabbed her hair, and yanked her head back. In one fluid movement, he pulled the embedded talon upward and then straightened and stepped back.

Mily’s hands went to her stomach a moment too late. Her entrails spilled out in front of her. Grayish pink bowel fell to the ground, sliding out on the glass in front of her. She leaned forward, hands grabbing her insides as she scrambled to gather them back to her.

My mind blanked, and I turned away and retched, my stomach heaving at the gruesome sight.

Ryn!

Tyrrik. I closed my eyes, opening them again immediately when the scene repeated in my mind. He has Kamoi and Kamini.

I know. We’re waiting for a chance to save them.

I waited. I can help. I can veil you.

Tyrrik said nothing, and I was still reeling enough to glance around, and my gaze snagged on my father. Draedyn was standing. He said something to the new queen, who was wiping her mouth, and then he addressed the room. Scales rippled on his skin, crawling up his arms, and I blinked, trying to make sense as to why he, of all Drae, would have a difficult time controlling his shift.

And then he was moving. He was moving! The muscles in my thighs tightened as I tensed to run. Downstairs. Draedyn was gone. He’d disappeared past the staircase and out of my sight. Which meant we needed to strike.

Ryn! Tyrrik bellowed in my head, his voice filled with terror.

What? I snapped. Draedyn just left. We need to—

Your veil and shield are down. Why is your veil down?

I blinked, stunned as realization pummeled me. I’d been so shocked by Draedyn’s presence and the brutality—

Black spots flashed across my vision as pain bludgeoned my head and then my chest. Bright-green slithering power coated my mind before I even had time to close my eyes against the lancing hurt in my skull. Draedyn’s power.

I sunk to the ground, clutching my head, neck muscles taut with silent agony. But before I could fall, liquid fire cooled me, pouring down from the crown of my head into every searing facet of my mind, calming my fear. A flood of Tyrrik’s power pushed away Draedyn’s attack, filling me until there was no room for anything or anyone else.

I’m sorry, he said. So sorry.

Only this time, I wasn’t mad. He’d saved me. There was a difference between helping me fight and knocking me out against my will.

You need to get your veil back up, Tyrrik said, his voice strained. Veil first, shield second. Hurry.

I took a deep breath, doing my best to settle my mind and my racing heart so I could concentrate. I forced my attention to my energy and worked at stretching my Phaetyn veil over me. No problem there. I added a few extra layers of the mossy-green web and then focused on my Drae shield, wrapping the blue around my head like a helmet.

All that practice, and my defenses had crumbled in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t let that happen again. Draedyn had attacked me, which meant he now knew where I was. He could be upon me any second. Actually, it was surprising he wasn’t here already with how fast Drae could move. Tears burned my eyes, and I hurried back the way I’d come. I don’t know how I dropped it.

But I did. We both knew I was still haunted by my time in the dungeons. We both were. I’d lost my concentration, and I was furious at myself.

Are you okay? I asked him, wrapping my arms around him when he suddenly appeared. I would never forgive myself if harm befell my mate, and that’s what I’d nearly caused.

I’m fine. I’m just relieved you’re okay. He kissed my head. Veil me?

I pulled the mossy net around him, clearly not thinking straight even now. I’m sorry.

Not all your fault. Now let’s get out of here.

Wait, I said, pulling him to a stop in the middle of the hall. What about . . . everyone else? What about the boats? What about getting the soldiers back? Tyrrik, we have to do something. If we leave them like this, the rebellion will lose.

Tyrrik closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging in defeat. We’ve already lost. The boats are gone. They left this morning.

My mind reeled again. How many more blows could we take? We have to go after them. We can fly—

But could I? If I went and Draedyn followed . . . would I be an asset or a liability? You should go. It’s the only way. You go take the rest of the team, and I’ll let Lani and Zakai know what happened here. Maybe they can hold their attack until you get back.