“Is this true, Sharachi?” I said, unable to keep the hurt from my gaze as I watched her.
“No!” Raine said, her eyes wide and desperate. “I’m here to find a way to break the curse over Katakin like I said. If we killed Prince Azaren, the fae would go to war with Katakin. I wasn’t lying when I told you all that.”
“No, but you failed to tell us about the fact the fae could also break whatever is bonding us together,” Locke said, his voice devoid of emotion.
To a stranger, Locke would have seemed uncaring and disinterested, but I knew better. Raine was burrowing into his heart like she was carving out her place with the rest of us. My vampire brother was hurting.
Raine took a deep breath and rubbed her hand softly over Kade’s arm which was still gripping her tightly. At her touch, his body softened.
“I didn’t tell you about the fact the fae said he might be able to break our bonds because I wasn’t sure if I—” She broke off then as if she was struggling to find the words, and she stared hard at Locke. A beat passed, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if she’d finish her sentence, but then she swallowed and continued, “I’m not sure if Iwanthim to break the bonds, and I was afraid you’d force him to.”
Silence filled the cavern again, and we all stared at her. For the first time, the feisty female looked vulnerable, a startled expression on her face as if she couldn’t believe the admission that had come out of her own mouth.
In two long strides, I was at Raine’s side and pulling her from Kade. I wrapped my thick arms around her small body and forced her to look up at me. “We wouldn’t force you to do anythin’ you didn’t want to.”
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them away quickly. “Right, like you didn’t force me to participate in the trials?” she responded sarcastically.
Darian came up beside her and clasped his hand gently on her shoulder. “That was different, lovely. Turning into a monster would have helped you, and we hadn’t known what a treasure you were back then.”
She didn’t look overly appeased by his answer, but it was Locke’s words that seemed to penetrate to her core.
Emotion flickered in Locke’s black eyes, and it was the first time I’d seen him look so uncertain. “We’re here to return the fae prince to his people, and to find a way to break the curse over Katakin,” he said slowly, almost as if he was telling himself more than Raine. “We can discuss the matter about our bonds later. No one will force you to do anything you don’t want to.”
Locke’s black gaze bored into Raine, and she nodded slowly.
I crushed Raine against my chest. Despite what we’d already been through, I’d still half expected Locke to push for our bond with Raine to be broken. Not too long ago, he and Kade had been scouring the books in the ancient Katakin library, trying to find a way to do just that. I had to wonder what had changed since then, but whatever it was, I was grateful. I wasn’t ready to let go of Raine. If I was bein’ honest, I didn’t think I ever would be.
“As touching as this all is, now that has been sorted do you think you could remove your talons from my neck?” Prince Azaren said, and we all turned our attention back to the fae.
I glared at the male as I held Raine, all too aware that it was his fucking fault we even had to think about breaking the bonds.
Locke’s claws receded, though his hand remained squeezing the prince’s neck. The whites returned to my vampire brother’s eyes, and his fangs disappeared, leaving short, rounded teeth.
“Ah, much better,” Prince Azaren said with a smile that was way too chipper for his current situation.
I was marveling at Locke’s surprising show of restraint even after the fae had dropped that bit of news on us when I noticed the pain in my ass had intensified. This whole time the venom of the insect that had bitten me had still been poisoning my body, but now I inhaled sharply as tingles raced across my insides and what was left of my strength seemed to drain away. My gaze met Darian’s, and from the look on his face, he was experiencing a similar sensation.
Raine started to slide down as her legs buckled, and I held her up. “Whoa, I’ve got you, Sharachi,” I said as I held her steady, but my arms were trembling even worse than hers were, and I was starting to realize we were all worse off than we’d thought.
Locke moved his shoulders as if he was trying to rid himself of the venom. “What’s happening to us?” his cold voice demanded of the fae.
“I don’t pretend to know the inner workings of monsters,” Prince Azaren commented. “Until quite recently, I’d never seen one of you before.”
A growl left Kade’s throat, and Locke looked as if he was about to strangle the prince.
“We were stung by giant insects with red-striped markings,” Darian explained before someone could snap the prince’s neck. “Tell us what their venom is capable of.”
“Ah, I had wondered whether you’d encountered them considering we’re so close to their nest. This cave is one of my favorite spots when I need to get away. An altercation with them also explains the pain in my arm and my own weakening power.”
Raine frowned, her forehead wrinkling. “What nest?”
“The dazra are known to have a nest around here, and they are fiercely protective of their territory.”
“The dazra?” Darian asked. “Is that what you call those insects?”
The prince nodded, his chin bobbing against Locke’s hand. “Yes, they’re a wild species that have nests around the forest.”
“How do you kill them?” Kade growled.
