Anger cut through Tiernan, molten and glowing, like a blade just withdrawn from a blacksmith’s forge. The darkness inside him stirred to life, a beast kept in a cage for too long.
“You granted me the power of destruction to destroy those responsible for the death of my parents, and in exchange, you took everything from me.” He took a daring step forward. “You took Maeve, although I have not yet sought my revenge.”
The god lifted his shoulders, dismissing him. “You knew the power of destruction was on borrowed time.”
“And if you take it from me now,” Tiernan countered, “then our deal is no longer binding.” It was a long shot, but worth it. “Therefore, you should return Maeve.”
Aed studied him and the silence intensified beneath the weight of the god’s empty gaze. He inclined his head. “What makes you think she wants to come back?”
Tiernan faltered. His mouth opened, but he snapped it shut. He knew this game. Aed was trying to provoke him, to riddle his mind with doubt, to fill him with suspicions. But fuck if it wasn’t working.
“This is her home,” he ground out. His muscles bunched, flexed with tension.
“Home is wherever one feels most at peace,” the god mused, inspecting the flawless cape that swirled around him. “Wherever one feels most…happy.”
Blinding rage seared through Tiernan. “What are you trying to imply?”
“Perhaps your mate is doing better than you imagine.”
“She’s in the Ether!” he shouted. He didn’t care if he offended the god. Aed could go swallow a handful of water hemlock, then suffer a most violent death, and he’d be glad for it. “She’s alone in a realm crawling with lost souls.”
Aed’s smile was sharp. “Who said she’s alone?”
He couldn’t help it. Jealousy ignited, setting his soul on fire. A noise, feral and wild, sounded from some deep, cavernous part of his chest. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Another dark laugh emerged from the god of death. Menacing and mocking. “Not me… though the thought is tempting.”
Tiernan was about to combust. He’d never killed a god before, but for Aed, he’d find a way. And he’d ensure it was so painfully slow, the fucking bastard would be forced to beg for mercy.
Aed’s smile vanished. “She trains daily with Rowan Celenae.”
Everything around Tiernan stilled. The steady beats of silence caused his head to pound and his heart to race. Uncertainty carved its way into his thoughts, stealing away his confidence.
He shook his head.
Maeve wouldn’t…but Rowan would.
No. He would know if their bond had broken, his Strand would dissolve. Right now, the heat of it continued to warm his chest. This was all Aed trying to plant seeds of doubt. But why?
Tiernan reigned in on his last shred of control. “You can’t keep her forever.”
“Of course not.” Aed waved away the notion as though the thought had never crossed his mind. “If she wants to return to Faeven, she can strike a deal with me.”
“No. I won’t allow it.”
“From what I’ve gathered,” Aed drawled, “the Dawnbringer is quite capable of taking care of herself.”
Tiernan was ready to retaliate when the god of death was suddenly inches from him. “Enough small talk, High King. I’ve come here to collect, not idle in tedious conversation.”
The darkness came first. It swallowed him, drowning him in a wave of eternal night until there was nothing and no one. It silenced everything around him, smothering even the sound of his own heartbeat. Utter stillness echoed all around. It reminded him of the aftermath of battle, when the land was soaked in blood and littered with bodies of the dead. A heightened sense of dread slithered down his spine.
Then came the pain. Power unlike anything he’d ever felt vibrated through him until he thought his bones would snap. His body jerked forward and his knees slammed down into the ground, sending shooting bolts of agony up to the base of his neck. It flooded him, choked him, wound itself within him so tightly that he couldn’t move. He was locked in a state of paralysis, unable to defend himself. Unable to fight back.
Aed’s magic tore into him.
Wisps of finite power encircled his heart, squeezing it, searching for what it sought—the destruction harboring deep within Tiernan like a creature of the night. His blood turned to ice, causing him to convulse, thrashing against his own will as tendrils of death scoured him from the inside out. He was on his back now, his fingers clawing at the damp earth beneath him. The darkness inside him bellowed in response. It recognized the call of its master. Of death. A crushing weight settled upon his chest and pools of molten silver, eyes from the Ether, gazed down at him.
The god of death smiled.
