Several of the guards surround Rina and march her down to the courtyard.
I rush toward Lyana. Gathering her in my arms, I spin her around once as I hug her close to my chest before pressing a tender kiss to her head and setting her feet back on the ground.
“Are you hurt?” Her eyes rake over the blood that covers my face and armor.
“No. I am fine.”
Over her shoulder, I’m acutely aware of Rina’s reptilian amber eyes watching us closely as she remains surrounded by the guards.
Lyana takes my hand, squeezing it gently before she releases it and turns her attention back to Rina.
“What would you have us do with her, my queen?” one of the guards asks Lyana.
“Take her to the dungeons. We will decide her fate later.”
One of them grabs Rina’s arm and drags her to her feet.
“Wait!” she calls out. “I wish to say something.”
Lyana’s eyes snap to her. “What is it?”
“You turned Fredrik against me,” she says, tears of anger sliding down her cheeks. “The only man I ever truly loved.”
“You killed my father and betrayed my love for you, Stepmother,” Lyana grinds out. “You are lucky you still draw breath.”
“Am I?” Rina tips up her chin in defiance. “You took from me the one that I love and now I will take yours from you.”
Rina closes her eyes and my heart stops as she whispers words of enchantment. Light gathers around her and the world shifts into slow motion, as I realize too late that it was all a ruse.
Her magic was never weakening. This was her plan all along.
Her eyes snap open and she raises her hands. Magic explodes like fire from her fingers and arcs toward me.
I cannot move fast enough as the blast races toward me. Raising my hands in futility, I cry out in panic as Lyana throws herself at me, pushing me out of the way.
Sacrificing herself, I watch in horror as she takes the full brunt of the blast. She cries out in pain as it slams into her side, pushing her into my arms as she collapses against me.
Veron roars and releases a ball of flame. Rina’s piercing shriek fills the air a moment before falling silent as he burns her to ash.
I stare down at Lyana’s pale and trembling form. Without hesitation, I bite my wrist to draw blood and place it over her mouth. “Drink,” I tell her. “It will heal you.”
She does as I ask. The color returns to her cheeks, but she begins shivering. Her face is an agonizing mask of pain as she stares up at me. Tightly gripping the sleeve of my forearm, her chest rises and falls with rapid breaths as tears stream down her cheeks.
Ruvaen drops to his knees by my side. “I don’t understand,” I tell him. “I gave her my blood. Why is she not recovering?”
I quickly pull off her armor and rip a line down her tunic to expose her injury. My heart stops as my gaze travels over the angry red veins fingering out from the wound.
Ruvaen inhales sharply. “Poisonous magic,” he whispers in disbelief. “I—I have heard of this, but I have never seen it.”
Sweat beads across Lyana’s forehead and her skin is fever warm to the touch as the poison burns through her veins.
Frantic, I look to him. “Help her!” I demand.
He stares down at her in shock. “There is nothing I can do, Caelen.”
Her small hand reaches up to cup my cheek. I lower my forehead gently to hers. “Please, Lyana, you must hold on, my beloved.”
Golden-brown eyes stare into mine as she whispers. “I love you, Caelen.”
“Lyana, I—”
My heart stops as her eyes close and her hand falls from my face as she goes still. I cup the back of her neck and her long, dark hair spills through my fingers. “Lyana,” I whisper, but she does not respond.
Raw pain tears through me as I realize she will open her beautiful eyes no more. I gather her to my chest and roar my anguish to the sky.
