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“They will try to put a tracking spell on you before you leave, like they have with the rest of us. Do not let them, or you’ll never be free. I will help you block it, so keep your mind open to me.”
Shit, so that’s what kept powerful beings from leaving this Goddess-forsaken place.
“It shall be done.” Rares rubbed his withered hands together, a gleam in his eye. His enthusiasm only sent a shudder through my body. I had decided to become their weapon, a true insidious bloom, for one day that power would turn against them and right the wrongs done to me. But this road of surrendering to them in the meantime would not be an easy one.
The Mage crossed to me, and Zuriel stepped aside. Ruslan monitored Rares, who began chanting in a language wholly unfamiliar to me.
“He is going to put the spell on you now. Imagine your magic creating a shell beneath your skin. I will hold it in place, for it is difficult to use such magic without showing it.”
Rares weaved his hands in time with his chants. Not a muscle twitched as I tuned in to the fire-wrapped crystal in my chest. Bringing the white energy just beneath my skin was challenging, but I did as Zuriel instructed. My heart galloped as I raced to cover every inch of my skin, straining as I reached my limit at the tops of my thighs. Sweat broke out along my brow as I pushed and pushed, sending it an inch further but dropping the covering on my fingers. It was taking too long, and Rares’s words came faster and faster, surely nearing the end of the spell.
“I will hold the magic above the waist, but you need to cover your legs, NOW.”
I focused all my attention on my legs, the magic that covered the top half of my body buzzing below my skin. With a final burst of energy I covered my feet, then my fingers and toes, just as Rares placed his hands on me. I yelped in surprise, feeling like a leather whip had lashed my whole body, and doubled over in pain.
“What the fuck was that!” I gasped, leaping from the table, knocking Rares back as I reacted to the pain.
“A tracking spell. Should you ever try to leave the Iron Realm without Ruslan, you will bleed out through your pores.” The old Mage had the nerve to laugh.
Sick bastard.
I whirled on Ruslan, stalking over to him and shoving him with all my strength, though it didn’t even sway him. Instead his eyes smoldered with a heady mix of lust and power, sending a chill down my spine. The pain was real, still pulsing over my skin, and my stomach dropped as I realized Zuriel and I may not have succeeded.
“You are mine, Izidora, now and forever. You will never leave me,” Ruslan purred, his coolness in no way offsetting the rage boiling in my chest.
“This is not love,” I hissed, and his eyes flashed with hurt before he bared his teeth at me.
“It is because I need to protect you and keep you safe. That’s what a real mate does.” His words landed their intended blow.
“How DARE you!” I screeched, launching myself at his face with nails curled into claws. He only caught me and threw me over his shoulder like a petulant toddler.
“You are not bound by the spell, Izidora. Acting like you are was a smart play. I’ll be waiting for you to begin training,”Zuriel spoke before retreating from my mind.
“Are we done here?” Ruslan asked Rares with casual indifference.
“For now. Have her back later to train her magic,” he instructed, waving us off.
Ruslan carried me over his shoulder as we left Rares and Zuriel. I locked eyes with the Angel, who gave me a curt nod, then the door closed behind us. My fists swung wildly against Ruslan’s back, but he seemed unfazed by my strikes. I donkey-kicked a leg, trying to break his grip on my knees, but he only tightened his hands so that they were nearly bruising. “Put medown and talk to me! That was not okay.” He said nothing, but those remaining in the tunnels quickly scattered at the sight of Ruslan and me.
“I did it because I love you, my sprite,” he purred as we entered the stairwell.
“You did it because you are a control freak!” I snapped.
“You don’t know the real ways of Fae,” he seethed. “Males, especially mated males, go insane over protecting their females. Kazimir clearly wanted your body and title, as he could not overcome the effects of the poison to reach you like a mated male would have.”
That made me pause, my fist suspended in midair. It was true that I did not know the ways of Fae, as I had been kept in the dark – literally – my whole life. I recalled Liliana’s explanation of mates and her mention of how insanely protective males were.
Could Ruslan possibly be right? Could his insanity stem from a primal urge to protect?
It wasn’t until we reached the landing at the top of the spiral staircase that my feet touched the ground again. Not a drop of sweat lined his face, despite the fact that he’d walked up all those stairs carrying me. My knees were grateful that they did not have to make the ascent, but I was beyond pissed at Ruslan for attempting to trap me in this way.
“If you wanted me to accept the mate bond, there’s no fucking way I am now,” I cursed him as I stalked as far away as I could on the small landing. I wanted to wound him, and it worked. He was on me in a second, pinning me to the hard wall with his harder body. The scrape of rough stone through my tunic was drowned out by the crazed look in his eyes and firm set of his jaw. He dropped his head to my neck, inhaling deeply as he ran his nose up to my ear. Goosebumps spread across my skin, and a shiver wound its way down my spine.
“Once you finally succumb to your desire, you won’t be able to refuse me,” he growled, his tone as low as it was feral. As if he commanded it, heat pooled between my thighs.
It was so twisted that my body responded to him in this way.
“Watch me,” I bit out, the venom in my voice contrasting the softening of my body.
