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Kazimir sidestepped to his saddlebags, yanking out his own blade. The males circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. When Kazimir leaped into a flurry of strikes, I tuned in to my magic, the crystal flickering and filling with power as I opened myself to every intense emotion for the male I’d loved first. I needed every drop of my power to end this, so I gritted my teeth and allowed the barriers around my worst memories to fall away, drawing on every painful emotion that cascaded through me. Tears overflowed of their own accord, mixing with the blood trickling down my face.
Then, I surrendered to them.
With a cry that held years of anguish, I directed my magic at Kazimir, willing his feet to stick to the muddy ground and sink into it like quicksand. The clash of blades rang through the mountain pass as Ruslan stepped in, and as Kazimir lifted a foot to shift away, my magic yanked it down and stuck it to the ground.
Sweat poured from my temples and down my aching spine from the effort of holding Kazimir still, and I gasped for air as agony speared through every fiber of my being. My focusslipped, overwhelmed by the intensity ofeverything,and a sob wracked my chest as Kazimir managed to unstick his foot a moment later.
Ruslan had already started to attack again, and the males fought with a ferocity I’d never experienced before. Desperation flooded me as I willed and willed him to stop moving, my magic flaring over and over inside that crystal as I called on it.
Had I used too much when trying to heal myself?
My entire body trembled, and I knew instinctively that I was closing in on burnout.
Ruslan’s heavy blows backed Kazimir toward the mountainside, and when he was within mere feet of the rock, spears shot out from the wall, one catching him in the leg, the other scraping his shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound in his thigh, but he was a male possessed, and being impaled did not stop his crazed movements. His next three blows were like lightning, the last catching Ruslan’s right shoulder and cutting deep.
“No!” I screamed, leaping to my feet despite the roaring agony in my body, hand raised and blasting white energy at Kazimir. The impact propelled him backward, flattening him against the ground and sending his sword clattering away as he tumbled over and over himself.
Ruslan gritted his teeth, switched his sword to his left hand, and hunted Kazimir down like the prey he was. Ruslan was the apex predator not only in the Iron Realm, but in all of Északi.
And he was my fucking mate.
My legs buckled, unable to support my weight any longer, and I fell to my hands and knees. My heart raced wildly out of control, and my lungs burned as if the white fire that lived in my chest had decided to consume them.
Why hadn’t I trained for this? How could I be so stupid as to neglect one of my greatest assets?
Ruslan kicked the fallen sword further away as he passed it, but Kazimir had already recovered and was on his feet. He reached for a dagger sheathed in his boot, then pinched it between thumb and forefinger by the blade, as if he were going to throw it at Ruslan’s broad chest.
The three of us were poised on the edge of that blade for a moment, and I held my breath, waiting to see which way we would fall. Time slowed to a crawl, and Ruslan paused, eyeing Kazimir’s dagger warily. What was left of my magic I called to my hands, ready to throw a shield in front of Ruslan should Kazimir decide to throw.
Ruslan had expressed time and time again that he would die without me; what he didn’t know was that if he perished, I would want to follow him into death too.
Why had I never told him that?
The thought robbed me of breath.
“If she won’t have me, then she won’t have anyone,” Kazimir snarled, then hurled the blade. I threw a shield of white magic in front of Ruslan, pouring every last drop I had into it, desperate to save him.
But the blade sailed past Ruslan and buried itself in my chest.
47
Béke Day Thirteen
Zuriel screamed my name as he sprinted down the main thoroughfare in Radence, pushing parade goers out of his way like they were nothing more than insects. I’d never heard the Angel speak above a normal volume before, so I immediately spun to see what the fuck had gotten into him. He careened to a stop in front of me, the people around us falling silent to hear what the Angel had to say.
“Kazimir has taken Izidora into the mountains. Ruslan went after her, but she is badly injured. We need to hurry.”
Oh, fuck.
I immediately hunted the vicinity for any of my soldiers, finding a handful in the distance. Their attention was already on us thanks to Zuriel barreling through the crowd.
“Artur! Disperse the crowd and make sure our guests are entertained in the ballroom.” My second in command saluted me from across the street, then shouted orders at his legion.
“Are you armed?” I asked Zuriel.
He shook his head.
“You, give me your sword, and your chains.” I pointed to one of the soldiers who stood watch a few feet from us. The male readily handed the sword to Zuriel and the chains to me.
