Page 23 of The Edge of Darkness

The sound of liquid dripping on the stone echoed through the chamber as the guard furthest from me pissed himself.

“Y-You can’t . . .” the other one said, the one who had ripped my back open with that iron-tipped whip and spat onto my wounds.

Bastard.

“Watch me,” I said.

His eyes grew wide as I leveled my stare at him.

Without a second thought, I let out a quick breath—as if to blow out a candle—and the entire space around them ignited in a blazing, black heat. The flames engulfed and devoured the males before they could even scream.

“Such a shame,” I said nonchalantly as their ashes sank into piles on the stone floor. I scuffed my boots through them as I headed for the door.

When I turned back to the others, Maeson stood in utter shock, and next to her, my mate was clutching onto Remic with something akin to fear in her eyes.

Remic was the only thing rooting me in place as I stood in the aftermath of the guards’ death sentence.

Death by shadowfire.

I stared at what had just been five fae, who were now nothing but ashes dissipating to a muddy mound of slop on the wet pavement. Niall was right, I had no idea what he was truly capable of, and seeing it firsthand—the fact that it took no effort on his part to obliterate five guards—made me see him in a whole new light.

It wasn’t quite fear that I was feeling as I beheld him. It was a complex mix of emotions that I could not yet decipher. He had once told me that there was a side of him that he was reluctant to let me see.

This, I guessed, was what he’d meant.

Remic’s hand landed gently on my shoulder. “Auren?” His eyes were full of concern as he scanned my face, probably worried that I might have just changed my mind about my mate.

I willed my expression to remain neutral as I swallowed. “I’m okay,” I assured him.

Remic turned me so that I faced him fully. “There are things that must be done that will require taking lives. It does not bring him pleasure to do it, but he will protect you at all costs. So will I.”

I looked across the room at my mate. He didn’t even glance down at the ashes he now stood upon. The wisps of shadow still wafted off his bare shoulders, like steam rising from a hot spring in winter. And something in his eyes looked feral. Something I hadn’t previously seen.

All Niall talked about before was how he’d worked so hard to control his power, and just now, it seemed like he’d been triggered so easily.

If this was control . . .

I shuddered at the thought of what no control might look like.

As if he read my thoughts, Niall’s expression fell into worry. He watched as Remic continued to speak to me quietly.

“Auren, Ramil knows no bounds, and he will not hesitate to take what is most precious from you. Defensive measures must always be taken, especially here. You are more important than any of us, and we will not negotiate when it comes to your life or your freedom. Do you understand? Do not hesitate to use your power.”

Remic’s words soothed the raw edges of my emotions. He was right. This was a rescue mission, and we would do what was necessary to get everyone out safely.

I nodded in response before he gave me a reassuring squeeze on my arm and directed me toward my mate. There was no way around the piles of ash on the ground, so I stepped through them.

Niall reached for my hand. He didn’t say a word, but his eyes said a thousand. He had feared how I might react to seeing his true power, and my reaction wasn’t what either of us had expected.

I gave his hand a small squeeze, and he understood.

We would talk about it later.

Without further hesitation, I locked onto the wards.

“Get ready,” I said as Maeson and Remic stepped up behind us.

I willed the wards to fall once more, and we vacated the cell and headed toward Morah.