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She turned to find Jaime standing directly behind her, so near that her face nearly brushed against his chest. She took a hurried step back, a branch cracking beneath her boots like the sound of a bone snapping.
“What?” she breathed, too stunned to say anything else. She blinked, and the reality of his demand slammed into her. “Are you mad?”
“We should leave him,” Jaime repeated, vehemence drenching his voice. He took a step toward her. “We’ll face Ymaritis on our own, and then we’ll run away together—somewhere far from him.” His eyes shot toward where Killian had disappeared into the branches.
“I’m not leaving him,” Elyse answered firmly as fury heated her blood. “And you are not in charge of me.”
She turned away from him, but Jaime caught her shoulder. There was nothing but loathing in his blue eyes as he spun her back to face him.
“You’re not thinking straight,” Jaime said. “Killian will be the death of you—literally. This blood pact will kill you.”
“And you think you can fix it?”
“I think you stand a better chance fixing it by coming with me than you do by fucking him!”
He spat the words at her, like they were filthy. Like she had defiled herself.
Elyse cringed and shook Jaime’s hand from her shoulder. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she backed toward the tree, inching away from him and toward Killian.
“Let me make one thing clear,” she said, her voice low but emphatic. “Wherever I go, Killian goes. And wherever he goes, I go as well.” She lifted her chin an inch higher. “There will be no negotiating that.”
A rustling above announced Killian’s return before he dropped from the lowest branch. He landed, knees bent, eyes drilling into Jaime.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, glancing toward Elyse.
She raised an eyebrow at Jaime, signaling him to answer.
Jaime looked from Elyse to Killian, then back to Elyse. His nostrils flared, and he gritted his teeth so hard that Elyse could practically hear them grinding together. But he nodded, slow and cool.
Elyse knew that Killian could sense their tension, had probably heard Jaime’s disgusting accusations. He would let Elyse fight her own battles, though. He took a step closer to her and gently touched a hand to her back, and she lifted her face toward him.
“There’s a ridge not far from here,” he said, jerking his chin to the north. “We might be able to see something from there.”
Elyse gave Jaime one last seething look before she slid her hand into Killian’s. “Lead the way.”
Chapter 58
- Elyse -
Elyse clenched her fists as she followed Killian up a steep, rocky slope. Her magic was only agitated more by Jaime’s outburst. It hissed to be let out, to unleash itself on him and make him pay for his words. She couldn’t do anything about it though—or wouldn’t. Not when there was too much at stake.
By the time they crested the hill, dusk was nearly upon them. The sun’s rays seemed to reach out to Elyse, a hand pleading for aid. She wanted nothing more than to reach back, to grab hold of the sun and keep it from disappearing beyond the horizon. She steadied herself by folding her arms over her chest and gripping the sleeves of her jacket.
Below them, the forest spanned out in a sea of leaves and shadows. And there, nestled among the towering evergreens, was a clearing. It was easy to spot, not only from the absence of trees, but by the dozen or so lit candles that littered the ground. A figure stood among the candles, someone tall and dark.
Elyse fell to her knees immediately, hiding from anyone who might see them. Her heart thundered as the rocks bit into her shins. Killian and Jaime dropped to a crouch beside her, their whispers frantic.
“Did you see that?”
“It must be him.”
Elyse felt a cold sweat trickle down her temple as they exchanged frenzied glances. Slowly, the three of them crawled to the edge of the ridge and looked out over the forest.
She spotted the candlelight immediately, their tiny flames a beacon in the quickly darkening forest. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimming light. As soon as she caught sight of him, her magic roiled.
“Ymaritis,” she breathed, a declaration and a threat. Her magic pulsed in her veins as she spoke his name.
“I can take him out from here,” Killian said from beside her. His voice was soft but sharp.
