Page 118 of Madness of Her Mages

“Father, we know,” I interrupted. “Thorin killed Lord and Lady Inferni. All three of their sons are my mates.”

“Where are they?” he asked.

“Drae is keeping watch outside and Blaze is taking care of the girls,” I answered.

His smile cracked the grime coating his face. “You must have very powerful magic if the elements have given you three mates.”

“I do,” I said, a smile in my voice, though my heart was shattered.

He rubbed his bony chin. “How old are you, child?”

“Three and twenty,” I answered.

He let out a low whistle. “I’ve been in this dungeon almost a quarter of a century.”

“You won’t be here much longer, Father.” I knelt back down and grasped his hands. “I’ll make sure of it. We don’t have much time. Nikkos is going to try to heal you now, okay?”

He leaned back on his palms, tilting his chin. “Alright.”

Nikkos bent in front of him, looking him over with a scowl before grasping my father’s head with one hand, keeping his torch up with the other.I need your siren,he projected to me.

I nodded, squeezing Nikkos’s shoulder. Even though I was heartsick and exhausted, I would summon the energy to heal my father.You will heal him,I commanded in my low siren voice.You will heal my father.

Nikkos’s eyes rolled back into his head before the flame extinguished in his hand. The next moment, a soft blue glow radiated from Nikkos as he held my father’s head in both hands, his healing magic pulsing in waves through both of them.

I held my breath while watching the light flare brighter and brighter, praying the light wasn’t bright enough for the guards to see. But then the light slowly died down, and Nikkos fell backonto the dirty floor with a groan. I reached out for him in the dark, grabbing his arm to steady him.

“I’m okay,” he whispered, producing another soft ball of flickering light.

I gasped as I looked into my father’s bright brown eyes.

“Can you see, Father?” I looked him over carefully, noting his cuts and bruises and tattered wings had been healed, though he was still very underweight. Only food would fix that, and I knew he wouldn’t get enough in this cell.

He nodded while reaching for me. “I can, my beautiful child.”

I fell into his arms, no longer caring about the grime, though I did fear I’d crush him.

My father wiped tears from my cheek before smiling at my mate. “Thank you, Nikkos.”

“No need to thank me, sir.” Nikkos splayed a hand across his heart. “It was my honor.”

Marius frowned down at his grimy hands. “I shouldn’t touch you. I’m filthy.”

I swiped more tears from my eyes. “I don’t care. I’m so glad you’re alive. We believed Malvolia’s mages had killed you.”

“They killed my squire,” he answered. “Flora had changed his features to look like mine and changed me to look like him. Malvolia figured it out easily enough and removed my masking spell. Then she took my sight and locked me up in here.”

Fucking hateful bitch. “I’m so sorry, Father.”

My father rocked me in his arms. “None of this is your fault.”

The guards are getting impatient.Drae’s warning echoed in my head.

Damn. “I’m sorry, Father, but we need to go,” I said while stroking the side of his face.

If I thought my heart was shattered before, my father pulverized it when he flashed a watery smile, more tears sliding down his face. “I understand.”

I thanked Nikkos when he helped me to my feet. “We brought you food and an herbal drink that will restore some of your strength,” I said as Nikkos removed the pouch from his vest and handed Marius the supplies.

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