Page 58 of Fated In Ruin

“Easy,” Riordan murmured, his hand gently touching my shoulder. “We’ve got you.”

Blake was careful, and as soon as we crossed the threshold, the warmth was immediate, the scent of aged wood and lingering incense wrapping around me like a second skin. My breath hitched. This place smelled like home, like memories, like somewhere I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

And just that fast, the guilt hit, the memory of me and Malachi and everything that meant only adding to the physical pain.

After a tense argument, they settled me onto a long, tufted red couch in the sitting room. Riordan closed the heavy drapes, drowning out the storm outside. Every time I tried to move, Blake pressed a firm hand to my shoulder, keeping me down.

“Stay still.”

“I need to?—”

“You need to not die before Sylvester gets here,” he interrupted. “Let’s start there and work our way down the list.”

I scowled but let my head fall back against the cushions. Every part of me was on fire, and from my self-diagnostic, I had a broken hand and some ribs, a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen, plus a deep gash along my thigh and a host of bruises blooming across my back.

If I’d still been human, I’d probably be on an operating table while the surgeon scrubbed in, not an antique sofa being scolded by my mate. I didn’t even recall getting half these injuries and my magic…my magic was a faint ember, no sign of shadowy flames.

Riordan crouched down beside me, eyes scanning my face. “What happened, Evie?”

I sucked in a shallow breath that seared my insides with pain, just to get out one, miserable name. “Ravok.”

Blake stiffened, the look on his face had the rest of the words died in my throat. Riordan whirled away with a low curse.

I forced myself to keep going. “Even though it’s only been a few days, he’s back to full strength. He has Malachi.” The words were sharp as shattered glass. “Silas and my uncles and my cousins are all thralls. We have to secure the castle, erect wards, get everyone out of here.”

“Yes, we saw your text,” Riordan muttered, not sounding happy as a thick, suffocating silence settled over the room.

I turned my head and he was right there, running gentle fingers down my throat, following the line of fiery scratches running from my jaw to my collarbone. “These are by someone’s hand. Who the fuck did this, Evie?”

“Silas. He…Ravok forced him to. My father, the monster, under the control of a bigger monster. The irony is…awful.”

“I swear to the fucking gods, I’m going to kill all of them.” An echo of power flooded the room, hollowing out my ears, Rohr’s hands tracing my arms, my face, before he worked his way down my body, his muttered curses and threats growing more and more creative.

“From the look of things,” Blake’s jaw clenched. “You barely made it out alive. Tell me Ravok is down or injured, at least?” He peered at my face. “Then your father and uncles, they’re dead?” I managed to jerk my head to the side.

“There were too many. Ravok was too strong and Malachi…” My voice broke. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting tears stinging behind them. “He gave me the globe. Sent me away. He stayed behind to buy me time. To buyustime.” The words tasted like failure, and they were, because I’d abandoned him.

Riordan exhaled slowly. “Then he’s gone.”

“No,” I hissed, narrowing my eyes. “He’s notgone. We have to go back for him. If we leave him there, he’s as good as dead.”

Blake barked out a harsh laugh. “Absolutely not.”

I recoiled, shock washing through me in a cold wave. “What?”

“Ravok is stronger than ever, and you barely survived,” he said coldly. “You want to march back in and get yourself killed?No.”

I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain shooting through my ribs. “I’m not leaving him there. He bought me time. He stayed, to give me a chance to come here and warn you.”

“We’ve been down this road before, remember?” Blake crossed his arms. “Malachi is many things, but noble is at the very bottom of that list.” He muttered another foul curse under his breath and turned away, pacing toward the fireplace, where he opened a small box, then palmed something in his hand.

“Noble’s not evenonthe list,” Riordan added, for good measure. “I agree. The bastard made his bed, let him fucking lie in it.” He shrugged. “Draven’s been on a short list of mine for a while now. I can finally cross him off.”

“After everything he’s done to us, I get that, I do. I felt the exact same way, only a few days ago. But you don’t know everything.” I explained, “Malachi sacrificed himself so I could escape and warn you. I’m only here because he sent me away and…God knows what Ravok’s doing to himright now.”

“And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t throw your life away.” Rohr’s voice was hard, unyielding. “We’re not losing you, Evangeline. Malachi is disposable. You are not.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Blake moved back to my side and uncorked a small flask with one sharp motion. “Here. Drink this.”

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