Page 188 of Hidden Kingdoms

Fear slammed into me as understanding bled through my panic. Once again, I was witness to the darkness that tormented him in sleep. Of the past that pushed through to brutalise him all over again.

It was a cruel twist of fate that he suffered like this. As if he hadn’t been put through enough, he was now subjected to this torture even in sleep. The years had passed, and the physical scars had long since faded, but the ones carved on the inside of his mind were still there. Just waiting for the moment his defences were down before they split open, breaking him apart over and over.

I wasn’t sure how I knew he had needed me.

I did know I couldn’t wake him; we had learnt early on that it only did more harm.

For too long, he had hidden it from me when he first came to Incaendium, years spent trying to deal with it on his own until I figured it out.

After I had, I promised to find a way to help him, and when we weren’t in training or busy with prince nonsense, that’s what I did.

We tried everything. Tonics, teas, working out until we could barely make it to our beds before passing out. None of it made a difference; Kaius was still caught in his past once sleep had him. Caught back withhim.

“Fuck,” I hissed, running my hands through my hair, spinning around the room searching. For anything.

A silver bowl on a dresser half hidden by leaves caught my eye, and I picked it up, sniffing at the days-old powdery ashes that lay inside.

Ground valerian root…

My heart dropped as I realised what he had been doing, that this wasn’t the first night he had been back in his own hell. Burning valerian root wouldn’t stop the dreams, but it would stop the screams. Paralysing his body while leaving his mind wide open. Which also meant no one would know what was happening to him.

How long had he been hiding this?

Kaius shouted out again, back arching off the bed as his eyes flicked back and forth beneath his lids, witness to pain I would never know. The valerian must have worn off, or he hadn’t used it tonight.

Sleeping together helped. Being with someone else would keep them at bay for longer than anything else we tried. I considered climbing in next to him, but it had never been enough.

I had even tried to make a talisman once to hang over his bed, but apparently when you use hickory wood instead of maple, and moldavite instead of Labradorite, all it did was summon a lesser demon pet puppy.

I was twelve, I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing.

At least we’d had fun chasing the fluff ball around before my father caught wind of it and dragged an Enchanter here to banish it.

It wasn’t until years later I managed to track down another Enchanter and pay a ridiculous amount of coin for them to charm a raw emerald with a powerful blocking spell, that he finally found peace. I’d even paid extra to have the silver inlays infused with chamomile oil.

I’d never told him exactly how much it had cost, afraid he would refuse to wear it, or try to pay me back. He could afford it, but I didn’t want his money.

And every single auros was worth it when after countless years of torture, Kaius woke that next morning rested.

Unhaunted.

Which is whythisshouldn’t be happening.

Why had it stopped working?

Was there some sort of time limit on the pendant I was unaware of?

Kaius thrashed against the bed as I watched helplessly, his jaw clenched tight enough I was certain he would break teethas he was forced to relive his past, the blankets slipping down revealing his tattooed chest.

And no fucking necklace.

I froze as magik surged under my skin, and I fought hard to keep it contained as panic amplified the pressure. I knew there was no point searching the blankets to see if it had fallen off. The chain was unbreakable; I’d requested it myself.

I’d tested it myself.

Why the fuck would he take it off? It obviously didn’t work if he didn’t fucking have it.

And as if gifted by Suri herself, a memory flooded my mind. Of yesterday, just me and Elodie in that room that was all too small, yet the space between us was a chasm I could never cross.

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