Page 177 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

“Kazimir!” I dropped to my knees and grabbed for him, desperate to keep his head from cracking against the stone floor.

The instant my palms touched his shoulders, an electric jolt tore up my arms—pain so sharp it wrenched a gasp from my lungs. Our entanglement bond locked us together, flooding my nerves with every ounce of his torment. It felt like thousands of scorching needles driving into my bones.

He let out another ragged scream, his eyes rolling back until I saw only white threaded with black veins. Pressure coiled around my skull—his pain or my own or both. I barely knew anymore, and I refused to let go even when instincts screamed at me to pull away. This was Kazimir, the man I couldn’t bear to lose. Even if it meant scorching agony for me, I’d hold him.

Behind us, Vex stood by the doorway, daggers dripping fresh blood. “He’s been overextending himself for a while,” she said, her voice tense. “He never rested when he should have.”

I stared down at his contorted face, my heart thudding with fear. How much pain had he hidden? In all the times we’d argued about it these last weeks, I’d never imagined this magnitude of suffering.

“Do something!” I shouted at Vex, fury and desperation boiling over.

“I’m not a healer,” she answered softly, “but you are, my lady.”

Right. I was a healer. More than that, actually. And the nauseating wave of pain that hammered my mind told me it was magical overflow. With the entanglement tying us together, maybe I could siphon some of his agony.

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to open that bond. A hideous torrent of agony poured in like hot iron flooding my veins. For one nauseating heartbeat, I trembled on the edge of letting go. Then I pressed my knees into the stone and refused.

My hearing dulled as though I was submerged underwater. The entire world shrank to blistering pain in my head and the sight of Kazimir’s convulsions finally subsiding. His breathing steadied, ragged gasps slowing to deeper gulps. The runes on his skin dimmed from their fiery glow to a faint flicker.

His eyes fluttered open at last. “Arabella…” he rasped. His voice sounded torn, shredded from the force of his screams.

“Don’t talk,” I managed in a hoarse murmur. Pain still throbbed through my muscles, but I clung to him, determined to bear it. “Just shut up and let me carry it for a second.”

He looked like he wanted to give me one of his usual smirks, but all he managed was a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Slowly, with trembling effort, he pushed himself upright, leaning heavily against my shoulder. My entire body wavered under hisweight. Still, I latched onto that pounding energy inside him, drawing away its sharpest edges.

An explosion thundered in the distance, rattling the walls of the citadel. Shouts rang out somewhere beyond the corridor. My stomach twisted in dread. This place was my home now—these were my people being attacked by so-called heroes.

“Kaz,” I said urgently, voice raw, “the Heirloom. If they get ahold of it?—”

“They won’t,” he snarled, though he practically collapsed against me. Another violent crash somewhere overhead made dust trickle from the ceiling.

Vex swept her gaze down the corridor, daggers raised. “We have to get there. If the tower collapses, or if they breach the wards…”

I couldn’t believe we’d left that artifact in a half-ruined tower. “Why didn’t we relocate it?”

“Wards,” Kazimir muttered, leaning on me. “We built that chamber specifically to shield it. Even if Skyspire falls, that chamber is safest.”

A third explosion rocked the hall, and my jaw clenched. “Let’s move. I have some heroes I’d like to personally eviscerate.”

With Vex leading, I helped Kazimir hobble forward. His arm slung across my shoulders, his weight pressing me down with every step. My senses stayed on high alert, adrenaline forcing me to adapt to the constant burn of his pain. As terrifying as it felt, I didn’t want to relinquish contact. Not when I knew how close he was to losing control.

The corridor teemed with bodies—some dead, others dying. Choking coils of magic and the reek of blood kept my pulse hammering. My chest felt too tight.

We’d nearly reached the eastern tower when a dozen Guild assailants rounded the corner. Without a second thought, Vex leapt forward, her daggers glinting.

“Go,” she barked. “I’ll handle them.”

“There are too many,” I protested.

“Get the Heirloom,” she insisted fiercely. “And kill any bastard who dares to touch it.”

I swallowed down the urge to argue. Kazimir pulled me the other way, and I forced my feet to move. Vex’s battle cries erupted behind us, followed by shrieks of panic from the Guild members.

Kazimir guided me through a servants’ passage hidden behind a ragged tapestry. The cramped tunnel smelled of dust and stale air. He stumbled against the narrow walls, and I felt each footstep echo in our entanglement, a sickening pull that made me lurch too. I concentrated on steadying him, channeling everything I had to ease his suffering.

We emerged into the eastern courtyard overshadowed by the tower. My stomach sank at the sight of three more Guild members waiting, staves raised. They spotted Kazimir’s distinctive silhouette, recognized me at his side, and drew themselves up with righteous fervor.

“Dark Lord,” a gray-haired woman snarled. “Your reign of terror ends now!”

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