Page 178 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

Kazimir gave a half-deranged laugh. “Fucking heroes,” he said hoarsely.

“At least they dressed the part,” I muttered, stepping forward despite exhaustion coiled around my limbs. “You can’t just barge in and kill people, then pretend you’re morally superior.”

She glowered at me. “Lady Evenfall, please step aside. We’re freeing you?—”

“Freeing me from the only person who taught me to harness my power?” Rage sparked through my veins. “Spare me yoursanctimonious drivel.” I flicked my hand, sending a burst of inverted healing magic that cracked the stone at the woman’s feet. She scrambled back.

Kazimir seized that opening. The bond between us pulsed with a careful exchange of energy. His shadows surged outward in a black wave. The old woman hissed, trying to fight him off. Another one lunged for Kazimir’s exposed back, but I intercepted, forming a shadow dagger and blocking her staff. Sparks hissed on impact. She aimed a bolt of light at Kazimir just as I shoved my dagger aside and slammed my hand to her throat.

No illusions this time. I let my lethal magic flow. She stiffened, eyes wide, then dropped. My stomach lurched at how easy it was. Another corner of me exulted in the power, a savage satisfaction that I’d survived.

Kazimir dispatched two more assailants with brutal speed. The last woman attempted a final staff assault, but Kazimir’s shadow spear tore through her with a wet, sickening sound. Her strangled cry echoed, then died. The courtyard fell quiet except for our gasping breath. Kazimir nearly sagged to the ground, but I caught him.

He gave a ragged, delirious grin. “You are so fucking sexy right now.”

My heart squeezed. “Focus, you bastard. The tower.” If I let myself dwell on the rush of his compliment, I might fall apart.

We kept moving, ignoring the renewed chaos rising behind us. The double doors to the eastern tower still stood, though a new wave of Guild forces thundered somewhere close. Kazimir pushed me forward, his eyes flaring with feverish determination.

“Go,” he growled. “Get the Heirloom. If they seize it?—”

“No,” I whispered, tightening my arm around his waist. It felt wrong to leave him here like a cornered beast.

“Now, Arabella,” he ordered, voice cracking. As if to punctuate his point, three knight-mages charged into the courtyard, swords and spells gleaming.

I hated every second of it, but I knew Kazimir was right. If they got the Heirloom, he was dead anyway. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed his collar and crushed my mouth to his in a single savage kiss.

“Don’t you dare die,” I breathed against his lips. My entire body trembled.

He let out a harsh exhale that might have been relief or desire. Then I tore away, burst through the tower doors, and slammed them shut. The lock caught with a hollow clank. Even with the wards, it wouldn’t hold for long.

Inside, the spiral staircase was half collapsed. I’d been up here before with Kazimir’s help, but now I had to do it alone. My head whirled, my muscles screamed for relief, and the aftershock of his torment still echoed in my blood. I dragged myself upward.

Where the steps had fallen away, I conjured shaky platforms of shadow to vault the gaps. Thank the gods Kazimir had forced me to practice. Every time I wavered or stumbled, I pictured his face contorted in pain. I swore I wouldn’t let him die defending a useless chunk of relic if I could save it.

It felt like hours, but in truth, it was only moments before I burst into the tall chamber at the top. The Heirloom’s amber glow pulsed erratically, as though in distress. The walls quivered under repeated assaults below, cracks creeping along the stones.

I clutched my ribs, trying to calm the thundering of my heart. My eyes flicked across the room. If I failed, if the Guild destroyed the Heirloom or twisted it to their own ends, Kazimir wouldn’t survive. I couldn’t lose him. Not now that I’d finally admitted how deeply I needed him.

My legs nearly gave out, but I forced them to stay upright. There was only one choice left to save us both.

And I would make it.

71

ALMOST DIE TOGETHER (IT’S ROMANTIC, OKAY?)

ARABELLA

I’d planned for this moment ever since I first laid eyes on that damned ritual. Even after Kazimir swore he wouldn’t risk it, the Lifeweave’s instructions kept haunting me. While he busied himself with war councils and clandestine experiments, I pored over every page of that ancient text, memorizing the runes in the small pauses between our near-disasters. I even practiced my precision and control in secret, determined to master this… just in case.

Now, the Heirloom of Dominion’s amber glow fluttered like a failing heartbeat. The crack along its side had spread since the last time I’d seen it, and strands of oily black magic seeped from the fissure as though the artifact itself were bleeding.

Kazimir’s pain pounded through our magical entanglement—he was somewhere below, his body near collapse as the so-called heroes unloaded bright, righteous fury on him. Every pulse of his agony lanced across my nerves, but I forced myself to swallow my fear.

“I’m not letting you die for this,” I whispered, though my words felt directed as much at myself as at him.

On the other side of the tower walls, steel clashed and spells crackled, merging into a thunderous roar. Another tremor rocked the building. Dust hung in the air, shaken off the stones. My heart lurched at the surge of fresh pain from the bond—he was suffering badly.

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