Page 48 of Soul of Thorns
Caelynn
Oh, wonderful. Thefate of the world depends on me abandoning my soulmate in fae hell. Surprise, surprise.
“I don’t trust you,” I tell the wraith. I know what he wants, and he doesn’t care about the fate of the world. He doesn’t care about the plague. I wonder if he’d even care if it passed through the Shadow Court villages, killing all the children and taking away the elemental magic of our homeland.
I don’t know. I don’t care.
Because I know he is too selfish to make a proper choice. He has information I require, and that’s the only reason I’ve entertained him this long.
“Leave us be,” I tell him. “Your opinion is not needed.”
The wraith’s chest puffs up, and I cross my arms. He screws up his lips, but then his eyes turn to Rev. “Let her leave. Make her,” he begs Rev, his words pointed, harsh. “It’s the only way. If you love her, if you are any kind of mate at all, you’d choose her. You’d push her out and stay here in her stead.”
Rage triggers in my chest, sparking an inferno of power inside of me. My vision turns back.
Kill him. Destroy.
Yes, I will kill him for daring to turn my mate against me.
An explosion of dark, acidic power blasts from my body, ripping at every seam. I roar in rage as I leap at the wraith. “Get out of here!”
I can’t think. I can’t see anything but the wraith that called himself my ally. That claims to be my ancestor. That wants to turn my mate against me. That wants to kill him.
The nameless wraith, one of my few allies, slams into the stones across the valley.
I send another blast, larger than the last, filled with my rage and terror.
Hissing halts below us. Silence settles in the valley, another held breath.
Hundreds of wraith eyes, void but eager, turn toward us.
“No,” my wraith whispers. “What have you done?”
I bare my teeth at him, preparing for another attack, but then warmth presses into my back. Strong but gentle arms wrap around me and pull me back. My muscles sag into them. My mind spins, a mixture of confusingly conflicting feelings. Anger but comfort. Hate but love. Frigid agony but warm hope.
Pressure digs into my skin at my waist. Fingers, I realize.
Nausea sweeps over me as I force my magic back down and give in to my mate. He cocoons me, protects me, holds me.
