The king? Who would attack the king?

"Watch out!" Noah's voice echoed before his body slammed mine into the wall. A torrent of heat blazed through the corridor a second later, thinning the air. Noah's broad chest filled my vision, his body a furnace even with the heat around us. My eyes watered. The corridor filled with orange flames.

Several guards had done the same, pressing themselves against the walls. The cries of those who didn't duck in time only lasted a few seconds. The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air.

Arthur!

The flames suddenly disappeared and I pushed out of Noah's protective hold, stepping back just in time to keep from being drenched by water. Two guards, water elementalists, held their arms towards the horizontal column of fire, pushing the fire back with torrents of water.

Steam rose from the point of contact, filling the corridor and hampering our vision.

It was several minutes later that the water finally died down, and we sprinted to the end of the corridor. I pushed through the gargle of guards, my heart in my throat.

Arthur stood in front of massive double doors. Air left my lungs in a whoosh. He was okay.

Four of the king's black-clad guards lay limp on either side of the door, their upper bodies a charred mass of muscle and bone. The heart and the brain were deeply damaged. They wouldn't be getting up from that.

The double doors were open, revealing a room. The furniture, couches and tables and chairs were overturned and pushed out of the way. A roaring fire stood in the center of the room.

No, wait. That wasn't fire. It was a beast made out of flames. Angry red flames. It was the size of a car. Demonic energy emanated off him and licked my senses with slimy fingers.

The leonine beast raised its massive head, opened its maw and vomited a deluge of fire aimed at someone deeper in the room where I couldn't see.

Arthur stood in the doorway, his entire body strained. The bond twisted with the power of his magic. I took a step forward and stopped. Something was pushing against me. I moved past the line of guards and soldiers. It was like trying to walk through dense snow. And the closer I got the more difficult it was to move forward.

"What's happening?" I asked, coming to a stop a few feet behind Arthur. That was as far as I could go. The castle guards and soldiers remained frozen behind us.

"Someone used a spell to lock the king and that monstrosity in the room," Arthur said, his voice strained.

"Is my uncle alive?" I asked, not able to see the inside of the room. I couldn't take another step. If I moved another inch, my body would shatter into tiny pieces. "Can the demon get out?"

"Yes. It's a one way spell. The demon and its magic might exit, but we cannot enter."

The demon turned its head, glaring at us through lit up purple eyes with a slit of a pupil. Upclose, I could see the scales on its body, like those of some giant chameleon. The pattern of white and dark scales under the flames reminiscent of a snakeskin. The flames surrounding its body flared upward, and its mouth gaped open aiming straight for us.

I saw the fire coming, but my muscles locked in the energy sludge, unable to move. Arthur was in front of me in a blink, his arms around me and his back to the fire. The current of fire broke apart on his back, heat on either side of us.

When the fire ended I patted his back. His shirt was still intact. He must've used his telekinesis to shield us.

"Water Elementals! Here, now!" he barked to the fae behind us. "And get me a damn witch!"

Movement behind us. My magic strained against the effects of the spell. Arthur gripped my jaw. "Step back."

I gritted my teeth. I had no knowledge of spells. My magic wouldn't work on the creature since the element of its energy was similar to mine. And I couldn't use my sword on it. Ugh.

"Fine!"

Surprise crossed Arthur's features before he kissed my head and escorted me back. It took me an embarrassingly long minute to walk out of the radius of the spell while Arthur moved with relative ease.

One of the fae moved forward and began discussing strategy with Arthur.

"A wall of our strongest water fae will block any attacks and mitigate the damages. We have five strong witches in the castle staff. Two are unaccounted for."

"Who?" I asked.

The fae hesitated. "The advisor and Miss Byrne."

"Miss Byrne will be here in a minute. Where are the other two?" Arthur asked.

"They're already busy," the fae said. He hesitated. "His highness has been attacked outside the castle."

My heart stuttered. "My father?"

The fae nodded, his lips set in a grim line. Cold tentacles of fear slithered inside my mind, wrapped around my heart and constricted my lungs.

I couldn't lose my father, not after I just found him. Not after I lost my mother and uncle Robert. I couldn't lose my father.

Arthur looked at me. His jaw locked. After a long minute, he gave me a nod. "Go. You might be able to help, there."

"Rion-"

"I won't let him out of my sight. His life is yours. Go."

"Alright."

"Noah," Arthur said. No words were needed. Noah nodded.

One of the fae guards told us my father had gone to the village right after the ball. He was attacked somewhere along the way.

Noah stuck to my side like hot glue as we navigated the hallways. The castle was so busy, it was almost chaotic. The courtyard was still lit by the eerie bonfire of the brazen bull. Doyle's screams had subsided; he must have lost consciousness. Few guests were still around, enjoying the sight of the torture device.

The chilly wind of the night raised goosebumps on my skin. Noah raised his face, sampling the air with his nose. The three slashes on his face looked more ghostly with the firelight and the shadows dancing across them. We ventured into the woods.

His amber eyes met mine. "Stay close."

"I have no intention of doing otherwise." I unsheathed my sword. "I'd rather have the big bad wolf with me than go into the woods, on my own, in the middle of the night."

"You had no issue doing exactly that back in Paris."

Smartass. "I didn't know I'd find an underground gathering of evil immortals who were trying to open a damn gate to the other realm."

"Of course you didn't. Being careful means not taking unnecessary risks even when you're not expecting trouble."

Ugh. "You're being awfully chatty tonight."

He blinked, then turned his attention back to the woods. We only met a couple of fae and some vampires on the way. Most of the forces were either in the castle or wherever my father was.

The distant sound of fighting and beastly snarls drowned the nightly sounds of the forest. The full moon struggled for dominance with the clouds, its faint light moved through the forest, strong at times and weak at others.

The clouds covered the moon again, darkness swallowed the forest. Noah suddenly stopped, his amber eyes the only points of light.

"What?" I whispered. Why did I whisper?

"Bad feeling," he said, a growl buried beneath his voice. We resumed walking.

A few minutes later, four vampires stood in the way. Patrol. Noah nodded at them and kept walking.

They pulled out their swords. We froze.

"What is this?" I asked, rolling my wrist. My blade glinted under the shimmer of the peeking moon.

"Apologies, my lady," one of the vampires said. "We are under orders."

"What orders?" I asked. They didn't answer. They charged.

Okay, then.

Three vampires attacked Noah, while one attacked me. That was their first mistake. Noah was definitely stronger than I was, but I could handle one person. Even if that one person was a well trained vampire.

I had been trained by the best of them.

The second mistake was attacking me when I had my magic.

My opponent swung his sword.

Clang.

The impact vibrated up my arm to the bone. I sent a sliver of magic through the blade. Blue ate the vampire's sword and arm. He jumped back with a cry, but the flames had taken hold of him, coloring the night a bright blue.

One of Noah's opponents was on the ground, killed by his own sword. Silver through the heart would be almost impossible to come back from.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

A zing of pain in my neck. I brushed my hand over the spot. Something dropped to the ground with a dry thud, and warm blood burned my fingers.

Noah swung his fist, the other hand holding his opponent's sword arm. His leg kicked back the other vampire. The fist connected with a crunch, breaking the vampire's neck and twisting his head, while the other flew several yards behind. He was a safe enough distance from Noah, so I tried sending a bolt of magic to take care of him.

It didn't work.

Whoosh.

I swayed on my feet. My vision blurred, spotted with black. Noah grabbed his neck and dropped something on the floor.

"Silver," he snarled. His voice sounded as if I was underwater. He reached for me.

My vision went black and my muscles spasmed. My sword cluttered to the ground.

Arthur.

The bond felt sluggish, almost asleep.

Help.

My last thought was of Arthur. He was going to be so pissed.

*** **** ***

My tongue felt heavy.

I was well aware of the effects silver had on my body by now. Spasming muscles, Foggy mind, dry mouth. Dulled senses. No magic. No bond.

I regained consciousness but stayed completely still. I took stock of my state.

I was lying on my side. My neck was sore, from the silver no doubt. They must've shot us with darts.

My arm throbbed, and my muscles felt like jelly. Other than that, I couldn't feel any serious injury.

The floor was cold against my cheek. My dulled senses picked up a faint scent of blood, musty air and burnt flesh. The quiet was deadly.

I wasn't alone.

"Elle?"

Noah's raspy murmur had me opening my eyes. He sat against the dark stone wall, his scars standing out on his ashen face, long legs stretched before him. His suit jacket sat discarded on the side, and splatters of blood dotted his white shirt. The amber of his eyes was dim compared to their usual glow.

"You look like hell," I said. It came out as a rough whisper. I swallowed and sat up. My body groaned. My eyes fell on my hands. My ring was gone. I flexed my fingers and pushed back the panic and fear. Later.

He watched closely as I moved my limbs. Ouch. My neck was sore as heck.

"Damn it. Arthur is going to kill me. Why do I always get myself in this crap?" I grumbled.

We were in a prison cell. Dark stone walls, a high ceiling and a plain metallic door. Light filtered through the crack under the door. Thick chains sprouted from the ground by the wall, connected to manacles.

Well, at least we weren't chained.

"The vampires were a distraction," he said. I frowned. He was right. Noah or I would have noticed the darts whizzing our way in the calm of the night. During a fight, our attention would be divided.

"As it was, I managed to dodge two of their darts. But one landed its mark."

"Who do you think?" I asked, crawling on my hands and knees toward the wall. I stood and leaned against it to catch my breath, then began checking the cell.

Noah shrugged his massive shoulders. "I already checked. Nothing. To answer your question, too many people want you dead. But captured? I don't know."

"Why did you immediately assume it's me?" I asked, patting the rough walls. "Maybe it's you. Maybe someone wants to kidnap you for whatever reason and I was simply caught in the crossfire, an innocent victim."

I blurted the joke on autopilot. My heart was racing. His shoulders shook, and I realized he was chuckling. "Who would want to kidnap me?"

"I don't know. A jilted lover? It's not like you have no enemies."

"I do. Not in Ireland, though."

I huffed. After a few rounds around the cell, I came up empty handed. I sat down next to Noah.

"The bond?"

I shook my head. The bond was a bruise in my heart. I valiantly tried to think of other things to avoid feeling the loss, the void.

"I wonder if my father is okay?" I said. "Maybe his attack was just a ploy to get us out of the castle?"

"Maybe."

It was unlikely. The fact that my uncle and my father were both attacked made me uneasy. The fact that I was targeted at the same time had my mind racing in all different directions.

"I don't understand. Why would the king be attacked? He's involved in this. It makes sense that I'm targeted. And maybe my father was targeted because of me, he's supporting me. But the king? It doesn't make sense."

"There's something we're missing," Noah said. "And it has to do with why your uncle had his security up. He was expecting to be attacked."

I sighed. We didn't have the full picture. And until we did, all we could do was stipulate.

My throat burned. I was thirsty, hungry and weak. "Silver sucks."

The walls and the ground suddenly shook. It lasted a couple of minutes. Earthquake? Or was it Arthur? Noah's eyes fixed on me.

"What?"

"If you have a chance to escape, take it," he said. "Since they haven't killed you yet, I suppose they want you alive. If you can get away, don't think about me. Escape."

I rolled my eyes.

"Promise," he said.

"No."

He growled.

"Cute," I said. "The answer is still no."

"Elle, the world doesn't need to live through Arthur's wrath if he loses you," he said quietly. "If I die, my brother and his mate might pitch a fit for a while. They'll miss me. But the world will move on."

I frowned. "No life is worth more than another."

"No, but the fact remains that your death might cause Arthur to lose control."

I shook my head. "No one is going to die. And Arthur won't lose control. He's been alive more than I can imagine. The time I was part of his life is nothing compared to the centuries he's lived. He'll be fine."

I had no intention of surrendering to death. But I knew that Arthur would be fine. The fact that I would no longer be with him, that we only had such little time together, made my chest constrict painfully.

I pushed away the futile thoughts. I would be alive and well, and whoever was behind this would pay a steep price.

"Arthur scares you guys way too much," I told Noah.

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"What is it? Spit it out."

He sighed. "Do you know about the Atlantic Earthquake?"

I frowned. I hadn't been the brightest student, mainly for lack of interest and laziness. But according to my hazy memory, the earthquake was centuries ago. It had generated a series of massive tsunamis on either side of the Atlantic. The coasts of Africa, Europe and the Americas had been ravaged, millions were killed.

According to human historians and scientists, it had been magic induced.

"Yeah, I think I remember hearing about something like that in high school. What about it?"

"It happened around the time Arthur lost his son."

I raised my brows. "You think it's connected? You think he caused it?"

"That's what the rumors say," Noah said. "Supposedly, he had ended his son's life in one of the islands deep in the middle of the Atlantic precisely for that reason. If he lost control that way right here... he would flatten the continent."

I rubbed my empty ring finger. For the sake of my sanity, I didn't want to think about Arthur losing control. I would just have to trust he'd be fine.

Besides, I wasn't dead, and I wasn't easy to kill. Right now Arthur would be focusing on finding us. So I would focus on getting us out of here alive.

Steps echoed outside the door, coming closer. Noah and I dragged ourselves to our feet. He put his impressive frame between me and the door.

The door opened.