“Knox is a true hunter. The wind will carry scents. It’ll make it more difficult for anyone to remain concealed if it continues. Knox hunts with the wind because he prefers not to waste time finding his prey, he’d take it down fast and easily.”
I’d noted things like that. When I was in the cage, he’d gone south with the wind. It had allowed him to expediently produce sustenance without wasting time. The time he’d hunted several animals, the wind had beaten against the eastern side, proving he’d gone east, with the wind aiding him in tracking prey.
Those memories of the little things sliced through my mind, gutting me as I stood, watching him mount the horse with fluidity, without hesitation. Knox never hesitated in anything he did. It stood to reason that even when he wasn’t in control, he’d still be efficient and steady. So then why hadn’t he returned her kiss? The stallion reared back, as if even it felt the darkness of his passenger. Knox nudged the horse with his knees, then turned it, heading north as I’d predicted.
“If you love him, don’t let him go. Ever,” Zyion’s soft words drifted to me from where he stood, forcing the reality of everything he’d lost down my throat. “True love never dies. Even if a person who once felt it, did.”
“You’d have to cut off my legs to make me stop fighting for him. I love him, and I never got to tell him how I felt about him.” That realization stung the hardest. I’d had the chance to say it to him, but I’d hesitated.
“Then after we’ve saved him? You should tell him how you feel. Tomorrows not promised. In times of war, death is waiting for us all to make one wrong move, or to have the slightest hesitation in judgement or battle. When it comes, it doesn’t hesitate like we do.”
“You are smarter than you look, Zyion.” A smile spread over my lips, even though it failed to reach my eyes.
“Pain is a lesson we never forget.” That one hurt, too. I didn’t want to learn the lessons they had educated him on.
“Too easy, Knox,” I muttered through the constricting in my throat. Spinning on my heel, I moved toward the others, who’d remained back, preventing too many scents from being carried on the breeze. “North, to the Valley of the Dead.”
“How fitting,” Soraya muttered.
“I don’t need to tell you guys that this will not go as planned. There’s no way to calculate what he’ll do once everyone’s scents surround him. My guess is that she’s allowing Knox and Lennox to combine skills, but she’s still in there, watching for any familiar interference. Knox’s only weakness is family, which he’s spent his entire life protecting from her.”
“You’re a weakness,” Killian added softly. “If I had to guess what his greatest weakness is? It would be you.” His words caused my insides to heat, even as a sad smile fluttered over my mouth. “Especially when you dress like that.” His stare dropped to where the skirt I wore clung to my hips. “You know, he’s going to see red at you wearing that outfit.”
“Let’s hope it’s once he’s in control of his own mind.”
“You’re practically naked, Aria. I can see your legs,” Eva pointed out as she slipped from the portal, grimacing at my outfit. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“What is wrong with my legs?” The library had provided me with a razor, which I’d gladly used.
Gliding my palms against the lacey, rucked skirt. I’d matched the skirt with a vintage lace-embroidered bustier. It would make it easier to run if needed. I divided my hair and braided it into two smaller ones, then threaded them into one thick braid that hung down my back. The boots I’d pictured were Doc Martens, which were safer and less likely to slip off if I needed to run from Knox, if things didn’t pan out.
“When he goes for one, the others move in, then out when he goes for another. I’ll make sure I’m close enough to ward off the magic, but as your saw last time, he’s fucking fast. I’ll be faster now that I know he’s drawing from her.” Verbalizing where his power came from sent ice rushing through my veins.
“If Killian is right, then Zyion’s presence near me will trigger Knox, which will make him struggle against her control. Once he does, he should go for Zyion, which will buy some time. If he doesn’t, we’ll need to switch courses quickly. Zyion, if you keep Knox in the line of salt around the location we’ve set at the grid, I will be able to draw the darkness out. Though, I honestly don’t know how long it will take or if it will work on the first attempt. If that’s the case, we go to the next, because once engaged, I believe he will follow us.”
“How will we know if it worked?” Esme questioned.
“I’m not sure. He’ll either go down, regain control of himself, or die. I’ve only attempted it once, and as far as I know, I’m the only one who’s ever attempted to do so before. It left me tapped out of almost all my magic when Knox broke the connection.”
“Has there been an entire day since you entered the Nine Realms, where everyone isn’t trying to kill you?” Killian asked, which caused a smirk to twitch over my lips.
“With Knox, yes,” I responded sadly. He was my protector, even when he thought of me as his enemy. Sure, I’d had to worry about his moods, but they’d been triggered by the chest, mostly.
“Trust me, he was killing something,” Killian scoffed before releasing a soft chuckle.
Chewing my lip, I considered the backup plan, which wasn’t ideal. “If shit goes wrong, I’ll run. He’ll follow me. That’s where you ladies come into play. You ladies will open a portal, then you’ll open another far enough away so that you can easily escape, but be sure to maintain sight of the first one. Once you’re through, you will do the same thing again. If Knox cannot be contained or freed, we’ll continually move until the men and Esmeralda can create another salt barrier. Soraya, you’ll open the first. Siobhan, the second. If Knox gives chase, I’ll use the first as you two enter the second, immediately setting the next one. There will be seconds between jumps. I cannot stress this enough, but you cannot stop for anything.”
“What if they don’t get there before Knox catches you?” Esme asked thickly. “Aria?”
“Then I do whatever it takes to keep us both alive until someone reaches us,” I whispered, though the heat scorching my eyes and behind my nose.
“That’s the worst fucking idea I’ve ever heard,” she acknowledged, with tears rolling free. “I won’t let him kill you.”
“You won’t interfere, Esmeralda. That’s not happening.” My voice shook with my fear and worry of her intervening. “I cannot afford to have my attention divided. Knox will fight. He has to. If not, she’ll make him kill me. It will make it less troublesome for her to fracture his mind and then finally destroy his soul.”
“I can’t sit there and watch you die. Knox is faster, stronger, and he’s being driven by a murderous bitch who seriously wants you dead.” The tears in her throat were so thick that they almost choked me instead of her.