Then it did, and I jumped. My body jerked as the sound cut through the silence in an ear splitting scream.
I recognized the scream at once, the same scream I had heard when Sain and Ryland had been forced to use the blood connection the past two nights, and obviously this one was no different.
The two howled, and I moved myself into the bars, my arms desperately grabbing at Talon as the screams died off.
“When will we end this, master?” Cail asked, his voice almost sounding bored.
“Ovailia is due back tomorrow,” Edmund said, my shoulders tensing on their own at the sound of his voice. “Let us see what she has to tell us, and then we will make our final decisions. I still have many more tricks up my sleeve after all,” he chuckled. “Now, let us go make the little girl pay.”
“Yes, Master.”
I let their words wash over me. Something infinitely more important was taking all of my attention. Talon was squeezing back.
Chapter Seven
I stared into Talon’s eyes, his beautiful brown eyes. I felt his thumb rub across the skin of my hand, as his other caressed every inch of the skin on my face, my neck. I wished I could move closer, I wished I could whisper in his ear, but I could still hear the guard pace in the dim blue near my head, the deep breathing of Sain and Ryland as they remained stuck inside the blood magic. I shifted my weight and moved closer to him, my hands clenching his.
Talon’s eyes had opened only moments after Edmund left. Cail, Ryland, and Sain were still in the cell, though none of their consciousnesses were present. I looked into Talon’s eyes, my shaky finger pressing to my lips as I begged him to be silent, my eyes pleading with him to wait so I could answer everything under the protection of Sain’s shield.
I could see the fear in his eyes, the terror at the first thing that I was sure he noticed. There was no magic flowing through his veins. No fire as our skin connected, and although I watched him try several times, no T?uha for us to retreat to.
His weak hand had moved to touch my face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he touched the tender skin. I fought the desire to look away. I didn’t want to see the pain in his eyes, the way his jaw tightened, the truth of Edmund’s lie stabbing into him. He had kept me alive, but little more than that.
I wanted to tell him it was okay. I wanted to promise him that I was alive, and that was all that mattered, but my lips stayed closed, the words trapped in my throat as I kissed his hand, hoping that was enough for him to understand.
With no words to say, we lay beside each other, Talon still too weak to move much, me too sore to try. We spoke with the subtle movements of fingers, a kiss - a promise, a glance – a vow. Soon the language of touch was not enough to say what we wanted to say, so we settled into each other, content to hold hands and stare, happy to simply see each other again.
I flinched when I heard the gasp, the groan, and the subtle laugh that escaped from my brother’s lips as he returned to reality.
“Well, that was fun,” he sighed, and Talon’s hand clenched against mine. I stared at him, begging him to say nothing, do nothing, praying he would get the message and that he wouldn’t even try to battle through the weakness in his body.
I laid still as I listened to stumbling feet and the grind of iron as Cail opened doors and shifted bodies around. I heard shackles replaced, doors closed, and saw a flash of red as the soul blade reflected off the blue light Cail had brought with him and left with the guard.
“Anything interesting happen?” Cail asked, his voice moving closer to where we lay. I closed my eyes, hoping Talon followed suit, praying that we would simply look like we were sleeping.
“No, sir.”
“Good. Come along. Let’s go join the bonfire and say goodbye to the last of the Sk?íteks.” Cail chuckled, and my shoulders tightened at his meaning. I didn’t want to think about the end of the massacre that was occurring only a few levels above us.
I waited until I was sure that they were far enough away before opening my eyes, unsurprised at the absolute darkness surrounding us.
My fingers fumbled away from Talon’s hand until I found his face. I knew what was coming, and I had an extremely brief window in which to act. My fingertips pressed into his cheek, the pads of my fingers following around his jaw until I moved him closer, pressing his face against the bars as my lips found the hollow cup of his ear. He winced at the pain that my movements had given him, his lips parting in a subtle gasp.
The pain passed, and I felt him tense, waiting for me to say something. Still I waited; this had to be perfectly timed. I didn’t need to risk being heard. I waited, Talon’s heartbeat pulsing against my hand as I kept my palm against his neck.
A groan and an exhale. Sain was awake.