I saw Ryland flinch out of the corner of my eye at the use of Ilyan’s name in connection to me, yet I couldn’t look away from Ilyan. Dramin’s strong grip on my hand was the only thing keeping me from running to him.
“Ilyan has been with her through all, training her, protecting her, keeping her safe even at night when the nightmares plagued her. When Cail stole her mind, he held her,” Dramin said as he pleaded with our father, begging him to see what everyone else had seen all along.
“Is this true?”
“Yes. It is my birthright, my desire, to protect her, and I will do all in my power to see that happen,” Ilyan said, the royal tone in his voice catching me off guard after the gentle look I had just seen in his eyes. He broke the spell he had trapped me under as he looked toward my father.
“You have held her through all of it?” Sain asked, his voice strangely soft and accepting after the rejection I had been plagued with.
“Always,” Ilyan’s voice was so soft, so calm, as he walked up to me, his body so close I could feel the heat of his skin against my bare arms.
I looked toward him, sure that the message was more to me than to Sain. My hands shook with need as I reached toward him, desperate to feel the pulse of his magic, the warmth of his skin, and to have our souls move back to where they belonged.
Ilyan’s eyes captured me as he answered my call, his hand pulling me into him as his magic plunged into me at the touch. I pulled his magic into me, our souls relaxing as they moved together. I sighed at the contact, my head moving to rest against his chest.
“Get your hands off her!” Ryland’s rabid scream broke the peace that had consumed me. The walls rocked as his magic exploded along with my own fear and anger.
The room filled with the loud crack of wood as the mugs full of Black Water on the shelf behind us tumbled from the now broken shelf. I clung to Ilyan on instinct, a shield erupting from me as Black Water rained down on us, the strong barrier keeping the acidic water away from Ilyan.
“Don’t tell him what to do!” I roared as my magic crackled between my fingers, the silver sparks casting long shadows through the dim room.
I stepped toward him in a fury, my hands raising just as Ilyan wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I fought the hold as my anger sparked, my magic erupting from me as the room began to shift beneath our feet.
“No, my love,” he whispered into my ear as he tried to calm me, the warmth of his magic tunneling through me in desperation.
I tried to move past his tight hold as Wyn pushed Ryland to the ground, Sain and Thom rushing to her aide. His howls of anger lessoned, whereas mine only grew. My soul ached as I kept Ilyan away from me, the anger growing.
“I am safe, my love, you saved me,” Ilyan whispered, the gentle reminder rumbling through my fury.
He was safe.
I pressed myself into Ilyan while I kept the shield strong, his arms keeping me against him as I steadied my breathing, as I pushed the anger away.
“I’m sorry, Ilyan. I didn’t mean…I just lost track…” Ryland whimpered as he calmed. His body relaxed as he leaned against the wall with Wyn and Sain surrounding him.
“It is all right, brother,” Ilyan said as he loosened his tight grip. “I understand.”
Ryland only nodded as he looked away, his curls bobbing as he hit his head against the wall in pained desperation.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as Ilyan moved me into the darkened corner of the room, not knowing who my words were meant for.
“Are you all right?” Ilyan whispered down to me as his fingers trailed over my skin.
“Yes,” I sighed as Ilyan’s magic continued to flood me. I knew I didn’t need his power to calm me anymore, but the warmth was so familiar, so comforting, that I wasn’t about to push him away yet.
“I am proud of you, my love,” Ilyan whispered, his hand pressing against my cheek, my heart moving to beat in time with his.
For not trying to kill anyone?
“That, too. But more for confronting your father, for showing him your strength.” His accent was thick as he looked down to me, his eyes brimming with so much emotion it was all I could do not to lean forward and hold him. So I held onto his hand tighter, the warmth of his skin intoxicating.
“You can help next time,” I said with a smile, unable to stop the playful chuckle from leaving my voice as I stepped closer to him.
“Kill someone?”
“No, battle with my father.”
“No, my love, some battles are meant for you alone, and this is one. He is your father, and as much as I would have loved to step in, to protect you from the pain I am sure you feel in your heart, this moment may come to define who you are. I want you to discover that for yourself.”
I knew he was right. I already felt my shattered relationship with my father becoming a deeper vein of who I was. Before, his abandonment had destroyed me, turned me into a scared little girl who would rather hide than become who I felt inside. Now, his distance was somehow making me stronger, making me want to prove to him that I was better than he saw me.