A Court of Stars and Memories

68. Dark Promises

"Mitsi!" Lysander shouted again, pounding a fist against the ward. "Damn these fucking wards!" His heart lurched as Mitsi tripped, but she managed to recover herself and kept running. He could hear her sobs from here. Feel her terror rippling across the Bond.

"Rhys said he alerted Kallias," Azriel reported beside him. "He and Wynter should be on their way."

"They should be changing the wards to let us in," Lysander seethed. "We're already here and she needs me now!"

He paced back and forth, gaze fixed on the chase ensuing before him. Power burned beneath his skin, itching for release. He was tempted to try his hand at breaking through the wards. Why would Kallias punish him if he succeeded?

"Lys, she'll be all right," his father assured him, coming closer.

"No, don't you dare fucking touch me right now," Lysander snarled, moving out of reach. Azriel halted immediately. "You're the one who brought her here in the first place. What the fuck were you thinking, Dad?"

Azriel didn't respond. Lysander turned back to the wards, his palms curled into fists. Mitsi was getting closer, but she was still too far for comfort. He had to help her!

Lysander looked past her and started. The second male was gone! Mitsi screamed as he appeared in front of her and kicked her to the ground. She fought to right herself but was pushed down again. Her sobs grew louder and each one hit him like a blow to the gut.

Magic and instincts burned hotter and hotter still, until he could no longer keep them contained. Lysander's siphons glowed with power as he tore into Kallias' wards, ignoring his father's voice beside him.

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Mitsi dragged herself through the snow, somehow maintaining her grip on Truth-Teller. She dug the point of the dagger into the ground and braced her weight on it, staggering to her feet. Azriel's shadows whipped about her arms, preventing Julian and Ebner from grabbing her again, but they were closing in on her from either side.

Mitsi risked a glance towards the border. Lysander's fury was like fire within the Bond. He drove his magic into the wards again and again, but if he was making any progress, it was slow and unnoticeable.

Mitsi faced Ebner and Julian, gulping down several breaths. Lysander and Azriel couldn't get her out of here. Not unless she reached them. She was going to have to get herself to safety.

She tightened her grip on Truth-Teller and raised it once more. "What do you want from me?" She stammered, gaze darting between the two males.

"Retribution," Julian growled. There wasn't an ounce of sympathy in his dark eyes. Only cruel delight. "I'll gladly take mine out on you." Mitsi shuddered at the oily promise in his voice.

"You have no idea what it was like in there, Mitsi," Ebner said, his voice low and surprisingly calm. "Your cousin promised to treat us well, but she lied. We were starved and beaten, forgotten by everyone. Even you. Do you have any idea what that was like?"

"That was my childhood," Mitsi bit out, backing away as they came closer. "I would have no sympathy for you, even if what you're saying was true, and I know it isn't."

She raised her chin despite her trembling voice. "You were nothing but a monster to us and Ellie. You murdered my mother!" Her voice broke and fresh tears hit the snow at her feet. "I saw you kill her."

"She deserved it, the lying whore. Your mother went behind my back. Did you know that, Mitsi? Did you know your mother was a dirty lying slut? Did you know she had a secret lover, and they were going to steal you away from me?"