Page 50 of A Broken Ember

Hen frowned, her lip caught between her teeth as she concentrated. She didn’t even pause her mantra, nor the movements of her hardened fingers. Her hands danced before her. The Circulus had found my friend. I didn’t know whether to be pleased or disappointed. At least Hen looked well cared for. The gauntness in her sharp cheeks and dark circles around her green eyes were gone. She ignored Claeg, continuing her work. She was healing me, but not just of my most recent wounds. It shouldn’t have been possible. Father had said my curse was permanent and progressive and yet . . . I felt pain. My body remembered it like an old friend. Embraced it with screams of delighted horror that tore through the numbness within me.

“Clotho, contain him.” Hen jerked her head at the woman behind her. Her cadence was rough, skewed, even, but surprisingly easy to understand her words. Well, the non-magical ones she spoke in the common tongue. That much was a huge improvement compared to our last meeting, when I had freed her from my father’s clutches.

My eyes drooped, my body suddenly exhausted. I dropped back down, slamming onto a hard surface. The movement sent shooting pain throughout my body, and I cried out. It hurt, yet I cherished the shooting spikes clawing through my body.

“I said stop!” Claeg shrieked. I heard a scuffle, but my eyes were too heavy to see what was going on. Blackness overtook me even though I begged to stay.

Chapter 53: Claeg

“You’re hurting him!” I roared, throwing the witch to the side, but she didn’t cease the dancing sweep of her hands or her eerie song. Anastasius had fallen unconscious, but his face was still pinched in agony, his back arching. “Stop!” I commanded the witch. She was only a child, but I palmed my side for a dagger. Of course, there was none, so my fists balled, prepared to hurt her for the pain she was subjecting Anastasius to. She continued to ignore me as if I were nothing but an annoying bug flitting about her space.

I growled, storming towards her, but strong arms wrapped around my torso. I lashed out, expecting Sivert, but it was Ercan who held me back. “Let me go, Father. I will not warn you again,” I vowed, my voice low as I released the brutality of the Ruptor. He stilled, recognizing the tone of my darker side, but didn’t let go. Instead, Rohit stepped in front of me. He opened his mouth to reason with me, but I was beyond words. There was only action. I became a feral beast, jerking so violently Ercan was forced to release me right into Rohit’s waiting arms. I grunted, ramming into him with all my strength. He stumbled backwards, and I would’ve ripped through him had my focus not been taken by the whimpers coming from Anastasius. I threw Rohit to the side with inhuman strength and stalked toward the draconis who dared harm what was mine.

“Clotho,” the witch barked, her tone so jagged that it hurt my ears. If it weren’t for the pain in my chest, I would have shriveled away from the unnatural cadence. My sister stood between me and my target, baring her teeth in an instant. I snarled at her, showing her exactly where my heart laid, but I didn’t care. In that moment, nothing mattered more than protecting my prince.

Clotho didn’t hesitate before drawing her twin daggers from her shoulders. My sister was the master of those daggers, for they seemed to follow her every wish. Many feared how lethal she was with them in her hands, but I didn't bat an eye. De Vita had tortured me, leaving scars deep within my bones. They had unknowingly strengthened me.

“I won’t let you touch her,” she spat. I raised an eyebrow at the wording, but there was no time to question her. Clotho launched herself at me. And so we began our dance, fighting with the short weapons made the battle close and intimate. We dodged, parried, lunged, and swiped, neither of us gaining the upper hand. Eventually she found an opening, thrusting upwards. I caught the blade aimed for my throat by the edge.

“Get out of my way, sister,” I warned. I didn’t just fight to remain strong anymore; I fought to keep the love I had found, to protect it. She may have been the Janardan heir, but I was the hunter of weakness and I knew hers. I tightened my grip on her weapon until it was coated with my blood. The wound cut deep, it had to for blood to spill, but the resulting shock was worth it.

“What are you doing?” she shrieked, withdrawing her weapon with shaky hands.

“Sometimes you have to bleed before you can heal,” I answered, using her shock to push past her, but Rohit stood in my path. I let out a low warning sound.

“Open your eyes and look, you fool! She has not harmed the prince.” He gestured behind me, and I blinked at him, relaxing slightly at the certainty I found in his eyes. He was right. Where Stas’ shoulder had been a mess of torn ligaments and tendons, the flesh was knitting itself together before my eyes. The witch really was healing him. My weapon clattered to the floor, and shudders of relief wracked through my body. I stumbled back toward Stas, grasping his hands in mine. They were warm, and his skin had regained its golden hue. I caressed his cheek, my ragged breaths quickly turning into sobs.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

He was going to be okay.

Chapter 54: Anastasius

Something firm but warm surrounded me. Safe. There was a familiar scent of woods and citrus. I nuzzled into it, finding comfort. Somebody’s arms. I sighed. Not just anyone’s arms. Claeg. My eyes opened to look at my Chosen. His brow was furrowed even in his sleep. I thought I would die. Maybe I had, because this couldn't be real. Claeg was holding me in a bed that smelled like him. I inhaled deeply again and groaned. He was my ambrosia. I wanted to stay like this forever, but eventually he stirred.

His eyes flickered open, revealing that beautiful hue of violet that entranced me. He shifted, looking down at me. His eyes widened upon seeing me awake. “How are you feeling?” he drowsed, yawning. I thought he would pull away, but he didn't, instead staring at me worriedly. Right. Father’s death. The wounds. The pain. It all rushed back to me. The witch—Hen.

Hen. I needed to speak to her. Needed to thank her. And make sure she was okay, although I didn’t doubt she could handle herself. After a few moon turns of us growing close, I trusted her. I had nearly gone to the land she called Eikonia and killed her brother myself for what he’d done. Some nights I still debated whether staying was the right decision. But if she had found peace here among the Circulus? That was the best outcome for my friend.

“Anastasius?” Claeg prompted.

For the first time since waking, I assessed my body, but there was no pain. Not even a hint of the anguish from before. Like it had been a dream. Maybe it was and the numbness had returned. I smiled. “I'm fine. Sleep,” I encouraged him, but he shook his head gently.

“Are you rested?” he asked, stroking my skin as if he couldn't believe I was real. I wasn't sure this was either. I nodded. “Then my Janardan awaits with breakfast,” he sighed, reluctantly pulling away from me. My heart skipped a beat at his words, reality crashing upon me. I was in the Circulus clan. I wasn't naive. There would be a cost, but I didn’t want to think about that now. I gnawed on my lip, feeling the familiar jagged edge and… a sharp flash of pain. My eyes flicked down my body. I pulled a blanket off of myself, gasping at what I saw. Where there was once a vicious wound, there was only a slight scar—hardly a blemish amongst the canvas of my scarred skin. I sucked in a sharp breath.

“She healed you of the numbness,” Claeg explained. I blinked, but the vision didn't change. I was healed. I pinched myself, and pain flared up my arm. I could feel! A grin erupted, joy I couldn't contain. Claeg’s eyes narrowed. “You're not upset?” he asked, and I couldn't help the laugh that tumbled out of me. I shook my head. How could I be upset at this gift? My hands shook with excitement, bringing them up to cup his face. I shifted in bed and pulled him in close to me so that our foreheads touched.

“You have given me the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. My freedom. I'm no longer a slave to that absence. I can feel.” Tears built behind my eyes. I knew the risks he had taken by bringing me here, the risks that still hovered over us like a heavy cloud. Did Hen have any sort of power here? Or was she just as much a prisoner as she was within the De Vita and Eikonia? From the slight glimpse I recalled—her demanding tone, the weapons sheathed at her side, I doubted that. But worry still clawed at me. I needed to speak with her, confirm that she was okay. “Thank you, Claeg.” I murmured his given name softly, trying it out on my tongue. Satisfaction hummed through me.

Claeg grinned at me and kissed my forehead. I beamed at the contact, leaning into him. My hands threaded into his hair, slowly guiding his lips down until they brushed lightly against mine. I hesitated there, scared that if I pushed him he would pull away again. When he didn't, I pressed myself into him. Softly at first, then with more fervor as our mouths danced.

He tasted like honey and oranges. Delicious. I moaned against him, wanting more. I wanted everything. I pressed my tongue against his lips, and he opened for me, allowing me to explore his mouth deeper. My heart raced. Where he touched me, I felt alive. A shudder rippled through me.

When Claeg pulled away, we were both gasping, and I felt the burn in my lungs. It was beautiful. “I need to feel you,” I begged unashamedly. After a lifetime without pain, I was hungry for it. Hungry to experience life.

The lump in Claeg’s throat bobbed, his eyes flicking to the door, but he gave a short nod. “Are you sure you feel okay?” he asked gruffly. I eagerly nodded, and then his lips were back on mine. He kissed me passionately, stealing my breath. I moaned into his mouth as his hands explored my body.

His gaze fell on my nakedness and my aching cock. Claeg’s chest was bare, but he wore trousers slung low on his hips, revealing that deep V. Beneath the thin material was the outline of his cock. I licked my lips. I wanted to feel him pounding into me, pulsing hot cum into my ass or down my throat. My body shuddered with need, and Claeg’s eyes lit up when I pulled down his trousers, releasing him. I tossed aside the clothing and knelt before him, taking in his glorious body. I straddled his hips and lowered myself to his chest, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to each of his scars.