Page 83 of Broken Hearted
Suddenly, all the women stood, and I glanced down the aisle to see Elisana dressed in a gossamer ballgown as she started to walk toward my mate.
Fury like I’d never felt before rose inside me, and I was about to start down the embankment toward the amphitheater when Zane caught my shoulder, only just stopping me.
I swung my gaze to him, annoyed that he was trying to hold me back when he said, “Look,” and pointed toward the end of the aisle where Adrien was still fighting to free himself.
“I know, Adrien is there,” I all but snapped at him.
“No, behind him,” Zane said, and I followed where he waspointing to see a woman with purple hair standing not far behind him.
“No, it can’t be,” Zander said, coming up next to me.
But it was. Rowena stood proud, watching Elisana move down the aisle toward her and Adrien. I could only assume she was the one presiding over the ceremony.
A traitor and a liar.
I shook my head. It didn’t matter. Elisana was already halfway to Adrien, so pulling from Zane’s grasp I took off, stoking my magic as I rushed forward. I heard Zane and the others following behind me, but I didn’t stop to wait for them.
I was almost to the amphitheater when I finally released my magic with a roar, freezing the aisle from back to front in a sheet of ice and making Elisana tumble to the ground. I winced a little, knowing those bruises would show up on Seraphina, but I’d had to do something to stop her.
Shouts of alarm and rage sounded from the blood witches in attendance, but we’d already agreed that the others would focus on containing the witches so I could go after Elisana. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Zane, Zander, and Dawn beginning to battle with them so I paid them no mind as I rushed forward with one goal in mind. Reach Elisana.
Elisana was trying to rise to her feet when I got to her. I so badly wanted to punch her in the face, but I held back and instead I thrust my hand out and grabbed the vial strung around her neck. Elisana gasped in surprised as I ripped it free, and before she had a chance to retaliate I did the only thing I could think of. I pulled the moisture from the air and encased Elisana in an ice bubble.
My sister was a Winter princess and therefore not as susceptible to the cold, so it wouldn’t hurt her if Elisana was there for a little while. I needed to keep the witch someplace safe and out of the way until I could burn this vial.
From within the ice bubble, I heard Elisana’s rage-filled scream as she beat against the ice, but I knew it was too thick for her to get through. At least quickly.
With the vial grasped in my hand, I lifted my head and glanced down the aisle to where Adrien was still held captive. Rowena was gone from sight, which made me nervous, but I focused on my mate.
I was close enough to read the fear in his teal eyes and knew in my heart he wasn’t worried about himself, but rather that fear was for me. But he needn’t worry. I was too close to having what I wanted to let it go now.
Zane suddenly appeared next to me. He had a cut on his forehead that was dripping blood down the side of his face, but other than that, he appeared unharmed.
“Do you have the vial?” he asked, and I nodded, holding it up between us so that he could see.
“Good. Let’s free my brother and then destroy that.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Pulling some of my magic back, I unfroze the ice covering the aisle to make it easier for Zane and me to run across it, and then we took off. A mix of Zander’s shadows and Dawn’s light magic zipped around the amphitheater as they fought the coven of witches while Zane and I ran toward Adrien.
The witches pulled out wands and threw spells, but I noticedsome ran away screaming, “Ethereum lords!” in fear. I could only imagine what a formidable pair Dawn and Zander were right now, but I couldn’t waste any time to check on them. I told myself that Zander would protect Dawn, and Dawn was strong enough to keep these witches occupied a little while longer.
Zane and I had almost reached Adrien when a figure stepped in front of him, blocking us.
Rowena.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rowena stood in front of us, holding a wand in one hand and a feral look in her eyes.
“How dare you interfere with my daughter’s wedding,” she growled, the wand clenched in her hand.
Daughter? Elisana was herdaughter?
But Rowena looked young enough to be Elisana’s sister, so how could that be?
An image of Rowena reverse aging in an instant after she’d drunk Zane’s blood rose in my mind.
