Prince of Power by Elisabeth Staab

Author:Elisabeth Staab [Staab, Elisabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2012-10-17T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Xander floated a short distance from the fray. Or what had been the fray only moments ago. What remained were a couple of sad, disgusting excuses for defenders of their race. And then there was Anton, looking very much like his soul had been ripped out. Though Xander’s own arms remained held by Flay and Siddoh, it was unnecessary. Xander could do nothing but stare at the broken wizard, while the glub, glub, glub of Xander’s own heart floundered in his ears.

He closed his eyes and was immediately sucked back into his skin. Well. How disappointing.

Tam’s death was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. The moment she was gone, her death had resonated to his very core. Her life force, the invisible heart that had always beat so swiftly alongside his own, was gone. Just gone. And in its place, to this day, was a gaping, open void that nothing in the world could ever fill.

He carried the ache every day, the burn and strain of a supernaturally powerful heart that insisted on beating continuously despite the fact that Xander would have much preferred for it not to. It still seemed so improbable that he could haul around two hundred pounds of muscle and bone and somehow get from point A to point B for as long as he did without just collapsing into the dust. There was, after all, nothing that made him want to go on. Nothing that made him feel peace.

Nothing that ever would.

Not even killing the wizard in front of him who had seen her die.

Who had… Xander’s eyes burned as he stared at the wizard named Anton. Who had tried, it would seem, to do Xander a kindness of sorts by letting him know that Tam had not suffered. At least not as much as she might have. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

There were questions, clearly, about the wizard’s allegiance. Of course there would be. One didn’t just waltz in off the street claiming to be a defected wizard, and frankly, Thad had given the man liberties that surprised Xander. Still, there were questions. Rumors that he’d orchestrated a fight that occurred downtown earlier. That he’d made it possible for Tyra to be taken. There were a lot of problems here.

But looking at Anton now, Xander was fairly sure this guy was no traitor. Not to the vampires, anyway. Not to Tyra. Not judging by the look on this guy’s face.

Xander approached Flay and Siddoh, and brought a hand to each of Anton’s shoulders, pushing at the grip of his superior officers. “I won’t hurt him. You can let go.” The resistance with which the two older males complied was understandable, but he spoke the truth.

Remarkably, for the first time since Tam’s death—even after all these months of guarding Theresa and now her baby—Xander was looking into a mirror. A man who was gripped by a torture worse than death and yet somehow remained standing.

Xander offered his palm, which Anton stared at in confusion with his brow creased, as if Xander had asked him to solve a riddle.

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