I stand and pace back and forth across the room, a frustrated cry rolling from my dry throat. We don’t have time. I need to go after Silene and Fionn now, but I don’t want to do it without Thorne by my side. It’s a testament to how deeply he’s carved into my very being, that rather than rushing off to fight the battle alone, I pause so that I can bring him with me. I give him one more look before resigning myself to doing it alone, letting out a deep sigh.

Despite Admon’s presence, Lunaria returns, pawing at the wine rack. It finally dawns on me what she’s been trying to tell me. “You brilliant creature,” I murmur, rubbing her head. Admon looks on, an emotion in his eyes I can’t place.

I take the now opened bottle of thayar concentrate from the rack, pouring two small measures. Crouching next to Thorne, I dump the contents of one down his throat, then close his mouth and hold his nose to force him to swallow. He begins to glow. Taking a deep breath, I pull a dagger from my side and dig into the wound at his side to remove the arrowhead still lodged there. His body reacts to the pain by clenching and sweating, but he doesn’t make a sound. That silence forces me to move faster. You will not lose him. Hands covered in his blood, I rip the arrowhead out of his thigh. Then I gently lift him on his side to pull the arrowhead from the wounds in his back and shoulder. As I lay him back down, his body glows brighter, and I can tell that the light wants to heal him but can’t break through the poison of the iron.

I look at the second dose of thayar concentrate, pausing for a moment to evaluate whether this is a good idea. Who knows how much aether I’ll channel with thayar concentrate coursing through my veins, but it’s a risk I must take to save my mate. Admon understands what I plan to do.

“Your Majesty, are you sure this is wise? Have you ever taken thayar concentrate before? Do you know how it will impact your power?”

“Nope,” I say with a forced irreverence that would make Thorne proud. And before Admon can convince me not to, I down the concentrate.