Ryley said nothing.
Instead, his gaze drifted toward the far end of the tunnel, where an endless stretch of pitch-black darkness swallowed everything beyond sight.
Clyde's breath caught.
"No!" he barked, panic flashing across his face. "What are you thinking? Don't even think about moving!"
He immediately tried to dismantle the barrier surrounding Ryley, certain it was merely the protective spell he had cast on him before. But the more he struggled against it, the more horrifying the truth became.
It wouldn't break.
The blond swallowed and slowly turned back toward him, his body tense.
"You can't take it down, can you?" he asked, his voice barely steady. "Of course you can't. Because—"
He stopped.
For a moment, Ryley seemed to struggle with the words lodged in his throat. Then he swallowed the bitterness threatening to overwhelm him and forced himself to continue.
"I asked Arman to put another spell on me."
Clyde went still.
"What?"
