Destruction’s Desire (Broken Souls Trilogy #2)

Chapter 17

Rule seventeen: Always drink the fae wine.

S omeone has been in my room again.

That’s not creepy at all.

Finishing my frigid but unhelpful shower, I frown when I notice the open chest at the end of my bed. It’s now filled with fighting clothes, weapons, and a few dresses. There are even a few sweaters from my realm and an extra blanket.

I almost squeal at the sight.

I’m entering my clean-girl era.

Freshly dressed in leggings and a cozy sweater, I make my way down the corridor, looking for the others. I feel bad for worrying them yesterday. I know they were trying to help. And while Rosie didn’t say a word this morning, will Damien and Magnus be more vocal? Will they be mad? Or even worse, will they give me covert pitying glances? Either way, I’m already worked up about how embarrassing it will be to see them.

And who knows if Sin is going to be in his usual bad cop kidnapper mood or if he’s going to play nice. The guy is giving off some Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibes.

I’m crossing my fingers for jerk-face Sin.

Voices filter down into the hallway, and unsurprisingly, I follow them to the dining hall. I’m just going to quietly assume this is where they hang out when they’re not working.

There’s a full house tonight, crowded around the table. Sin, Rosie, Magnus and Damien are all at their usual spots, and my chair is empty. But at the head of the table, opposite Sin, there’s someone new.

She’s tall and willowy, with dark skin that contrasts her long silver hair. Her hair frames an oval-shaped face in tight ringlets. She turns to me, and I swallow, trying not to focus on her opaque black eyes.

The woman smiles knowingly at me. “Hello, Vivian.”

Clearing my throat, I move to my own chair and take a seat. I don’t need to ask who this woman is. I already know.

“Hello, Morgana,” I answer, willing my pulse to take a chill pill.

One of her eyebrows twitches up, but she doesn’t correct me.

“It’s good to see you up and healthy. My informants mentioned you were injured when you arrived. I trust you’ve found your accommodations satisfactory? ”

She’s sounding a lot like a politician, the way she’s dancing around the whole kidnapping business. That’s not promising.

Still, I give her a tight smile. “It’s been very nice, thank you.”

I have no desire to get on this woman’s bad side. Especially considering I’m hoping she won’t kick me out of her realm and send me back to Leon.

Which begs the question, how do you ask a stranger if you can live with them without sounding weird? I was not prepared for this. I should have thought to write a speech or make cue cards. My inner organized, socially awkward goddess panics.

Rosie turns to me and mouths a quick ‘thank you’ before looking back at Morgana. “Like I was telling you, Morgana, Vivian thinks she might want to stay here longer than anticipated. That’s not a problem, is it? She’s a valuable addition to our team. She saved my life this morning.”

Bless Rosie’s soul.

Magnus and Damien look thrilled at the question, while Sin just looks bored. There’s a charged energy in the air, though, and the way the others look between me and Morgana, it’s like they’re waiting for a show to start.

I can’t imagine why. I’m not prone to theatrics. Except for the time I threw a knife at Sin.

Or the time I threw a book at him.

Or the time I yelled at him.

Respectfully, though, he deserved it.

“Our little enigma has finally decided she doesn’t want to leave,” Magnus notes before Morgana can answer. “How positively delightful. I look forward to continuing to spend time together,” he finishes with a seductive tone.

Damien winks at me. “He means WE look forward to spending more time together.”

I flush, trying to think of something clever to answer. But a loud crack from beside me distracts me from their comments. I look at Sin questioningly, only to find him flexing his hands. He’s back to looking murderous.

Before I can comment on whether supernatural creatures are at risk of arthritis, Morgana answers Rosie, “I have no issue with you staying as long as you’d like, Vivian. But I believe you should make an informed decision. There are things you don’t know that may weigh heavily into your decision to stay with us.”

I frown, and chills run down my spine.

Talk about foreboding.

Sin’s words about Morgana return to me. “Sin mentioned you had informants watching me over the last few days. Is that it?”

Please let it only be that. I can deal with some mostly innocent stalking.

Morgana leans forward, her elbows resting on the table. “Dear girl, I have been watching you since Atlantis.”

I gape.

Rosie hands me a glass. I take a big gulp and try not to choke.

It’s wine .

Coughing and sputtering, I try to remember how to breathe air instead of alcohol.

Rosie whispers, “You’re going to need it.”

“How? Why?” I ask Morgana when I’ve finally got myself back under control.

“Do you remember the week you were killed?” Morgana asks mildly.

I close my eyes, trying to call back Cassandra’s memories.

Leon and I are lying in bed together, blankets tangled around us after making love. He tells me people from his realm are coming to Atlantis. They’re powerful like him, but Leon assures me he will keep me safe. He says they visit Atlantis during the season of prophecies to hear our oracles speak.

My eyes open, and I nod to Morgana. “It was the season of prophecies. People from the Otherworld were coming to Atlantis.”

Morgana smiles. “Very good. And we did visit. Need, other important Council members, and I came. I was working with the Council, trying to find ways to bring them down from within. Your realm has never held much value to us, but admittedly, it’s the only one that ever produced decent oracles.”

I frown. “What does that have to do with Cassandra? She didn’t attend the prophecies.”

“She didn’t need to. She was in one,” Sin grumbles from beside me.

I blink. Once, twice, waiting for Sin to tell me he’s messing with me, but he says nothing .

Morgana continues, “The oracle foretold of a mortal who would love a Creator – but be reborn to love a Destroyer. That she would bring about a new era to all the realms,” she finishes, giving me a knowing look.

Rosie looks at me pityingly. Magnus and Damien look grim but not surprised.

They’re all in on this.

My vision starts to tunnel. This is a sick joke.

“The Council felt threatened by the prophecy and determined on the spot that Atlantis had to fall. The oracles could not be allowed to make such claims again. The Council already knew Leon was in love with a mortal. He’d met with us to gain permission to stay in Atlantis with her. So, we had high confidence that the prophecy was about you. You were the threat,” Morgana continues.

Are these people for real right now?

“But, how? Why? This is ridiculous. Oracles are just people high on drugs, spewing out nonsense,” I sputter.

I’ve seen the documentaries. Oracles were abused girls. Not magical.

Morgana leans back in her chair, looking at ease. “I assure you, they were very much correct on all occasions. And so, we acted. The Council ordered me to uncollar Sin so he could bring down Atlantis. He was instructed to attack the temple last so Leon would have time to get you out. They decided the only way to stop the prophecy was to make you immortal and to lock you away. ”

“But Leon didn’t get me out,” I whisper, trying to make sense of it all.

Morgana smiles. “No one expected you to resist being taken to safety. Leon was given strict orders not to interfere with the battle, lest he get any ideas about seeing his city fall. So, when you refused to leave with him and started preparing the others to escape, you became off-limits to him.”

I don’t miss Sin’s satisfied smirk or the looks of rapt attention on Damien and Magnus. They seem completely engrossed by the story. Rosie keeps topping up my glass with wine every time I take a sip.

She’s my favorite person.

“I’d been waiting a long time to find a way to bring down the Council. At that moment, I saw the best chance we would ever get. You. But you needed to die before the Council could make you immortal. So, Sin had the armies focus their attention on you. And yet, you would not fall. You, a pacifist priestess, slaughtered your enemies, refusing to die,” Morgana continues to the familiar part of the tale.

Scoffing, I cut in, “But I did die.” I don’t miss an opportunity to glare at Sin. “I don’t forgive you for that, by the way.”

Sin winks, smirking at me. “I didn’t kill you, kitten.”

I give him a dubious look. “Puppeteering people to kill me still counts as…”

Morgana stops me from laying into Sin any further. “It’s true. Sin didn’t kill you. I did.” She sounds cheerful .

I turn to her, completely aghast, but Morgana keeps talking, ignoring my dismay, “Leon was back in the city and coming for you. I knew we were running out of time. So, I put two arrows through you. I killed you to make sure you could be reborn.”

“This is crazy,” I whisper.

Rosie whispers beside me, “Told you you’d need the wine.”

“But how could you be so sure it was me? That Leon would become a Destroyer?” I ask, working hard not to get hysterical.

To be fair, I feel like hysterics are warranted right about now.

Morgana brushes off my concerns with a wave. “I knew he would become a Destroyer because I orchestrated it. I murdered his Keeper while he was distracted by your death and took his key. I released Leon, knowing he would do something against the Council’s orders and disgrace himself.”

“We weren’t expecting him to sink half the coastline. We thought he’d murder the invaders,” Sin notes, almost apologetically. “But he was more violent than we could have imagined.”

“But…” I pause, frustrated at everything about this, “Leon said his collar fell off. Not that you removed it.”

Morgana hums. “I imagine he’s a bit reluctant about your learning he had anything to do with me. Sin and I fled the Council that night before they could get wind of what we’d done. We’ve been waiting for your return ever since.”

No one speaks after Morgana finishes. It’s like they’re all holding their breath, waiting for me to react to what I’ve just learned. I stare at the heaping pile of food that somehow appeared on my plate.

I feel sick – not at hearing about my own death from the lips of my murderer, but from the implications of the prophecy.

“So, Leon was right. I have no choice. It’s my destiny to be with him.” My voice is flat. A feeling of icy dread spreads through my body as I remember Leon’s words.

I was promised to him, long ago.

I shudder.

Morgana hums, and I look back at her, deflated. She looks thoughtful. “Prophecies are not like destiny, Vivian. Destiny is written by the Fates – and the Fates can be bought. Prophecies run deeper and are rarely as clear.”

I frown, confused.

Morgana shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s very likely you will love a Destroyer. Though, I will note that you don’t seem particularly fond of the one selected for you. Luckily, it’s an interesting time for the Destroyer dating market. There are two more you can choose from.”

I choke on my spit and turn to look at the jerk-faced Destroyer beside me, who has been calling me a worthless whore for days.

Sin is looking at Morgana like she’s lost her mind. It totally doesn’t hurt my feelings.

My self-esteem has always been this low.

I should have stuck to book boyfriends. Men are the worst .

I turn back to Morgana, and pick up my glass, now very grateful for the wine. “Well, in that case, we had better go dig up Irena because I’m about to join her and Rosie as a throuple.”

I down the rest of my wine, ignoring the shouting and comments that follow.

My love life is the product of thousands of years of plotting. My head spins at the thought.

I’ve never felt more annoyed at being heterosexual. Even being just a bit bicurious right now would help.

Stupid attraction to men.

So inconvenient.

I zone back into the chaos that has unfolded around me. Sin and Morgana are arguing. Sin is standing now, waving his arms and looking livid, so situation no change there. Morgana looks like she’s having the time of her life tormenting him.

Rosie leans into me and whispers, “Are you back with us?”

I look at her, shocked that she’s paying such close attention. She smiles softly and whispers, “I think you’re great and all, but I get the distinct feeling you are very straight.”

I give her my most miserable expression. “Unfortunately.”

Magnus and Damien have joined the yelling and are also standing now, and I frown at the noise, trying to figure out what everyone is so flustered about.

Not to play the victim card, but their murderer isn’t trying to set them up with someone.

Rosie whispers a play-by-play of the last few minutes, “Morgana wants you and Sin to work together for as long as you’re here. Sin is accusing her of meddling, and he thinks she’s delusional. Morgana is arguing that she’s just being practical and is accusing him of being afraid. So, Sin is pretty upset, and now Magnus and Damien are arguing that you should be training with them instead since you don’t want to work with Sin.”

I look back at the chaos, wondering when my life became such a train wreck. “Don’t I get a say in this?” I ask loudly, over their voices.

All eyes turn to me, and everyone goes silent. Annoyance overrides my immediate urge to not be the center of their attention.

“Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I’m not going to love anyone. And quite frankly, I think we have bigger issues,” I add, trying to sound as stern as possible.

Boundaries are important. I’ve decided my love life is off-limits.

Sin nods at me once before turning to Morgana. We both stare her down, daring her to argue.

Morgana just looks between the two of us with a shit-eating grin. “Of course. But be that as it may, there’s an entire Council of powerful people looking for you, Vivian. Sin is the strongest person here and the only one who can protect you from them. So, whether you love each other, like each other, or hate each other, you’re stuck together until the threat of the Council is gone.”

She still sounds far too pleased.

Sin opens his mouth to argue again, but Morgana cuts him off, her tone turning hard and commanding, “ Sin, you mentioned you had off-realm business to attend to tonight. Go now. This will be your last solo mission, so take this time and get used to the idea.”

Sin shoves away from the table, his tattoos glowing a faint red. But he says nothing as he storms out of the room.

Magnus stage whispers across the table, “I told you he doesn’t call the shots around here.”

Damien makes a whip-cracking sound, and they have their desired effect as I break into a giggle.

Morgana gives them a sharp look, and they immediately look contrite.

I start picking at my food now that the conversation has finally lulled. But Morgana isn’t finished. “Would you all mind letting Vivian and me speak and private?” she asks mildly.

The food in my mouth suddenly feels like sawdust, and I swallow more wine to wash it down.

This can’t be good.

Damien, Magnus and Rosie immediately rise and give me encouraging looks before trailing out of the room.

At least they didn’t look worried. I’ll take that as a promising sign.

Morgana waits for the sounds of their footsteps to fade away before giving me her full attention. “Now that the immediate business is out of the way, I was hoping you could answer a question for me.”

She sounds mildly curious.

I nod. “Of course, what is it?”

My inner people-pleaser is in full swing .

She lounges back in her chair, wine in hand. “Would you care to tell me how you, a mortal, made an energy storm so strong that is almost tore a hole through my realm last night?”