Sybil #2
Morgiana pursed her lips, her hand lifting, forcing my head to tilt back so she could study my face more closely.
Releasing her fingers one by one, she pulled away with a light sigh.
“Relax, child. You do not need to fear us.
Cassia had you brought here so you could learn what you are—and how to control this new version of yourself.
My lips thinned, the blood leaking from my face. “What do you mean by this new version of myself?”
“You died, yes?” Morgiana asked, her face sharp.
She arched a brow, waiting for me to answer.
When I gave her a quick nod, she continued her explanation.
“Your heart stopped completely before jolting back to life. Ever since, you have been in a deep sleep. Your body was not only recuperating during that time; it was becoming something entirely new.”
“I know all of this.” I frowned, but when the queen’s piercing eyes flicked to mine, I grimaced, deciding it was best to keep my mouth shut.
“You started as human and slowly became less so because of the newly awakened magic in your blood. You are Seelie, but not at the same time. The pulsing blood cells show you were more than that. Since your death, you have become a being no longer just Seelie. Somehow, you are part of the Unseelie court as well.” Morgiana paused, her eyes dipping to the hand that Salem had taken up residence in since I awoke.
“Cassia and Soren have told me of the shadow you have control over. That is why we brought you here. You need to learn about this court, to find out your lineage, and to master the magic you possess, or else it will start to master you.”
Morgiana slid her gaze past me to Soren.
“Take Sybil to her room so she can rest.” Looking back at me, her face softened.
“You are safe here within these walls, but do not wander about the palace alone. There are creatures here that can sense you are of the Seelie Court and will attack you because of it. I will find you tomorrow so we can talk more.”
Without waiting for an answer, the queen turned her back on me and returned to her throne.
I watched the female with wide eyes, stunned by her words.
She spoke of Cassia as if they were old friends, as if they were in consent communication with one another.
If that were the case, then I could potentially return to Nemos—and to my mates—before they had a chance to worry about me.
There had been so much fear in their eyes when they noticed Soren standing before me.
I could only imagine how they reacted when he took me.
Inwardly, I cringed, hoping that someone would be able to stop Kieran from losing control of his temper.
With Soren taking me away from them like that, who knows what he would do or how he would react?
A rough hand gripped tight around my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts and making me hiss. Soren wrenched me from my spot, dragging me toward the door after him. I fought against his hold, clawing at his fingers, which only made him tighten his hold.
“That hurts,” I snapped, still twisting my wrist to escape his hold on me.
“And yet, I couldn’t give a fuck,” Soren growled, his eyes glued to the path leading us out of the room.
I clenched my teeth and drove my nails into his wrist as I dug my heels into the floor, refusing to move another step.
Soren stopped short, twisting his body to face me completely. “If you don’t start moving, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out.” His nose curled in a silent snarl, but I refused to back down.
“If you’d let go of me, I would gladly follow you. But if you don’t, I will make it as hard on you as I possibly can. Take your hand off me.”
Soren bared his teeth, his sharp canines gleaming in the low light, but his grip slowly loosened before releasing me altogether. Soren wrinkled his nose, his gaze sliding down my body and back up again. Without another word, he walked away, grumbling under his breath.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips, and I rubbed the lingering pain away, forcing myself to follow the arrogant male.
I had made it a few steps when the sound of a gasp, followed by hurried footsteps, caught my attention.
I searched the crowd of nobles and found her—a woman with long, dark brown hair tinged with red.
The moment she tucked it behind a rounded ear, the world stilled.
“Willow,” I breathed out. My mind blanked, unable to believe that my closest friend was truly here, of all places.
Unable to stop myself, I followed that sound. My chest tightened with an emotion I could not describe as I pushed through the crowd. I whispered her name repeatedly, side-stepping a group of gaggling females blocking me from her.
A tall male with long, styled black hair streaked with white pulled the woman away, blocking her from view.
He warily eyed me, making sure I couldn’t get close.
But I knew in my heart that it was Willow, that my closest friend was here in Dubnos.
I opened my mouth to yell out her name when Soren roughly pulled me back to him.
It was my only warning before my feet left the ground, and I was being hauled over his shoulder.
“What the hell,” I yelled. “Let me down. I need to—”
“I told you that if you didn’t start moving, I was going to throw you over my shoulder. Instead of following me as you promised, you went in the opposite direction. I am not a male of patience.”
“You sure had me fooled,” I quipped, rolling my eyes. “I thought I saw someone I knew. If you’d just let me down and see her, I will follow you without causing any more trouble. I swear I will do everything you say, just let me see if I know her.”
“No,” Soren grunted, moving further away from the male and Willow.
I struggled in his arms, cursing. His grip tightened around my waist, leaving me with no other options except for one.
I slammed my fists hard into his back. A low growl of warning rumbled from his chest, the vibrations traveling up to my stomach.
Ignoring the sensation, I added more strength behind my attacks while kicking my feet to push away from him.
A hand connected with my ass, and I yelped, pain lacing across my skin. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I seethed. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
A quick exhale left me as I twisted, searching for something to grab onto.
My gaze zeroed in on those onyx horns, twisting high above his head.
I reached, wrapping my fingers around the warm, smooth veneer, and pulled.
Soren’s head snapped back, a vicious curse spewing from his lips as he dropped me to the floor.
Laughter rang out around us, my face reddening from embarrassment, but I refused to let this male treat me like I was some stupid girl.
Pushing off the floor, I didn’t linger long enough to see Soren’s reaction. I ran toward the door where I last saw Willow. I reached to push it open when pain splintered across my scalp, and my body was jerked back.
I cried out, only for my voice to be cut off when the room tilted, falling away into nothing until we were in another room.
Soren slammed me into a wall, knocking the breath from my lungs.
Wrapping his hand around my neck, Soren squeezed, but not enough to hurt.
My heart thundered in my chest as Soren leaned in close, his face twisted with pure rage.
“Don’t you ever touch my horns again,” he hissed through clenched teeth, his slitted pupils narrowing on me. “Is that understood?”
“Y-yes,” I forced out, my stomach twisting. My soul may have purred in his presence earlier, convincing me he wasn’t there to harm me, but that calming sense was nowhere to be found now. Not when the male seemed so overtaken by his fury. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”
Soren lingered, his heavy breath slowing, returning to normal. His gaze dipped to my lips before his hand slid off my neck. Turning his back on me, his head tipped back as if he was summoning enough patience to speak with me one final time.
I raised my hand, my fingers brushing against my throat, my skin still tingling from his touch.
There wasn’t any pain, nothing that showed his loss of control.
He hadn’t even cut off my air, only using enough strength to push me back and hold me still against the wall.
I blinked a few times, my hand falling to my side as I watched him shove the rest of his anger down, calming himself enough to speak.
Rolling his shoulders back, Soren shoved his hands into his pockets, turning slightly in my direction. “This is your room. As Queen Morgiana said, do not leave. No matter how much you scream, I will not be persuaded to help you.”