Chapter 22
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
We can’t just walk into my court because their guns will rip us to pieces.
We might be supes and unkillable in Eversor’s form, but it will still hurt.
No, we need to be smart. Luckily, I know the layout like the back of my hand.
I was there when it was built, and I know every twist and turn better than my own body.
There’s a hidden passage in, the way only a rethia knows.
It was created as an escape for us and leads to my rooms. It was the way Teresa wanted me to escape that night.
It’s where we go now.
Frost flies us until late, and then we land near the waterfall.
We will have to walk the rest of the way, since the forest is so dense.
Being this close to my court has me moving faster than before.
I am so close yet so far away. I can almost taste my people’s freedom, and I know I won’t calm down until I see them all again and rid them of their shackles.
The others say nothing but hurry after me until we break out into the small clearing around the waterfall.
A river crashes into the rocks and pool below, glowing a magical blue.
It was long ago cursed by a warlock, and it’s one of the reasons Mother chose it.
Anyone who means harm cannot cross or they will die.
The grass here is full of flowers, their black petals covering the ground. “We’ll rest here for a few hours,” I murmur. I hate that we have to, but we will need all the sleep we can get because once we enter those tunnels, there’s no turning back, and who knows what will await us.
Sitting down near the water, I lean back and stretch out my sore muscles.
Luan appears, sitting down and pulling me back so I can lean into him.
I smile gratefully, watching as Eversor soars above us.
One look at him and a shiver of desire courses through me.
We fucked, but we don’t particularly like each other.
I’m still unsure if he wants me dead or not, so I look away as the others settle around me.
“Tell us everything we need to know,” Corbin murmurs as he stretches out.
“There is an entrance to the tunnels under the waterfall. It leads to my suite in my court. From there, we can access the secret system and contact my people. We need to take them by surprise. We will be playing it by ear once we’re inside,” I say, “but we will eliminate all threats and free my people.”
“Got it, kill everyone,” Luan states, and there’s a bloodthirsty expression on his face. “I can do as I wish?”
“As long as it’s only the men who mean them harm, yes.
” I nod. “All of you can. I need you to be the worst versions of yourselves. I will not let any more of my people be hurt for me. As soon as they know I’m there, they will try to use my people against me, knowing they are my weakness. We can’t give them that chance.”
Eversor appears before me, and I jerk back as smoke wraps around him. “You should be careful of your words, giving a being like me freedom to kill. It might not end well.” He smirks.
“If you hurt my people, I’ll end you,” I warn him, uncaring about the anger that flashes in his eyes.
I settle back into Luan. “Wake me in a few hours and we will get moving.” I should probably fear Eversor. His fury feels like death, but I don’t open my eyes. I let him decide what he will do, and he eventually moves away.
I don’t expect to sleep despite my exhaustion, too worried about what I will be walking into. I’ve been gone too long. I just have to hope they can hold out.
Eventually, sleep takes me.
I wake, my eyes widening as I come face-to-face with Eversor.
His expression is cold and so close, it’s all I see.
His hand is over my mouth, and when I glance down, I see the tip of his pincer at my throat.
He moves his hand away slowly, and I lick my lips, tasting him there.
Fear and lust mix as I stare into his eyes.
“Have you decided to kill me then?” I ask casually.
He doesn’t answer right away, and I wait for the pincer to cut my neck. That is what he always does—kills anyone who gets too close—but he smiles wide, showing sharp teeth. “Not yet, but we have company. I figured you would wish to be awake for this.”
He disappears, leaving smoke in his wake, and I get to my feet, frowning. I’m alone. Everyone is gone. Spinning in a panic, I search for them, but there’s nothing.
Luan is gone.
Corbin.
Frost.
Bellami.
They are nowhere in sight. I’m completely alone. Black petals surround me before they seem to fall from the sky, and I look up to see Eversor ripping up plants as he smirks, and then he points, and I follow his gesture.
I don’t see it at first, until I narrow my eyes—movement in the trees. Then I hear footsteps and voices. Sniffing, I scent the air and realise they are human.
What the hell is happening?
My eyes widen as they step into the clearing, and I scramble back a step when their eyes lock on me, but just as they do, shadows step into the light behind them. Corbin, Bellami, Luan and Frost were waiting, and as I watch, they each take one of the humans, and before I can blink, they are dead.
“What is going on?” I silence my words when Eversor disappears from the sky then appears before me in a ball of black petals and smoke, just as more men emerge from the trees.
“Looky what we have here. Get the freak!!” one of the humans yells.
Gunfire fills the air, and I throw my arm up to protect my face, but when nothing hits me, I peek through my elbow to see the bullets frozen in mid-air.
With a bored flick of his fingers, Eversor sends them flying back.
They find their homes in their masters, ripping into them as their screams fill the clearing.
More lunge at him, and he chuckles as he dances around them, toying with them.
He disappears into smoke, only to reappear behind one, and then he twists his head to the side, and Eversor rips open the man’s throat with his teeth as he screams.
Blood drips down him as he disappears before reappearing with his back to me as his pincers impale two more, lifting them into the air as they howl.
I can’t look away as one huge man slips down the smooth pincer, further impaling himself even as he kicks and shouts.
With a flick, Eversor throws him off against a tree, leaving a gaping hole where his chest was.
One of the humans gets past Eversor, heading for me with a vicious smile, and I prepare to fight, but before he can get close, Eversor reaches back with a pincer and stabs it through his shoulder, then Eversor lifts him off the ground and tosses him into the water before focusing on the others.
My eyes are round as I stare at the human.
At first, nothing happens, but then the water bubbles, and he screams. It glows brighter as he splashes, trying to reach the edge, but drips trickle down him like sludge, and his howls grow louder.
When the liquid slides away, I see melting skin and bone.
I gape in horror as he melts until nothing remains.
I guess the spell really works. Good to know.
My men don’t even let them get close, so I relax and just watch. Eversor woke me so I could see. It’s a warning and a reminder.
I understand. I know I should fear him, and part of me does, but the other part, the darker one, likes how bloodthirsty and murderous he is. He hides nothing, and one day, if I survive this, he will kill me, but I’m starting to think I would enjoy it.
How fucked up is that?
When there are no more humans left, my men turn to check on me, but it’s Eversor’s eyes I meet. I don’t know what he sees in mine, but he tilts his head curiously before he disappears again, this time appearing behind me.
“Wondering how I will kill you when the time comes?” he whispers seductively in my ear, running his bloody pincer down my neck. I lean into him, my smile growing as I turn to look at him.
“Actually, I was wondering when you would use all your power on me again.” His eyes dilate, and I turn to face him. To his surprise, I press my lips to his. I taste blood in his kiss, and when I pull away, the stunned look on his face is all I need to make me smile.
“Who are they?” I call to the others as I step over one of the bodies.
“There are still some hunters who don’t agree with Tate’s commandments. We call them rogues,” Corbin replies as he runs his eyes down me, satisfied once he does not see any wounds.
“Well, now that we are awake, we might as well get moving,” I mutter, sparing the bodies a disinterested glance before I turn to the water and step into it. The men rush after me, all but Luan, who already knows.
“It killed a hunter!” Bellami shouts, and despite his concern for the water, he plunges in to grab me, but when nothing happens, he glances down at the glowing liquid.
“Magic,” I murmur, “to protect the court. Those who mean me harm will die.” I look at them curiously, wondering if they will all make it.
Maybe it’s another test. Wading in, I stop at the falls and turn back.
The water has done nothing to Bellami, and Corbin makes his way through after us.
Luan walks towards it without hesitation and is fine.
Frost simply jumps in and covers the distance in a step, smiling the entire time.
My eyes turn to Eversor, who smirks like he knows my thoughts.
Would it hurt him?
He simply turns and disappears, and when I duck under the waterfall, he appears on the rocks, dry and safe on the ledge inside. I guess I’ll never know. Why am I disappointed?
Luan is on the ledge, and he takes my hand and helps me from the water. It slides from me, leaving me dry, and I walk past Eversor to the slight curve in the otherwise perfect rock. There, I press my hand against it and wait. It glows, too, before the rock crumbles and parts to reveal a doorway.