50. Chapter Fifty
~Leo~
Unfortunately, when Kalo whispered that he thought he knew how to break Visenya's bond, I didn’t have a chance to ask any follow-up questions. Death had turned his attention towards the metal box containing Tarron's heart, and as he approached it, the entire cavern seemed to hold its breath.
Even the dragons fell silent, their snuffling breath and shifting scales becoming unnaturally still.
Beside me, Kalo winced.
“The heart again?” I whispered.
He nodded. “It’s getting louder. It sounds… terrified.”
I trained all my attention on the container resting on the stone floor, but I still couldn't hear anything unusual. My werewolf senses simply weren’t tuned to the right frequency.
I did, however, hear the note of sympathy in Kalo’s voice.
"Tarron deserves whatever happens to him," I reminded him. “He did terrible things.”
“I know,” he breathed. “But I don’t enjoy seeing anyone suffer.”
Empathy didn’t really come naturally to me. I took no joy in others’ pain, but I didn’t necessarily feel its effects either. Obviously, Kalo did. For centuries, that instinct had made his life more difficult as he was forced to grant wishes for his masters that had disastrous consequences.
It made life harder for a genie, but in a mate, it had to be one of the best possible qualities.
“I love your compassion.”
For a brief moment, the tension left his expression, and the smile he gave me in return was soft and genuine, sending a familiar warmth flowing through the bond between us.
Death’s voice soon ended the tender moment. "How did you avoid me?"
The question echoed through the cavern, and at first, I assumed he was speaking to one of us.
Apparently Evalina thought the same thing. "Tarron used black…"
Death lifted one hand and the fairy's voice stopped instantly. She didn't stumble over her words or lose her train of thought; she simply ceased speaking in the middle of a sentence as if her voice had run out.
The abruptness of it was deeply unsettling, and next to her, Felix stiffened. I could imagine his indignation on behalf of his mate, but I spoke into his mind before he could do anything about it. Don’t.
He just took her voice away, he replied in irritation.
I know, but we have to pick our battles here. I don’t think you want to make an enemy of him.
His growl echoed in my head, but his shoulders relaxed as he forced a deep exhale, taking my advice.
Death’s attention remained fixed on the box as silence stretched out around us.
“What is he doing?” I couldn’t help asking my mate.
Kalo shifted beside me. “I think he’s talking to it somehow.”
“What makes you think so?”
“The heartbeat is changing.”
That was interesting. “How?”
“It’s slowing down, almost like… almost like it feels safer.”
“He’s lulling it into a false sense of security, you mean.”
Kalo nodded. “I think he does the same with everyone. I think it’s how he won over Visenya. It’s a kind of manipulation.”
Suddenly, Aravander’s fairy tale seemed the opposite of romantic.
Finally, Death turned away from the box and the oppressive silence in the room lifted. Evalina sucked in a sharp breath as her ability to speak returned, and the dragons shifted and murmured around us.
Before anyone else could speak, I stepped forward. “You say that we violated the natural order, but what he did is worse. You wouldn’t have found him without us. I think that makes us even.”
Felix’s voice sounded in my head. What was that about picking your battles?
That was just it, though: this was the battle we’d come there to fight.
We needed Death to accept the substitute, and Kalo knew it as well as I did.
He moved closer until our shoulders brushed, the movement more symbolic than practical.
Neither of us could stop Death, but at least we were facing him together.
It was probably only a matter of seconds that Death studied us, but each one felt like an eternity as I waited for a decision that was literally the difference between life and death.
Finally, his gaze drifted back towards the box with the heart. “The prince’s transgression is greater.”
Relief hit me so hard that I nearly staggered. “So, you’ll accept the exchange?”
That supernaturally beautiful face turned back to me. “I do not usually negotiate.”
“But you’ll make an exception?” I pushed.
"Yes."
The single word rippled through the room as everyone released a collective sigh of relief. Even Silo stopped pacing inside my head.
That was easier than I thought it would…
My wolf’s observation was interrupted as Death turned to Visenya. “Claim it.”
The reaper froze, her glowing eyes widening just a little, and it only took a moment for my brain to sift through everything she’d told us and figure out the reason for her hesitation.
I leaned over to Kalo’s ear, to speak directly into it. "If she claims it, her assignment is complete, and she’ll be sent somewhere else."
His expression tightened, also immediately seeing the implications. “And the bond will remain intact.”
“Yes.”
If Visenya harvested Tarron's soul, she would resume her duties, and our promise to help her would be meaningless. She obviously understood that better than anyone, which was why she still hadn’t moved.
I glanced towards Evalina, who still held the metal ring in her hands. "Should we put the trap back on her?"
"No."
The certainty in Kalo's voice made me pause. We’d spent most of the past week guessing at just about everything, but whatever he’d figured out seemed stronger than just a guess. “What’s the plan, then?”
“I need to talk to her. Can you distract him for a minute?”
Distract Death for a minute. Was that all?
“How?”
Kalo gave me an encouraging smile. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”