Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Nina
The water scalded my skin as it poured over me, washing away the blood and grime of Chaos and The Crossing.
I scrubbed harder than necessary, trying to erase not just the dirt but the exhaustion of it all – the Furies, Amabel’s turning, the revelation of Dominik’s impending betrayal.
Yet no amount of scrubbing could reach the ache beneath my ribs, and the gnawing thought that none of what I’d seen would ever leave me.
Steam fogged the glass, turning the room into a hazy cocoon. It was easy to pretend I was anywhere else but here. But the hum of Temptation’s energy never left – it was a constant reminder of where I stood.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. My muscles finally wanted to collapse, and I gave in to their demand. I fell to the floor. Exhausted. Broken. Lost. My heart ached for my brother. And my heart clenched with sadness for Amabel.
After some time of sleeping and weeping, I pulled myself together and entered my bedchamber.
“Nina.” A voice cracked the silence.
I spun towards it, finding Leander standing in the centre of my room. As always, his midnight-black suit was immaculate.
“You don’t ever wait for an invitation, do you?” My voice was quiet and watery.
A smirk tugged at his lips, but his eyes held something unreadable. “This is my domain, little Champion. I don’t need one.”
“Yeah, you said that one before.”
I crossed the room, brushing past him to grab a change of clothes. His gaze followed me, but I refused to let him see the unease creeping up my spine.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Alexei is a bastard,” I snapped. “He sent us out into The Crossing . . . Amabel’s a Fury.”
My breath hitched.
Tears stung my eyes, and I knew if I moved, they’d spill over.
Leander appeared at my side, and I swivelled to face him, staring up into those ocean-blue eyes.
He cupped my cheek with a tenderness I’d never experienced from him.
“Hell is a dangerous place, my little Champion,” he whispered. “I don’t want you to risk yourself again.”
I searched his eyes, then stepped away.
“I’m in Hell,” I said. “An infernal realm of torture.”
His eyes burned into me.
“Why are you here, Leander?” I slipped back into the bathroom and changed into silk pyjamas.
“To offer you something better than this,” Leander said. “An end to The Cycle.”
I joined him in the bedchamber once more, crossing my arms. I couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. “Better than what? Blood, sweat and constant manipulation?”
“Precisely.” He stepped closer to me again, his eyes glinting.
The smell of cherries was so comforting I just wanted to get lost in it forever.
“You’ve already offered me a bargain, and I’ve already told you my answer.”
“I have something better to offer this time.”
“What’s that?”
“Power.”
I stared at him. “I’m too tired for your games. I don’t want power. I’m exhausted.”
He tensed. “What do you want then?”
“For someone who deals in temptation, I’m surprised you don’t know my deepest desire.”
I walked over to the bed. I didn’t care that Leander was still there. I curled onto my side, slipped into the sheets, and slept.
***
When I woke, my eyes swept across the room.
A single leaf lay in the centre of my bedchamber.
A whisper caressed my mind.
“Poison.”
The sound slithered through my skull. My fingers twitched. The pull to pick it up was strong, too strong. This had to be another test.
I resisted the instinct to reach for it.
Instead, I let desire take shape. Prongs materialised in my grip. I crouched and nudged the leaf, lifting it carefully, watching for anything – a shift in the air, a reaction, a whisper from Hell.
Nothing.
Still, unease coiled in my gut. My head throbbed, heavy with exhaustion. I turned on my heel and left my chambers, heading to the one person who might have answers.
The kitchen was dim and quiet, save for the soft clinking of porcelain.
Kob sat perched on the counter, his bear-like form hulking over a steaming pot of tea, licking honey from his claws.
His eyes flicked to me as I entered, then to the leaf in my hand.
His grin was slow and wicked. “Oh, that is definitely poison.”
I sighed. “Of course it is.”
Without hesitation, he plucked it from my grip, popped it into his mouth, chewed, and spat a thick, tar-like lump onto the floor.
I took a step back. “That’s disgusting.”
He grinned. “Would’ve put you to sleep for a couple of hundred years.”
My stomach clenched. Would Leander have left it for me? Because I didn’t agree to his bargain, was he willing to send me into a century of sleep?
“Who would have this?”
Kob shrugged, swiping a claw lazily over his furry belly.
“Plenty of fighters in the courtyard like to dabble in poisons. Competitors are such a hassle when they don’t stay down.
” His eyes glinted, mischievous and somehow knowing.
“But this particular one . . . not everything in it comes from Temptation.”
I stiffened. “Then where?”
He sniffed, licking his teeth before making a face. “Hemlock. Difficult to attain. Smells like almonds.” He gagged dramatically, then vomited on the floor.
I exhaled slowly. “Corruption.”
Kob’s ears twitched.
I rubbed my temples. “That garden had some pretty weird plants.”
Kob hummed, tapping a claw thoughtfully against the worktop.
Too many suspects. A fellow Champion working against me? A bound soul playing their own game? Maybe even Leander.
I watched the steam curl from the tea Kob poured. He pushed it towards me with the back of his paw. “Drink. Before you work yourself into a spiral.”
I took a sip, letting the warmth settle in my chest, but the tension in my stomach didn’t ease. I was so close to collecting all the relics. Which meant I was that much closer to escaping Hell and returning home back to Tobias.
I had to keep going, not only for freedom, but for Tobias.
And yet, the closer I got, the more Hell pulled back.
I stared into the cup, watching the steam curl, willing my pain and sorrow to dissipate.