25. Chapter Twenty-Five
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MORTE
M y mind races, each thought more desperate than the last as King Valtorious's words sink in. The ritual. We’ve ran out of time. I want to look to Azazel, to let his presence ground me, but the reality of what's coming stills me. There's no time for hope, no time for promises. Only survival.
The air in the bunker feels even colder once I step away from the warmth of Azazel’s hold. The king eyes me, that predatory gaze stripping away whatever courage I’ve managed to scrape together. He motions for me to come closer, and I obey, my heart pounding harder as I try to keep my expression neutral.
Az stands behind me, and I feel his stare on the back of my head. Trusting in our plan.
King Valtorious gestures for me to step into his arms. My stomach churns, but I lift my chin, forcing my feet to move. Strapped to my wrist is a short blade meant for Roth’s throat. I glance back at Az, his face tense, shadows dancing around his form, restless as if sensing my internal battle.
What if I can’t get close enough to Roth? What if he sees through my intentions before I strike? The plan depends on precision, but there’s no room for hesitation. And if I falter—if I’m caught—Valtorious will destroy everything, starting with my mates.
The blade on my wrist feels heavier now, my thoughts turning to the last resort I’ve kept locked away even from Az. It’s reckless. Dangerous. A gamble that could cost me everything, including their trust. But if the worst happens, if Roth can’t be reached the way we planned, I’ll have to act on it. The image flashes in my mind, unbidden: my mates, alive but looking at me with betrayal in their eyes. Would they understand? Could they forgive me for taking the decision into my own hands?
The thought creeps in, unwelcome. The second plan. The one I hope I’ll never have to use. I push it away, but the specter of it lingers in the back of my mind. I picture it, doing the unspeakable to ensure their safety, to make sure this nightmare ends even if I have to cross a line that will burn the bridges between us. The thought cleaves my lungs, but it’s there, waiting like the blade at my wrist.
“Stay here,” Valtorious orders Azazel, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. “I’ll return her to you soon enough.” The king’s arms encircle me as we’re violently tugged through whatever warped version of sifting this is. Agony ratchets through my pulse, and wind roars in my ears.
The world outside looks just as bleak as when we’d first arrived—the mountainside marred by the destruction of the avalanche, everything blanketed in cold silence. My heart aches at the sight. Somewhere up there is where I last saw Aggonid, Wilder, Caius, and Emeric. My mates, my family. An ache blooms inside me as I stare into the white expanse, picturing Aggonid’s protectiveness, Wilder’s calm strength, Caius’s anarchic smirks, and Emeric’s sly humor.
They aren’t just my mates—they’re the home I’ve fought for.
Somewhere out there, they’re fighting through this cold hell, tethered to the hope that we’ll be reunited. I tell myself they’re regrouping, planning a way to reach me. Yet the ache inside me gnaws at every thought, every fear. If either of us fails … if this deal costs more than I’m willing to admit, it won’t just be me who pays the price.
It’ll be all of us.
I know most of them can’t stay outside of the underworld long, so they’re probably reorganizing to figure out how to get me out of this. And here I am, about to make a deal with a tyrant to save them all.
Ollin Valtorious says nothing as we walk, the crunch of our steps the only sound between us. The path leads us to another entrance, the stone nearly camouflaged into the mountainside. He pushes the door open, and we step inside. The cold permeates my bones, numbing everything but the steady throb of fear.
The physician stands inside, waiting, with damn near an entire army surrounding him. His eyes meet mine briefly, a hint of something dark crossing his features before he turns to the king. “Everything’s ready,” he announces, his tone devoid of any emotion.
What I’d really love to do is take my time, carving my name into Roth’s skin so he’ll remember what happens when you fuck with my mate. But that will have to come later, when their guard is down. There’s no way I’ll be able to do it now, not when we’re surrounded by soldiers.
Time for plan B.
I look between them, and something within me hardens. This is it. My last chance to keep my mates safe. I step forward, squaring my shoulders.
“Before we proceed,” I begin, parking myself in front of Valtorious, “I want to make a deal.”
His attention snaps to me, his expression one of surprise, curiosity blooming behind his cold exterior as a slow smirk crawls across his face. He tilts his head, considering. “A deal?”
“Yes.” The word scratches its way out of my throat, a barbed betrayal I aim squarely at myself. I swallow, gathering every ounce of courage. “I know that you need me completely willing to mate with you for this to work.” My hands curl into fists at my sides, my nails biting into my palms as I push through the ache clawing its way up my chest. It wants to drown me. But the alternative? My mates dying? I can do this. For them. “I’ll agree to mate with you, and help you take control of the Underworld. But in exchange, you leave my mates alone. You don’t harm them. You don’t use them in any of your schemes. And you set them free after you’ve taken their power. ”
A loud and familiar laugh echoes around us, sounding eerily similar to Az's. It hits me like a punch to the temple, causing a sharp pain to radiate through my body. Will I ever hear Az laugh again? After betraying them all?
“And why should I agree to such a deal? I could just torture them and get my way.” He steps closer, his eyes narrowing as they search my face. “What do you offer me that makes this worth my while?”
“They’ll never let you mate with me. You will never be able to rule—the god’s council will never allow it. But if I’m the one to agree to mating you? That takes care of my mates and the god’s council. The council won’t deny the Queen of the Underworld who she wishes to rule beside, and my mates will never deny what makes me happy.”
Silence stretches between us, Roth’s calculation shifting to Valtorious, a questioning look in his eyes. The king regards me, his lips curving into a slow, wicked smile.
I meet his measured stare with one of my own, unflinching. “I offer you compliance. Willingly. If you agree, you won’t have to force me, and you won’t have to worry about them coming after you to save me. You know they will, and you know they’ll fight you until their last breath. This way, you get everything you want: power, the underworld, and me, with no one standing in your way. All I ask is that you set them free.”
Valtorious studies me, his eyes flat, predator-like as they linger on me. His silence stretches longer, heavy, and suffocating. It’s Roth who breaks the quiet, a slight furrow creasing his brow.
“My Lord, the girl’s offer could expedite matters ... save time and resources,” he says, eyes darting cautiously between me and his master. “And perhaps you could sire phoenix fae with her, to eventually add to your power.”
The king doesn't acknowledge him. He steps closer, so near that I can feel his breath, a chill creeping over me that has nothing to do with the cold mountain air. He reaches up, his fingers brushing a strand of hair away from my face. The motion seems deceptively tender, but his eyes blaze with malice, promising pain if I overstep.
"How touching, offering yourself to save your pathetic mates. Tell me, Morte, how far does your love extend for them?" He lowers his head, his grin twisting. "How much are you willing to lose, just to keep them breathing?"
I force myself to stand still, staring him down, refusing to let the fear show. “Everything. I will give you everything if you promise their safety.”
His smile grows vicious. “Very well, let’s make this deal, then.” He steps back, waving his hand towards Roth. “Prepare the blood contract. I want this binding before she changes her mind.” He glances back at me. “They will never believe it unless you make it convincing. You’ll have to make it hurt. If you don’t, our agreement is void.”
A tiny spark of triumph runs through me, mingling with the dread so thick I could drown in it. I don’t want to hurt my mates, but he’s right. They’ll see right through it unless I can make it really convincing. This is the only way. I glance at Roth as he produces a small knife. The blade catches the nascent light, and my lungs constrict at the sight of it.
“Your blood, my dear,” Roth murmurs, stepping towards me, his expression almost gleeful. “A deal forged in fae blood cannot be broken.”
I lift my arm, presenting my wrist. The knife bites into my skin, and pain blossoms, crimson welling up. Roth catches it in a small vial, his eyes flashing with satisfaction.
Valtorious watches, his own stare never leaving my face. He takes the vial from Roth, and swirls the blood inside it as if he were admiring a fine wine. “You understand what this means, don’t you?” He steps closer, his words a soft hiss. “There is no turning back. Once you mate with me, you are mine—body and soul.”
In Castanea, we do blood oaths differently. Usually, it involves us making cuts on our palms and shaking hands. This feels so much … more. It’s unsettling.
My stomach roils, but I lift my chin. “I understand.” For them. This is all for them.
He smirks, lifting the vial to his lips, drinking deeply. A chill rushes through the air, a shiver of magic wrapping around us, sealing the promise.
“Good girl,” he purrs, reaching out to cup my chin, and a shudder runs through me. While his son looks so much like him, and even some of the same mannerisms, there is nothing that can make me like this monster. “We’ll see if your mates appreciate the sacrifice you’ve made for them.”
My heart clenches painfully, but I keep my expression neutral, my eyes empty of anything he might use against me, despite the agony searing through my veins at betraying the fae who mean everything to me. Wilder. Aggonid. Caius. Azazel. Emeric.
I can't afford to show weakness now. Not when I've just offered everything to buy my mates' freedom. It will take every ounce of fight I have in me to appear as though this is what I want. That I’d rather have this monster than the fae I’ve already given myself to.
“Take her back to prepare for the ritual tonight,” Ollin commands, inclining his head to Roth.
He steps away, the satisfaction in his expression clear, his stride filled with a confidence that makes me sick.
Roth grabs my arm, leading me away, and I allow it, focusing on each step, forcing down the dread. Az thinks I’m out here to kill Roth, and that would’ve been the plan had there not been hundreds of soldiers in here. He thinks we’re still on the same plan, that we’re working together to end this nightmare. But the truth is, I’m about to become the king’s greatest weapon.
And it will devastate every one of them.
As soon as I’m brought to a large tent on the skirts of the devastated camp and left alone, I allow the tears to spill down my cheeks, and my knees to hit the earth. Sobs rack my body, and I clutch my chest as if I could physically hold my heart together. How can I face them after this? How can I look into their eyes, knowing what I’ve done?
But in the end, I’d do monstrous things to ensure their safety, even if they hate me for it.