61. Haze
Haze
T he dark thing inside my soul hisses in delight as we enter the inner sanctum with the witch in hand.
He loves her scream. He also loves the shock on the priestess’s face.
I hate them both.
But I will use them to my advantage.
Me and this demon are aligned in one thing and one thing only. We will protect her.
For now . I swallow and agree. She is a tool to be used.
The girl is surprisingly still as I drag her in front of Blythe. She doesn’t cry or try to fight me. Even so, I pull her with more tension and anger than it requires.
This will need to be played just right.
“What, pray tell,” Blythe flicks a brow, “is this?”
I stop at the foot of the platform and smile, holding the small child against my chest. I refuse to look at Lina. I can’t bear the weight of her hatred.
“Astella!” she cries out.
The girl remains still. “Hey, Lina.”
I almost snort out a laugh. How is she so calm?
“I have a story to tell,” I call out to the room, as if there were five hundred here to witness it instead of six. Seven if you count the undead Ancient One still slumbering. Is he awake enough to hear me? I hope so.
I hope he knows what I am doing.
“Haze,” Lina whispers, unmoving in Ivar’s grasp. I ignore the ache in my stomach at seeing him with her. His hand creeps up to her neck, as if he knows how it affects me. He squeezes, his eyes intent on me.
He won’t kill her, my demon tells me. He wants her as much as we do.
I clench my jaw. That’s part of the problem.
The darkness chuckles inside. He likes my discomfort too.
“Haze, please,” she whispers.
I almost fold. I almost soften my gaze and give in to her. Almost. She still believes in me.
My nostrils flare. I hold my chin high and force my mind to the issue at hand. This must be done.
“I remember the boy,” I say, finally meeting her green eyes. Lovely. Soft. So achingly sad. “The boy who owned your bracelet. I remember his screams.”
Her chin wobbles. Tears flow freely down her cheeks.
I feel everything. Every moment. Every slice of her heart I cut into.
“I remember the way he begged as we whipped him,” I continue, voice harsh.
She stops breathing entirely. Eyes wide.
“We bled him after. I remember the moment the light left his eyes.”
“No,” she whispers.
“I remember you too.”
She thrashes in Ivar’s arms. She screams, her rage taking on a life its own.
Blythe is studying me, reading me. I remain calm, letting the darkness swirl around in my body.
He is freer than he has ever been. He stretches his muscles, carefully inspecting his new range.
I feel it, the moment he flares to life inside my mind. I know she’s seen it too when Blythe’s eyes flare. She licks her lips subtly.
She doesn’t notice how much Ivar struggles to keep Lina contained. Blythe hears the hate in her voice, though. She believes me.
“Ivar and I both saw it,” I say slowly. “When we found her in the forest. Something different in those eyes. Something profound. Ivar wanted to fuck it out of her. I wanted to explore it, nurture it. I wanted to see if it would bloom. And I remembered her from that day years ago. She has the spark,” I purr. Knowing that is the hook.
Blythe gasps.
“Despite your attempts at convincing her otherwise, we both know you cannot make her Nihilian against her will. We need a way to control her, or she is worthless. I knew we needed a form of control, but I had time because she didn’t yet know her own power.
She didn’t know of her own potential. I tried to convince her to love me.
It almost worked, but then she learned of the boy.
Some worthless village boy, who took her innocence before we took his life.
Now, apparently, she hates me. But no matter because I learned of a new way. ”
I push the girl to the ground at my feet. A tiny thing, the witch. I’m surprised she’s been able to survive out there this long. Does she even eat?
Lina is motionless again, in Ivar’s arms. Except, she’s trembling. She doesn’t understand what’s happening, but she’s wise enough to keep her mouth shut until she does.
“Why have you brought me a miniature witch?” Blythe asks, feigning annoyance. Her eyes betray her anticipation. “She was meant to feed the drakai, nothing more.”
“She has a much bigger purpose now. She is her weakness.” I nod to Lina. “She’ll do anything we ask of her if it means protecting the girl.”
Blythe’s eyebrows rise. “So, you were both right.” She looks to Ivar. “He did know of her potential.”
“He was right,” I say calmly. “But as usual, he underestimated me.”
Her lips spread wide, exposing two sharp fangs. “This is going to be fun.”