Chapter 48
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule forty-eight: Pay closer attention to fairytales.
“Like fucking hell am I leaving you,” I hiss at Sin.
Red coils slither around his wrists, binding him to the stones. Instantly, my combined energies crackle to life, surging through my veins and ready to obliterate the entire city.
A voice behind us stops me. “Calling on your power will only land you in the same position as him.”
I don’t need to turn around to recognize who it is.
The old shifter woman steps into the room. Only now, she walks with ease. Her posture is ramrod straight, and her tone doesn’t waver.
Sonofa–
The redhead we followed here reaches for something around her neck, and the old woman laughs, “That goes for you, too. Rune magic will not help you.”
The redhead’s hand stills, and my eyes lock on her necklace. Instead of pendants, it holds a handful of ivory-colored rings.
They’re exact matches to the one I shoved inside Sin’s pocket before we entered the club.
I don’t get a chance to piece together what the hell is going on before the older woman interrupts my thoughts.
“It’s funny how young creatures think they are all-powerful,” she muses, pacing around the room.
I barely manage to contain my disbelief.
Young? She does know Sin is well over two thousand years old, right?
She pauses at one of the red sigils, running her fingers along the symbol. “A simple, but amplified containment spell can do wonders, especially when it harnesses the creatures’ very power.”
“Kitten, you need to fucking run,” Sin urges.
The old woman narrows her eyes at him, and I step between them, cutting off her line of sight. My power burns beneath my flesh, an electric current that’s begging to be released. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
She cackles, her dark green eyes sharp and calculating. “Actually, business is booming. I don’t want a thing from you.”
Fuck.
“You’re a Harvester,” I accuse in a flat tone.
She gives me a Cheshire smile. “No, little girl. I am the Harvester. Every one of them works for me.”
Her eyes snap back to the redhead, who is slowly reaching for something in her boot. “Pulling that blade will be the last thing you do.”
She freezes, and I resist the urge to reach for my own blades. This woman has Sin trapped, and the thought of spilling her blood sends shivers of anticipation prickling over my flesh.
The old woman turns back to me and continues as though nothing just happened.
“But, as it so happens, my buyer would like a word with you. And since you’ve so kindly fallen into the trap I put out for the rat,” her eyes dart to the redhead, “I may as well take you with me and collect the bounty. So long as you come quietly and without the Destroyer, I won’t be forced to hurt him.
” Her tone is measured, like we’re discussing business, and not kidnapping.
Sin growls, and I glance over my shoulder to find him struggling against his ties with renewed vigor. Sweat lines his brow from the effort.
“Don’t,” he begs, even though he already sounds defeated.
Guilt wells up inside of me as I think about every time I’ve left him behind, helpless to watch as I’ve sacrificed myself.
I can’t do that to him again.
“No. We go together, or we’re all going to find out if your magic can actually hold me.” The menace in my tone sounds alien to me, but I mean every word.
The old woman laughs again, clearly not taking my threat to heart. “Fine, bring him. Maybe I’ll get a bonus.”
“The girl stays,” I add, nodding my chin at my body double. The redhead’s brow raises, like she’s surprised that I’m trying to help her.
“The rat comes,” the old woman snaps.
Before I can argue, she tosses a green crystal into the center of the room. Magic seeps from it, spreading over the stone in searching tendrils, until finally, the floor drops from beneath us.
We only fall about a foot, but whatever just happened is disorienting. It feels like we’ve apparated, only we passed through a few rollercoasters along the way.
When my vision finally stops swimming, I find Sin still held down by his own power. Behind him, the redhead frowns, and confusion flashes across her features as she stands. The expression is only there for a second, before she’s back to looking unbothered.
As I stand and take in our surroundings, I decide she either has the best anxiety medication in the universe, or she’s seen combat before – because we’re surrounded by a circle of guards.
They’re wearing chrome armor, ornately decorated with swirling vines. It’s armor I’ve seen before.
These are fae guards.
Their blades are drawn, but they don’t attack.
Still unsure if using my power will activate the old woman’s magic, I slowly reach into the top of my boot. Pulling out an iron-tipped dagger, I wait for them to make their move.
When nothing happens, my unease mounts, and I glance around the space. We’re in a massive cavern, but this definitely isn’t the Fae Realm. My silver Reaper threads dance under my skin, like they’re happy to be home.
This is the Underworld.
Several of the soldiers keep glancing over my shoulder. When I turn to see why, they silently part, giving me a clear view.
“Kitten, you should have fucking run,” Sin growls.
“Never,” I snap back, even though I want to groan.
I should’ve guessed who was behind this when I saw the pink wisps of energy.
Lilanthara is seated atop a throne on the far side of the cave.
Like always, she’s dressed in a stunning rose-gold gown that twinkles in the orb lights that surround the room.
One of her legs is crossed, and her pink stiletto heels look high enough to lobotomize someone.
The old woman who brought us here stands behind the throne, looking smug.
Lilanthara lets out a delicate, but no less cruel laugh when she sees me holding the dagger. “Before you do something completely idiotic, you should know I want to call a truce.”
That only makes me more suspicious. Need’s armies outnumber our own, and they’re aligned with the Fae Realm. Not to mention, according to Ragna and Morgana, the fae army is the largest in all the realms.
“This doesn’t seem like truce behavior,” I note, waving an arm at Sin.
Lilanthara rolls her eyes. “Right, like I was going to leave myself vulnerable enough to be fried before I could even speak to you. How stupid are they making mortals?”
I don’t take the bait. “Somehow, I don’t think you’re looking for a truce out of the goodness of your heart. So, what do you want?”
She leans back, lounging on the dark throne. I ignore the fact that it’s made of skulls. If anything, it fits the Underworld vibe I expected from this place. Lilanthara gets comfortable, unconcerned by the iron-tipped dagger in my hand. She’s at least a hundred feet from us.
“I have a little problem I’d like dealt with.
You see, I’m ready to leave the nest. Or, more accurately, I’m ready to rule the nest. Fae are immortal, and mother is powerful.
So, succession is not promised. And this pesky Keeper bond makes usurping her just about impossible.
I’d like for you to tell me how to remove it,” she explains, lifting her chin.
I’m stunned, even though I already know Lilanthara is a cold-hearted bitch. “You want to kill your own mother?”
“Matricide is perfectly natural within the monarchy,” she notes, and I swear I hear twinkling bells when she says it.
“Why else did you think my mother would bind herself to me as my Keeper? It was to ensure I wouldn’t be able to do it.
” Her tone turns patronizing as she continues, “Honestly, Vivian, don’t be so na?ve, it’s a bad look for you. ”
“What about Rosie?” I challenge, easily spotting the hole in her explanation.
Lilanthara’s expression darkens into a look I’ve never seen from her before.
It isn’t cruel or cold – it’s murderous.
“My twin is weak, and she’s always lacked ambition.
Mother knew that if Rosenthal was focused on that disease of a Destroyer, she’d stay out of her hair.
Now,” she snaps, “stop wasting my time.”
I’m not sold on her rationale, but I figure there’s no point in lying. “You can only remove the Keeper bond in death,” I answer simply.
Again, she rolls her eyes. “Stop being a dimwit. I heard Leon and Need discussing how much weaker you’ve been since your mate bond was broken. Mate bonds are even stronger than Keeper bonds. So how did you do it?”
“And if I tell you? We’ll have a truce?” I ask cautiously, even though I don’t think Lilanthara should be anywhere near a throne. She might even be even worse than her mother, and that’s saying something.
“We have a truce when I have a crown,” she clarifies, not quite masking her anticipation.
“Fine. If I tell you, you’ll let us go. Me, Sin, and the girl who came here with us.” I might not know the other girl, but I can’t just leave her.
“Of course,” she agrees easily. “I’ll even strike a fae bargain with you. They’re unbreakable. You tell me the truth, and I’ll let you go.”
“Kitten–” Sin starts, but his voice becomes muffled as masses of roses appear in his mouth, gagging him.
I scream, falling to my knees to help him, but for every flower I pull, more appear.
Lilanthara sighs, clearly annoyed. “He’s fine, but his voice is annoying. Do we have a bargain?” She demands.
My gaze travels from Sin, who is still choking on petals, to the redhead, who I belatedly realize is also gagging on flowers. Finally, I turn back to Lilanthara and quickly nod.
“You need to agree out loud,” she snaps.
“Yes. Fine! I agree,” I bite back, just wanting Sin to be okay.
“Wonderful! Now, tell me,” Lilanthara eagerly demands.
Quickly, I explain how Leon used his Destroyer powers to burn away every trace of Sin’s soul from mine. I even warn her about how it shattered my soul and how it will eventually kill me.
“Good. Have your Destroyer remove my bond. Now,” she orders, evidently not worried about my warning.
Shaking my head, I try to pull on Magnus’ diplomacy skills. “No. Release us. We’ll discuss a truce on neutral ground, and then we’ll let you know if and when we want to help you.”
Lilanthara laughs, the twinkling sound echoing around us. “No, I don’t think I will.”
“But you said… the bargain–” I sputter.
“How stupid can you be? Even the Mortal Realm has stories about striking bargains with the fae. I’ll let you go.
It could be tomorrow. It could be in a century.
It could be in one piece or thousands. Really, next time, do try and think of the fine print,” she chides before there’s the slightest flash of pink light.
There’s a wet retching sound, and I whirl around, only to find thorny vines climbing out of Sin’s throat, choking him. They’re glowing with the same pink light, and blood streams from his lips, as the vines slice him open from the inside out.
Screaming, I instinctively draw on my Creator power to try and heal him. But the golden energy only gets sucked into the floor. More vines erupt, this time from the floor. I have just enough time to face her again before thorns dig into my legs.
“Look at you trying to use your big girl power and play warrior. Is this how you took Need’s castle?
How disappointing. You really should have stayed in the Mortal Realm.
You aren’t built for my world. But you’re here now, so I guess we’ll just wait and see how quickly you break.
” Her tone is dismissive, and she holds up a hand to examine her cuticles.
I don’t hesitate.
I whip my dagger across the room.
Amused, Lilanthara easily throws up a shield.
It does nothing to break my focus. Strengthened by our location, I pull on my Reaper power. Only it doesn’t manifest around my arms. Instead, the silvery threads wind around my blade. It pierces the shield with ease before finding its mark deep within her gut.
She lets out a piercing scream, and the guards descend on us, but I’m already moving. In one breath, more silver energy pulses over the floor, snapping the magic holding Sin.
I throw myself in front of him, ready to end them all. But even as he chokes on blood, there’s a flash of light and the guards disintegrate.
From the corner of my eye, I spot the old woman lunging toward Lilanthara. Sin’s power flares again, just as the Harvester throws down another crystal and the two women vanish.