I narrow my eyes at him, trying to keep my frustration out of my voice. “I was nearly married all of a month ago, and now you’re asking me to marry you. Can you understand that I’m apprehensive?”
“No,” he says sharply. “I can’t, because you made this choice knowingly.”
“Not completely,” I protest, brows furrowing.
His sits back commandingly. “We will be married within the next four weeks, pick a date soon.”
I jump to my feet as he rises. He smooths out his tunic and eyes me as I fume. “You aren’t my king,” I hiss.
Altair purses his lips and stares at me coldly. “I’m curious, Verity, why you broke the curse at all if you can’t be bothered to follow through.”
Without waiting for my response, he turns away. I watch his strong back as he strides towards the library doors. They slam shut behind him, leaving me glaring. I grind my teeth together and throw myself back into the armchair. Part of me hopes that Dain heard the whole thing and that he’ll return. But I’m not some damsel in distress who needs a harem of men and lovers, I remind myself. I’m Verity Chastain, part Bloodbane witch, I think forcefully. I don’t need anyone. I bite the inside of my cheek angrily until I draw blood.
I swallow the tangy liquid. I thought for a moment that Altair and I could reconcile with each other. I believe he is sorry that his duties as King have left him little time for me. He’s left me feeling more like a prisoner now than I did before I saved him. He knows this, he regrets it. And yet he still treats me like I’m his hostage.
I reach for the Bloodbane text and open to the first page. I’m not Altair’s. I’m not Sadal’s. I am my own. I’ll find out who I am even if Altair tries to stop me. I’m a Bloodbane witch, or at least as close to one as a human can be. And I won’t be toyed with by anyone, let alone my future husband. Perhaps when I’ve finally learned of my history and my potential, Altair will take me more seriously. But by then, perhaps I won’t care about him at all.
By then, perhaps I’ll be free.
Chapter 11
Cleo
The frozen wind howls through the mountain peaks, stinging my sharp cheeks. My red cloak snaps against me, the hood falling away from my face. Beside me, Maaz stares out over the mountain crags and gullies with anticipation. I turn away from her, towards the pitch-black shadows in the crannies of the mountain range below us.
The keep is quiet tonight. I warned the leaders of our covens to keep our sisters inside while Maaz and I waited for the gift Sadal promised us. The gift he promised her. I press my lips into a thin line, thinking of the way I found her when I returned on Summer’s Eve. Maaz was bloodied and broken in the Holy Rite. She had emerged from the ether before I returned and curled herself up in the bottom of the well, tears dried on her face.
Sadal had taken his time toying with her. Time in the ether isn’t linear; past, present, and future collide until time itself feels like a trap. Everything grows muddled in the ether, which makes it twice as maddening as it would be otherwise. My sister endured no torture, while surviving hundreds of years of pain at the same time.
I healed her, though it took a few days. Now, she waits eagerly for Sadal to return to her, as if he never struck her at all. I bite the inside of my cheek, drawing blood. I warned her not to trust him. I warned her to leave him out of this and let him enjoy the conquest when it was over. But she didn’t listen. As the leader of the Bloodbane, Sadal will punish her for every mistake we make.
“I see it,” she whispers breathlessly. Her fingers dig into the stone railing of the balcony.
I peer into the black beneath us. “There’s nothing there, Maaz.”
“Look,” she hisses, pointing.
I follow her finger, trying to discern anything in the murky darkness. Suddenly, I see the shadows coiling like black smoke. The darkness moves, as if it were a heavy fog, disturbed by some unseen wind. I swallow thickly, heart pumping wildly. For thousands of years, the creatures of darkness have been trapped in the ether, waiting for the day they could return to the physical world. Now that Maaz has extended an invitation, the portals hidden in the depths of these mountains have been opened.
A harsh scream shatters the silence, echoing through the mountains. A chill slips down my spine and my grip tightens around the balcony. The scream is followed by a chorus of unearthly screeches and fear lances through me. The Bloodbane have been the most feared worshippers of darkness in this realm, but now the Fae will have something else to fear. Something far worse. Something even I fear.
Out of the shadows, black creatures erupt. They scale the mountainside, crawling on all fours like animals. I take a step back on instinct, my heart pounding fearfully in my chest. Maaz simply smiles. She turns to me, her pale blue eyes bright with excitement. “Aren’t they beautiful, Cleo?”
My lips twist into disbelief. The creatures are too far to discern details of their features. But I’ve heard enough myths to know that their skin is covered in black scales. Their claws are as long as my forearm, and their eyes are as yellow as their fangs. They carry the figure of men but are nothing like them. They move like beasts; they sound like predators. They’re demons brought from the depths of the ether to tear apart any living creature that crosses their path.
“How will we control them?” I ask, my voice tight with worry. “How will we ensure
