“I wouldn’t have believed you, but then I’d have a choice. And it would have prepared me for this war. Regardless if Rahna is the witch who gave birth to me, I can’t let her shape the words. She needs to be stopped.”
“But now that you know, could you kill her?”
I swallow the lump that formed in my throat as I think about his words. Can I kill the woman who nursed me, cradled me, and loved me? Why did she give me up? Why not raise me as her daughter?
“I don’t know. Before, it was easy, but now it’s as if the complete story has changed. Killing her might not be something I can do.”
“If it comes to it, let me take the burden. I don’t want you to have to bear it.”
He looks to the sky, exposing his long, powerful neck. I don’t know what happened between him and the Creator, but I’m sure the betrayal he’s feeling is like mine. We love the ones who raised us, and they destroyed everything.
“I should get back. I didn’t leave Umbra on the best of terms.”
He chuckles. “She deserves your wrath. A demon assassin who is a demon herself. I wouldn’t guess in all my eons of living that I’d be mated to a female who has the power to kill me.”
I stop in my tracks to pull his arm. “We’re not mated. I’m mated to Torque. You know that, right?”
He sighs, but tugs my hand into his large ones. “I’m aware the Blood king got to you first, but understand that we can’t forget this. A fated mate doesn’t go away regardless of how many you have. It’s something I’ll have to accept.”
“What if I don’t want to accept it? I know nothing about you except you’re a stalker and the Death king. Who you are is still a mystery to me.”
“We’ll learn each other in time. Right now, our concern is stopping Rahna from taking the Bloodlands. Torque’s portal leads directly into New City. Once she has control of it, there will be no stopping her.”
His change of subject is like a bucket of ice water on my feelings. Rahna is our endgame, and we have to make sure Torque and his people survive.
“You’ll come with us then? To the Bloodlands to fight?”
He nods as he starts back to the castle. “Tomorrow, we portal to the Bloodlands. We’ll meet your mate and the other soldiers there.”
“They won’t be there. It’s only been a day. They had a week-long trip ahead.”
“Time in the Deathlands is faster than in the other kingdoms and realms. I’m a prisoner who can’t have anyone by his side. To watch the world go on without me being able to catch up.”
His saddened face makes me want to comfort him, but then I remember my place. He’s not mine to comfort. He can’t be mine, regardless of what a vision told him. I have Torque, and he’s enough.
Twenty-One
The next morning, Umbra and her guys are seated at the table, talking in hushed tones. They set an array of food out before them, but I have eyes only for the coffee.
I pull the carafe to me, then pour the brown liquid into a large mug, adding cream. Umbra tries to speak, but I hold up my hand and take a sip, closing my eyes and relishing in the liquid of the gods.
Only after I feel the sleep monster inside of me subside do I open my eyes and address her. “We’re going to the Bloodlands today. Caedis has agreed to help us.”
“On what terms? What will we have to do for him?” Umbra growls, thinking she has the right to be angry.
“Nothing. He wants Rahna gone. He’s been up to date on everything that’s happened.”
“You told him of our plans?” Donaas snarls.
I sit up in my seat to place my coffee cup on the table. “Are you insinuating I disclosed classified information to someone outside of our team?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Laughing, I grab my mug up again. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else. I don’t break rank, lie, or steal. I follow commands and do what is best for my team. It’s more than any demon in this realm can say.
“I’ve been lied to and manipulated since the day I stepped into this realm. And people continue to do so. The only one who hasn’t lied and shown me the truth is Caedis. I’d think of that the next time you accuse me of giving away secrets.”
I slam the cup on the table, hot coffee sloshing over onto my hand before I kick my chair out and leave the room. I don’t care if I appear like a petulant child; I have every right to be mad. Fucking family.
The nuckelavees are tacked and ready when I enter the courtyard we were in yesterday, except there are many more soldiers. When we first arrived, the Deathlands were deserted. Now the courtyard is so crowded I can’t make out where one nuckelavees ends and the soldiers begin.
“Anima,” someone calls from the left. Turning in that direction, I see Caedis tacking up his horse. He’s dressed in fighting leathers with the Death coat-of-arms stitched on the front. A thin sheen of black onyx sits on his head like a crown.
“Are you wearing a crown?” I ask, not able to keep the giggle in.
He looks up before pulling it off. “That’s the third time I’ve taken it off. Anser has a way of trying to make me seem kinglier than I am.”
He places the crown inside of his satchel, then continues to secure his tack. When I take another glance at his armor, it seems less embellished than mine, like he doesn’t want people to know he’s a king.
“Your horse, my lady,” Anser says, handing me my nuckelavee’s reigns.
It’s the same
