“Vengeance is mine.” The Great Luna’s voice filled her mind, causing Myanin to freeze. She kept her head still, but her eyes roved around the room. The goddess was nowhere to be seen. A cold sweat broke out on Myanin’s back as she remembered the words the Great Luna had spoken to her in the meeting with the Order. Words that refused to leave her be. They were as relentless as Lyra was in her nightmares, which did not seem to be enough for the dead elder. She’d moved on to torturing her during Myanin’s waking hours as well.
“The high fae,” Tenia continued, pulling Myanin’s attention back to her, helping her ignore the fact that the Great Luna had just spoken into her mind, “have records of every fae’s ability. Alston knew. And as soon as he revealed himself to be a traitor, he came for me. He took the one thing that would make me compliant. My child.”
Myanin could hear the pain in the fae’s voice and saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. She really hoped the female didn’t start crying. Myanin didn’t know what to do with tears. It angered her that Alston was using a child, like he had with the wolves, to control Tenia, but her anger didn’t inspire tears. It inspired action.
“Has he hurt the child?” Myanin asked, unable to keep the resentment from her voice. She may have done something unspeakable, but she would never hurt a child.
Tenia shook her head. “I’ve complied. I made the healer go with us to be tortured by Alston, and she doesn’t even know. She has no clue I manipulated her. That night, I felt so bad I vomited until there was nothing left inside of me.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she hastily wiped it away. “Sally, that’s her name. She’s innocent. She’s done nothing wrong, and I forced her to want to go away from her mate and child, so that my child wouldn’t be harmed. What kind of person does that make me?”
Myanin could practically feel the pain, the disgust, radiating off the fae. Tenia was breaking inside and trying desperately to hold it together. “Why can’t you make Alston or the others do what you want?” Myanin knew there had to be an exception to her gift. There always was.
“There’s one type of supernatural I can’t control. The draheim.”
And there it was.
“Some of the draheim have joined with the Order, and they’ve protected the members of the Order with their own magic. It’s an extension of themselves. It’s actually quite remarkable, and probably the only person aware that they were capable of this feat was your history keeper.”
Myanin clenched her teeth at the mention of Thad. Again, why couldn’t he have done something? Wasn’t there an exception to their rule prohibiting interference? “I’m sorry,” Myanin said softly. “I feel like we should have done something. We sit inside our realm doing nothing while the history keeper knows everything.”
“After the fact,” Tenia added.
“That doesn’t matter,” Myanin snapped. “He knew. He could have alerted someone. Hell, he knew the Order was organizing itself once again, and yet he said nothing.” Who are you to judge? the Great Luna asked. You, who are as guilty as the next. Can you really see past the plank in your own eye to the splinter in another’s? What was she supposed to say to that?
“There are rules for a reason.” Tenia implored. “Boundaries are a good thing.”
“Until they’re not,” Myanin argued. “Sometimes boundaries have to be crossed, especially if it protects the innocent.”
“You feel very strongly about this, and yet guilt fills your eyes, Myanin,” Tenia said, her voice firm yet gentle. “What demons are chasing you?”
“Your child is currently in the clutches of the Order, and you want to know of my demons?” Myanin scoffed even as she cursed the ones who wouldn’t leave her in peace. What peace? You would have none even if Lyra and the Great Luna weren’t pursuing you.
Tenia shrugged. “Maybe I just want to know I’m not alone in my suffering.”
Myanin understood. How many times had she wanted to know that she wasn’t the only person with a shattered heart? How many times had she wanted someone else to feel as crushed as she did? Hell, she’d made it happen when she’d snuffed out the life of her elder. She crushed someone else beneath the heel of her own boot because of her own wounds. Would she really begrudge the damaged mother this? “I committed a crime against my people, against the man I loved and the woman he loved,” she began. Then, much to her surprise, she poured out the whole tale, sordid details and all. It was as if Lyra’s magic compelled her lips to move as she recounted her sins, laying her soul bare before a woman whose only transgression, if it could be called that, was assisting the Order to save her child. Talk about humiliation.
Tenia was silent as she stared at Myanin. Her eyes were wide, but Myanin didn’t see judgment there. “I wasn’t expecting that,” Tenia admitted.
“I’m sure,” Myanin said, the disgust at herself not masked in her voice, at the same time the server arrived with their drinks and food. They ate for a few minutes, not saying anything. Myanin thought about what she’d told Tenia and had to admit she felt a small burden lifted from her shoulders. Telling someone about the most horrible things she’d done in her life was freeing.
“You said, ‘was angry’ and ‘loved him’—both past tense,” Tenia said as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Does that mean you’ve had a
