Chapter
Morgan
“You knew all along it would come to this.”
“I suspected as much,” Bunny admits. “But it’s never what I wanted.”
“That’s why you did what you did, you took everyone and locked me out. You didn’t want me to come here, but the Queen wanted something and you thought you’d give her Anita.”
“I needed you weak. Dylan, compromised.” His eyes are on the stone floor when he says, “I won’t let her destroy you.”
“You tried your hardest—just in other ways.”
He’s silent.
“Why didn’t you come to me? Tell me? Why did you think trickery was best?” I ask, watching him closely.
“Would you have listened? Taken the time away from the others?” The muscle in his jaw tics. I feel the bitterness rolling off him in waves.
“You don’t understand me very well, Bunny. Don’t blame me for your weakness. Your jealousy.”
Knowing my Guardians are on their way back to The Nead frees me to focus on the plan ahead. Despite our tension, I give Bunny the specifics of how I want this to go down, handing him my sword and allowing him to bind my hands. We enter the castle through a grate on the floor hidden beneath a heavy woven rug. It’s impossible not to ignore the wide swipe of blood covering the floors. Casteel’s blood, if I had to guess.
“Go to the throne room,” I say in a quiet voice. “Don’t you dare hold back.”
Bunny stands behind me. I feel his heart beating like a drum in his chest. He hates every part of this plan. It’s risky, and the odds of us pulling it off are slim. Even if we do, it’s unlikely we’ll both make it out alive.
I’ve only seen the throne room in my dreams. The entry is huge and arched, stone pillars flanking the open double doors. The Queen is holding court even as her prisoners get away and her fierce commander bleeds out elsewhere in the castle. The voices inside sound strained, like false merriment. I’m not surprised. These people fear for their lives. Their entire existence is to humor the Queen. Soldiers spot us before we’ve even made it to the lush purple carpet acting as an aisle.
“Stop!” One of the men yells.
Bunny does as he’s told. “I’ve caught a prisoner of the Morrigan’s trying to escape.”
He looks me up and down. Bunny holds the sharp blade so close to my throat I feel the edge against my skin. The soldier steps forward and lifts up my chin. The instant he sees my face he steps back, muttering a prayer to a god I’ve never heard of.
A second soldier tries to force me from Bunny’s hands but my Guardian hisses disapproval. “No. I caught her. I’m turning her in. You won’t take the glory for my prize.”
I don’t know what his expression looks like, but it must be enough because they both back off. Bunny straightens, yanking me with him, and leads me down the center of the massive throne room. We’ve clearly interrupted celebrations of some sort, and the people eating and drinking at the tables dispersed throughout the room come to a quick and abrupt halt, words frozen on their tongues.
Until I pass and they get a good look at my face and the whispers begin.
Who is that?
Who is that girl?
Where did she come from?
That man? I’ve seen him before!
All their questions come in a hurry, hushed and quiet as though they fear retribution.
The music near the throne never ends, not until the Queen herself looks up. I’ve waited so long for this moment, to meet her face to face. To see the woman that haunts my dreams, orchestrates my moves and dominates my life.
We lock eyes and for a moment I can do nothing but stare at the woman I share a soul with.
I’m shocked at her youth, at the lack of any lines on her face. No scars or blemishes. She’s physical perfection, and although I see the resemblance, I’m nothing but a human duplicate. Sure, power runs through my veins, helped by my immortal lovers, but the Morrigan is a warrior on her own. She doesn’t need anyone else to make her strong.
Or at least, that’s what she wants everyone to think. She takes the elixir from underground to keep her young and virile.
There’s another person on the dais that I recognize and I have to force away any reaction: Anita. She sits directly next to the Queen, in a smaller, less magnificent throne. There’s no denying who should be in the empty seat on the Queen’s other side, most likely set out in celebration for the ceremony Casteel mentioned. The one where we join.
I sense the presence of the weapon Bunny shoved in the back of my pants, refusing to leave me unarmed. It was foolish. I regret it now. She’ll detect it immediately.
“What do we have here?” she asks, staring down at us from her massive, obsidian throne. Her eyes are deep pools of hate and anger. I force myself to hold contact. “Where is Casteel?”
“There’s been a breach,” Bunny says. “Casteel has been injured. Your prisoners are gone.”
“Gone?” She doesn’t blink.
“Yes,” I say. “And I would be gone too if I hadn’t taken the time to hunt down this little worm.”
She watches us carefully. “You bested her?”
“Yes,” Bunny replies. “She was distracted.”
A wide, deranged grin splits the Morrigan’s face, making her look like a jester or clown. She leans forward, laughter on the tip of her tongue, and she says, “I felt them. I felt them together. Their power and strength, it shook the castle like an earthquake. I know about Casteel. What do you think this celebration is for? It’s a death watch, you see. He failed me miserably and when he finally bleeds out for good, we’ll dance on his grave.”
The audience cheers and everything about the moment is perverse and wrong.
She tilts her head. “Do you really want to tell me you bested her at the height of her strength?”
“I did, just like I stole her Guardians out from underneath her. Just like I opened the gates over and over again without her understanding or notice.”
The Morrigan thinks this over, resting her chin on the back of her hand. “So tell me, Fallen Guardian, what am I to do? Reward you for delivering back what is mine? Punish you for allowing the others to escape? I’m not exactly sure what is happening here.”
There’s a pause, the entire audience is waiting for what comes next, but not even I am sure what will happen. I reach for the hidden blade and slip out of Bunny’s grip. I toss him to the ground, punching him twice in his confused face, and then hold the dagger to his throat. Staring at the Morrigan, who is watching the scene like a patron at the theater, I flick my wrist, allowing the spikes to extend on one hand. She doesn’t react to the move but I know she’s impressed.
I press down on his chest, curving my nails like spoon to dig out his betraying heart. Without looking at the queen, I say, “You’re right. I let him catch me to give the others time to get back to the other realm. They’re on a ticket provided by the Shaman back home. I needed them out of here and it was easier to trick them than to kill them.”
“Why?” she asks. The soldiers are inches away. “Why would you do all of this?”
“Because this is about me and you, Your Highness. It always has been, don’t you think?” She doesn’t look convinced. I nod at Anita. “I delivered the Third. Why would I bring her here if I didn’t plan to unite with you?”
The Queen looks down at Bunny, who is frozen under the points of my blades. “What about him?”
“Kill him, hang him from the trees, use him for target practice.” I spit in his face. “But you may want to thank him first.”
“And why, exactly, would I do that?”
I stare down at Bunny, not having to make up an ounce of the anger and venom I feel just looking at his face. Rage rolls across every inch of my body and I make no effort to hide my emotions. “When Bunny betrayed me, I finally understood everything you went through. I felt what it was like for you that day, eons ago when your wrath took hold.”
The Morrigan moves, slinking down the dais to stand before me. Her dress is tight and long, fabric trails behind her like snakes slithering across the carpet.
“Tell me what you felt.”
“He was my mate. He used me. He humiliated me. He…”
“No!” Bunny shouts, his face red. “You favored the others. You never cared about me like you cared for them.”
Quick as a viper I slap him across the cheek, my nails scraping the skin and leaving red, angry welts. I stand and face the Queen.
“The pain from what he did…it’s too much. The anger…is consuming.”
“Even with the love of the others?” she asks. “I know you fornicated with them earlier today. Your pleasure radiates off you, even now.”
“To get them to leave and to build my power.” I glance at Bunny, who hasn’t moved even though I’ve released him. “And to make him jealous.”
She stares at me for a long moment and then jerks her head. “Take her to my quarters. We’ll see if she’s telling the truth.”
The soldiers move quickly, surrounding and unarming me. “What if I’m not?” I ask.
The Morrigan shrugs and waves Anita to join her. “It doesn’t really matter one way or the other. You’re here. You’re unprotected. Your world is crumbling as we speak.” She steps toward me, so close I can see the faintest cracks beneath the surface. A piece of gray hair. The thinnest of wrinkles. She smiles, linking one arm with Anita and one with my own. I fight the urge to recoil at her touch. “This way will be a lot more fun.”