My eyes stung, staring at the large buckets of blood. We were halfway to my slaughter.
“Will you leave me too?”
“Yes.”
My chest ached. “Why? Are you scared to watch me die, Aspen?”
His forehead wrinkled before smoothing out.
“Are you scared to watch Lilith murder me like she did to Nalini and your mom?”
Aspen lurched to a stop, yards from Lilith and her sacrificial slab. His grip on me tightened. “Who?”
“Miri—”
I screamed as a cloud of red smoke swarmed me, searing like acid. It scalded my face, ate through my uniform, and left my limbs bare.
“Now, now, let’s not go around telling lies. I’m glad the king’s sigil worked for you and you made it here, but I’ll make this more painful for you if you say another word,” Lilith threatened.
My Infernus raged in my ear, and I pulled at it. Purple flames burst free, attacking Lilith’s acid cloud and pushing the substance back.
She laughed. “There’s that beautiful power I need.”
I ignored her, searching Aspen’s face and weighing my options. Time wasn’t on my side. I could spend my last few seconds of freedom attempting to convince Aspen that Lilith murdered Nalini and his mother, resisting Lilith’s attacks as I did, hoping it could help him. Or I could make a plan to steal Lilith’s feather, which would save Aspen and never allow him to be runed again. I’d just need to get close to rip it from her chest, and I’d only get one shot.
“What? You’re not strong enough?” I taunted, turning to face her.
Aspen stopped next to the slab, holding me over the blood-stained stone. The smell of copper and rot made my fingers itch toreach for a dagger. Instead, I let Hell’s melodies flood my senses, each chord a spark, each itch along my skin a promise of violence.
Lilith bared her perfect teeth in a smile. “Very few are stronger than me. Our handsome prince isn’t even on that list.” She wiggled a patronizing finger near his chin. He didn’t react, but I had half a mind to bite it off for him. “I mean, look what I’ve created.” She gestured toward us, gloating. “Just one drink of our magnificent blood and it birthed my first experiments.”
Ourblood? Didn’t she meanherblood?
“I thought your first experiment was your demons.” I didn’t care either way. But she seemed like someone who enjoyed hearing herself speak, and I needed her distracted.
If I let Aspen set me down, I could reach the feather. The slab didn’t have any chains to prevent me from moving.
“You and Aspen were experiments of a different kind. A pet project to snub the sanctimonious bastards for twisting the demands I required. But I suppose that’s what I get. Dream-walking is finicky.”
“So you were the one to give me that power.”
Lilith examined her manicured nails. “An unfortunate accident. But no worries, I’ll remedy that mistake and take back all I’ve given you and more.” She waved toward the slab. “Darling, I need to start the ritual. Set her down.”
I squirmed in Aspen’s hold, fighting just enough to convince her I wanted to escape. And I did—just not yet. My Infernus sang in my ears, ready and waiting.
Aspen forced me onto the stone slab, and I pulled at two melodies—glaciation and suffocation. In my head, my plan worked seamlessly. I’d suffocate her and slam an icicle into her stomach,forcing her to bend over where I could snatch the feather and roll off the slab. But there were obstacles I didn’t account for.
My icicles formed a second before I could pull on the purple cloud of her breath. She noticed at the same time Aspen did.
“Attrahere.” The tattoo on her chest flashed bright red, and my body slammed back into the stone. Not a second later, a wall of blue flame erupted between me and Lilith.
I tried to lurch up, to squirm, but each pull stretched my skin painfully, threatening to tear it from my muscles.
Lilith sighed. “I’m a blood-witch. I specialize in spells that relate to my namesake. Currently, the blood inside your body is magnetized to the dried blood on the slab that we gathered from Michael’s torture. My death is the only way you escape.”
Fuck.
Aspen plucked the icicle from my hand. It hissed, melting in his flames. Then he extinguished Lilith’s protective barrier.
