I gritted my teeth, trying to redirect more of my magic toward keeping the darkness contained. This volcano would not be where I died. I would see Lana again. See her rose-gold hair shimmer in the morning’s light, feel it twisted through my fingers, with her neck exposed to my lips.
I could barely contain the moan as I thought about Lana and the last time I claimed her as mine. I would survive this and get back to her and enjoy every second at her side. Even if it was only for a short amount of time.
“What are you complaining about now?” Thames asked, rising and sauntering toward me. “I thought I told you to keep quiet if you wanted a quick and painless death. Not that I think you deserve it, considering your betrayal.”
I huffed out a dry laugh. “I was just thinking about Lana and how you underestimate her at every turn.” A sly smile graced my lips as I struggled to lift my head to face Thames. “She will come for you.”
Thames cackled and sent a torrent of air across my body, forcing me even farther back against the wall. My skin pressed into the sharp rocks, gouging me and creating more wounds while opening the dried ones up again. “I’m counting on it.”
He turned his back to me, making his way to his chair, but stopped suddenly mid-stride. Thames clutched his chest as he drew in a sharp breath. “Cassandra?” he whispered.
Confused, I listened closer, and after a few moments I heard a faint voice in the distance. Or was it in my mind? I couldn’t tell.
“Thames, come to me,” Cassandra crooned. “Come to me so we may speak. It has been a thousand years, my mate.”
The initial shock left Thames’s face, and instead, it contorted to unadulterated fury. He screamed, unleashing his whip toward a dark one teetering on the volcano’s edge, killing him instantly as he fell to the molten lava.
“How fucking dare she ask me to meet her after all this time,” he spit. “She. Betrayed. Me.” His shout was so loud, the volcano tremored under the force of his rage. He paced around the room, speaking to himself. “I hate that woman. I hate her so fucking much for what she did to me. She imprisoned me for a thousand years. I could have given her the world. I could have given hereverything. And how does she repay me? A life in the void.”
Thames was unhinged on a good day, but in mere moments, he spiraled in a way I didn’t anticipate. He growled, still holding a hand to his chest.
He clawed at the same spot I felt Lana. It dawned on me the pain he must be in, and I couldn’t help but smile. Being away from Lana was torment, but knowing he’d been trapped without his mate for a thousand years, on top of the betrayal, tasted like sweet justice.
Thames grabbed his glass, throwing it against the wall in a rage. The splintered pieces pierced my skin, now sensitive with so many wounds.
“Thames—” I started, unsure of how to use this to my advantage but willing to try anything.
Thames didn’t pay the slightest attention to me. He continued on his tirade as he paced around the room, tugging at his hair, rubbing at his chest. He looked deranged.
“I want to hate her. I should hate her.” He ran his hands through his hair. “But resisting the bond is futile. Ever since I’ve been released back into this world, I’ve been dying to be near her to satisfy this ridiculous pull.”
I tugged at my bindings, wondering if I could maneuver while he remained distracted. I still didn’t have all my strength back, but whatever Thames had poisoned me with was finally beginning to wear off and I could feel my shadows strengthening.
“Please, Thames,” Cassandra begged once more. “I was wrong. Let’s finish this together.”
Thames whipped his head to me. “Do you hear her? Can you hear that bitch’s voice calling to me?”
“Yes.” I didn’t need to say anything else. Just a simple confirmation of the voice I heard. I wasn’t sure what Lana and the others had planned, but I hoped it was good. It had to be for this to work in our favor.
Thames yelled and a grin stretched across his face. “She’s seen my power and knows the only way to survive is by my side.” He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling and laughed. “Oh, you’ll be punished, my burdensome mate.” He winced again, this time practically ripping at his robes, like something crawled over him. “I’m coming, Cassie. I’m coming. But you won’t be ready for what I have in store for your betrayal.”
Thames ran out of the cavern like a man possessed, leaving me alone in the room.
Anxious to take advantage of the moment, I strained, calling my shadows to free me from these chains. A few weak streams of shadows appeared at my feet, but not enough to pick the locks.
They were hesitant to fully pull away from the darkness.
Understanding their reluctance, I continued looking around at the chains, at the walls, thinking of what I could do to escape.
With nothing standing out immediately, I rested my head against the rock. I focused instead on conserving my energy, biding my time for a few moments as more of my powers returned me to full strength.
Determination settled into my bones, and where ten minutes ago I thought death would be my only friend, I had now remembered who I was and what I had to live for. Iwouldsee Lana, Jax, Storm, Raya, and even fucking Ian again.
Lifting my head up, I hung there, ready, memorizing every detail of this cavern as I etched it into my brain.
A soft crackle of energy pulsed next to me, and Lucien appeared on the floor out of nowhere, trotting confidently into the room through some strange black glittering substance.
I laughed, seeing him of all things. “What the hell are you doing here, little pugron?”
