She thought I was going to die. Not only that, but after the Demicrogens were done with me, she would’ve been next.
My arms stay trapped beneath her hold, pinned to my sides as I fight myself not to recoil from her touch. “I’m—”
“Fine,” she finishes for me. “That seems to be your answer for everything these days.” Her words come out muffled on a huff as she releases me. There’s something woven into her tone. Annoyance? Frustration? Exhaustion? It could be any of the above, but her face feigns indifference, but I don’t have it in me to care.
Wind beats down on us, kicking up the surrounding dust and debris as Voraxis lands. He rushes over instantly, uncaring that he’s stepping on the remains of the Demicrogens until he reaches me. Nudging his head into my torso—almost knocking me over—I run my hand along the bridge of his nose, letting the wall severing our connection fall. But the moment I do, he pulls back sharply, like I’ve struck him.
My brows pull together.What’s wrong?
His response isn’t instantaneous, like he doesn’t know how to respond.
Nothing.
But his tone isn’t convincing. There’s no elaboration. His strange reaction leaves me puzzled, but we don’t have time to stand here and decipher whatever is going on.
Pulling my attention toward Odeyssa, I ask, “Did they get you at all?”
“No, thank the goddess. But I’m curious how you got rid of the venom.”
“Venom?”
“Venom, poison, however you want to put it. It’s lethal without an antidote,” she explains.
“That’s why I felt like my insides were liquifying?”
“Probably—it does act fast. I just don’t understand how you did it.” That makes two of us.
Shrugging my shoulders, my reply is nonchalant. “I heal all the time, no big deal.”
“Yeah, weallheal from wounds and whatnot, but not from that,” she elaborates, a mixture of amazement but also concern present as the wheels in her head turn. “We—fae,” she clarifies, “have to have something that is incurable, something to wipe us out if need be. Balance and all that.”
It makes sense, in case we, as a species, need to be eradicated from the realm, but why would we need to be? If we weren’t here, the land would just be overrun by whirles, scurriers, dragons, and any other mythical creature I’ve yet to encounter.
“Regardless,” she continues, “they shouldn’t even be here. They’re supposed to be confined to Mortis Regnum.”
“I couldn’t care less why they’re here—not really the biggest concern at the moment.” Not when my blood is still screaming, and my lungs haven’t figured out how to breathe right. Not when thatthingalmost tore me open like paper. Curiosity is a luxury I can’t afford—our survival is still up for debate. “Let’s just find the necklace and get the hell out of here.”
Odeyssa lets out a huff, and I disregard the underlying attitude that comes with it. We still have plenty to discuss after our conversation was so rudely interrupted. Voraxis, on the other hand, stays silent. His distance is a hard pill to swallow, but the reality is, he probably didn’t think I was going to survive either.
TWENTY-THREE
Kallie
Apparently, this part of the realm doesn’t regulate temperature very well. One second, my clothes cling to my sweltering flesh, like it’s trying to mold to me. The next, I’m pulling them tighter around my body, hoping their warmth will fight off the cold front.
“What’s with the weather?” I ask, teeth chattering.
“Part of the appeal. A lifetime of discomfort,” she snips.
I take in a sharp inhale between my teeth. “Okay, so clearly we still have things to work through.”
Odeyssa scoffs, shaking her head like I’m the one with all the audacity. “I guess that’s one way for you to put calling my dad a kidnapping mastermind.”
“I never said he was a mastermind,” I clarify. But all that does is piss her off more.
“You can’t just start throwing around accusations, Kallie—especiallyabout the king.”
“Aking,” I correct. “He’s not the only one.”
