I reach up, my fingers run across my lips. Her kiss lingers there, a ghostly memory. My soul still hums with the connection; that pull I felt when we met in the veil of dreams. It was real. Somehow, through the impossible, we found each other, our souls colliding in that strange place, while our bodies remained distant. I shake my head, trying to grasp the logic, the mechanics of it, but nothing makes sense.
“You’ve been a busy boy,” a voice slithers from the shadows, low and mocking, sending ice through my veins.
I drop my hands to my lap, the movement making the wyvern bones tighten slightly.
“The Master will not be happy about this,” Yumekui singsongs.
She steps into view, a whip coiled in her hand as she saunters closer. Stopping a few feet away, she taps the whip on her chin and stares down at me. A cruel smile tugs at her lips.
“Should I punish you now or wait until the Master has seen you?”
“Do whatever the fuck you want,” I snap.
My magic and fire burn beneath my skin, begging to be free of these bones so I can burn her alive.
“How did you do it?”
I narrow my eyes, and a growl slips from my throat.
“You’ve completely healed. The only way that could happen is if you fed. Who gave you their blood?”
Sensing her frustration, I smirk, but remain silent. As she leans down, her crimson eyes dart between mine, trying to read me.
“Tell me which one of my fucking handmaidens I need to kill,” she hisses, her fingers sliding into my hair and ripping my head back.
The wyvern bones tighten around my neck in protest.
“Fine, have it your way.” She steps back, clicking her fingers.
I watch as the two trolls lumber in, their footsteps echoing against the cave walls. They aren’t like the maidens—they have strange, jagged markings etched into their gray skin. My eyes trace the lines, and a sick realization settles over me.
Slave markings.
Not everyone here serves by choice. I wonder how many others wear their chains on their skin as these trolls do.
Without a word, they unhook the wyvern bones from the wall. My muscles scream in silent protest, stiff and sore from being in the same position for days on end. The trolls grip me roughly, dragging me across the cold stone floor toward the center of the room.
One of them lowers a chain from the ceiling, the cold metal rattling as it unspools. It takes both of them to haul me up, their combined strength lifting my body effortlessly. I feel the strain in my shoulders as they grab the chain between my wrists and loop it over the ceiling's hook, suspending me above the ground. The stretch—painful and tight—also brings a strange sense of relief. After being forced to sit on stone for so long, I need to move. Even like this, it feels like a reprieve, however fleeting.
I know what's coming next.
The trolls retreat to the entrance, their faces emotionless, as if they’ve been conditioned to care about nothing beyond their orders. I try not to think about them.
Yumekui’s touch is featherlight as her fingertip glides down the length of my back, tracing the curve of my spine before curling around my torso. My muscles tense beneath her touch. She comes to a stop in front of me, her eyes gleaming with that twisted mixture of amusement and cruelty she always wears so well.
"Last chance," she whispers, her voice laced with dark promise.
I bare my fangs in response, a guttural growl tearing from my throat. The sound bounces off the cave walls, deep and feral, echoing back to me like a challenge—a warning. My body trembles with pent-up rage, fury simmering just beneath the surface.
Chapter forty-one
Everly
The main sitting room is alive with energy, though not the kind I need. Everyone has joined me under the pretense of helping me practice my magic, but I know they want to keep a close eye on me because of the new moon. Other than Zaria, Scarlett, and Mia, I haven’t told a soul what happened last night.
Taking a deep breath, I try to block out their bickering and let the tension in my shoulders melt away. My eyes close, and I feel the magic swirling around me, warm and vibrant. The noise and distractions fade into the background as I let the energy flow, concentrating on the spell I’ve been struggling with.
When I open my eyes again, a small orb of water hovers in front of me, pulsing softly with light. For the first time all day, the room falls completely silent, everyone’s bickering forgotten as they watch in awe.
