“Of course, you wouldn’t. Simple-minded,” Kylian hacks, disguising the slur as a cough.
Serena looks at him. “Real mature.”
“I just find it coincidental, don’t you?” Kylian muses, relishing the sound of his own voice. “Alright. Let’s recap. We have an old, vengeful god hell-bent on recovering a starmyancestor andherancestormanaged to procure. War ensues, witches die, yada, yada, yada. Flash forward two thousand years, and here we are. And heresheis, doing precisely what my father forbade me to do, and his father before him, and so on and so forth. My mirrors have been cautioning me, but refuse to provide context, and the one thing I know is that they can’t see around the gods. I would say it’s more than likely those dots connect. Are we following?”
The three of us link eyes. Kylian takes our grave silence as confirmation.
“I could be wrong, of course. It could be someothergod looming in the mirrors, seeking the object Ienar was so desperate to wrestle from Arden’s clutches. The same heirloom that, for all intents and purposes, is Serena’s to inherit as the only living Blackblood.”
“Ienar,” Serena whispers. “But that would have to mean he’s alive.”
True fear gleams in my mate’s voice as she backs into me. I band an arm around her waist, pulling her against my chest, the need to protect roaring in my veins.
“It’s impossible.”
“Is there proof? Were there remains?” Kylian questions.
“He couldn’t have survived. Dragon fire kills gods, isn’t that what you said, Zadyn?” She turns toward me, eyes desperate.
I nod, but my stomach feels leaden. “Ienar is dead. Furi made sure of that.”
“No, she didn’t. Because dragon fire doesn’t work on fire walkers.” Kylian sits up, his face grave. “Which is exactly what Ienar was.”
No. No fucking way.
“You mean he got away? He’s alive?” Serena croaks.
“I don’t know what state he’s in, love, but I do know that if he were dead, that star of ours wouldn’t be shining.”
Cold dread sinks into my bones.
Jace drifts closer, his brows knitting together. “If he’s alive, then why hasn’t he come for her? What is he waiting for?”
“I’m flattered you believe me to be omniscient, but as much as I hate to disappoint, I don’t haveallthe answers. Everything I know, you now know as well.”
“Why did you decide to give me Arden’s half of the star?” Serena asks, stepping out of my grasp. “If it was such a risk, why take it out of the vaults at all?”
“I did it so that I could always find you.”
“What?”
“The stars are drawn to each other like magnets. I’ve been tracking you from the moment you went through my mirror.”
“Are you kidding me?! You’ve been following me?”
“Well, technically I had Mal follow you. And you did a number on him in Aeix, you little minx.” He reaches for her, but she bats him away.
“Why didn’t you just take me as soon as I fled?”
He drums his fingers on the bed and shrugs, peering at her from beneath dark lashes. “I relish a challenge.”
“So the wanted signs and the cash reward on our heads were just for shits and giggles?”
“All part of the game, love.”
“You gave her half of that star knowing it would put a target on her back,” Jace confirms, his tone carefully measured.
“She did that herself when she ignored my pleas and joined the two halves. Apart, they are harmless.”
