Adla readjusted the sleeve of their tailored black jacket. “Handled. Garrison will be removed. We can even allow the young Blatz to do it as was intended. The magic will slowly return with Garrison’s death as the deal will be broken. Better for it to return naturally than to flood the little mortals.”
Skiel fixed her with a hard look. “We don’t tolerate our gods shirking their duties or divine roles. Aidan will be removed one way or another. The question is, what do you want, Elysia Parker? How doyouwant to spend eternity?”
She showed nothing, forcing her breath to rise and fall even as her thoughts and emotions warred. Manipulation or not, even the gods feared the fates. Cool and clinical, she reviewed every point against Aidan. With every point, her body remembered his touch, his steadfast care and attention. But self-preservation’s only job was to keep her alive, and she’d spent a lifetime fostering that instinct. She had been fooling herself to think she could have it all. She’d decided to be abetter person. A person she could be proud of, who looked beyond simply surviving, but what did that mean? A hollow knowing settled like a rock in her chest.Good peoplemade sacrifices. They didn’t choose a man over the world. His love, touch, friendship—she shouldn’t have let them even graze her skin. It was a fitting punishment. She’d had a taste of hope, love, and what a life worth having could look like, and now she had to give it up. She could do the right thing though, save herkingdom, and the realms.They’d said they would remove him either way.
Elysia considered the fates, and with a sense of foregone resignation slipped back into an older version of herself. One who had made hard decisions in the name of staying alive. Her words were cold.
“I’ll do it.”
Chapter 35
Elysia hurriedalong the cobblestone streets. She was a void, a vacuum, and she needed to see the one person who would always tell her to save herself. She needed to see a Parker.
Sooty muck kicked up with every step, hitting the back of her trousers. Early spring was such a disgusting time of year. The snow, the rain, the soot—nothing escaped the decay. Eyes fixed on the poison green door of the House, she walked even faster, shoulder checking strangers and not giving a damn that she was wanted dead or alive by the Crown.
Pounding on the door, she stepped back half a step, impatient and ready to bust her way in. An unfamiliar face opened the door, and Elysia shoved inside.
“Where’s Beatriz?” She’d decided it wasn’t safe to travel immediately to her sister. Not with her sister’s new ventures.
The woman who’d answered the door pulled her plush robe closer. “She’s with the Doorman. They left about an hour ago.”
“And where did they go?” Elysia bit off the words like the woman was stupid.
“Why in the realms should I tell you?”
The sharp end of Elysia’s dagger went to the woman’s throat. “Because I have this. Now where are they?”
“You’re her sister, aren’t you? The one with the massive bounty?”
“And you’re the one who’ll be dead if you don’t answer my question.”
Blood dribbled down the blade, and the woman flinched.
“They’re at the Nightshade Market. Down in the tunnels.”
Elysia was gone in an instant, traveling away.
Plodding down the time-worn steps, she wrinkled her nose immediately. Still smelled like rat shit. Hustling through the tunnels, she let the scraps of her magic loose. A slinky tune drew her in, and she shook her head. Fucking Beatriz. Holding a godsdamn underground market,literally underground. Not only underground, but beneath the fucking castle. She hated how much she loved it.
Skidding around a corner, she came to a stop, her mind going blank in disbelief. Sensual and mysterious, the market glowed with lanterns. Delicious scents drifted in the air, and small wooden booths lined one side of the tunnel while market goers glided past, sampling and examining the goods. Everyone wore veils or masks with dark cloaks hiding their bodies.
In the distance, a silver head bobbed above the others, her long thin fingers pointing and directing newcomers into the Nightshade Market’s throng. Tempted as she was to take a look at the booths herself, she kept her gaze on her sister as she went against the crowd’s current.
She tapped two fingers on her sister’s shoulder, grinning darkly when Beatriz let out an unholy shriek at the sight of her.
“I needed a sisterly chat.”
Nails digging into her arm, Beatriz dragged her away from the market into the familiar dark of the tunnels.
“What are you doing here?” she spat through tight lips. “You can’t be here. We’ve talked about this.”
Alone, Elysia leaned against the crumbly wall of the tunnel. “If you had to choose between your life or Lily's, what would itbe?” She played with her dagger as she stared unflinchingly at her older sister. “Love or survival?”
Beatriz drew back. “What’s this about?”
“Just answer the question, for fuck’s sake.”
Beatriz looked at her in bewilderment, running silver-ringed fingers through her matching hair. Uncharacteristic vulnerability washed over the harsh lines of her face as she looked up out of gray eyes. “I’d choose Lily. She’s a better person a thousand times over than me, and I wouldn’t want to be without her.”
