Oak, to his credit, managed to hold himself back. But I knew my brother, and I knew his control would only last for so long if he was continuously goaded in this way.
The goading was getting to me, too. Every word he said about Marigold, every vile, lecherous implication that dripped from his lips, made my skin bristle.
“Even if we knew where she was,” I said, “What possible motivation would we have for handing her over to you?”
“She must be a delicious little morsel, if she’s got all three of you so eager to protect her,” Mordren remarked, and I could practically hear his tongue sliding across his lips. “Tell me, do the three of you take turns or do you share her all at once?”
“Did you come here to spew drivel?” I said quickly, drowning out Oak’s snarl. “Because if you’re just going to keep wasting our time, we have no reason to keep you alive.”
“She’s a sorceress,” Mordren snapped, his eyes flashing. “I’m here because she’sours.”
“Yours?” I continued to keep my tone light but deadly. But the truth was I was this close to sayingfuck itand sending my dagger right through his bottom jaw. “Last we heard the Circle was broken.”
“The politics of the Circle are hardly your business.”
“You’ve made them our business!” Oak roared, his self-control finally snapping. He charged forward, sword arcing through the air as he leaped…
And it was only years of instinct that allowed him to twist out of the way of a focused bolt of power straight from Mordren’s hand.
Oak landed in a crouch, his sword still in hand and his eyes wild. Had he been able to transform, he would have already had his jaws around Mordren’s throat. Instead, he remained where he was, his muscles visibly shaking with the effort of holding himself back.
“Keep your beast on a leash,” Mordren barked. His yellow-green eyes darted back to me before he said, “Would you accept a trade for her?”
“Absolutely not!” Oak bellowed, and I could tell he was getting ready to spring again.
Several feet away, Alastor still hadn’t moved a muscle, but I knew that look in his eyes. He was burning with white-hot fury beneath his skin.
And while I shared my brothers’ sentiments, I wanted to see if Mordren would put his cards on the table.
Carve out the poison
I leaned against the trunk of the tree again. “What are you offering?”
He paused a single beat, and I could feel his smile widen in the dark.
“Your power. Returned to you.”
I went very still.
Sever each piece
Mordren’s yellow-green gaze shifted to my brothers, who’d gone just as rigid as I had. We hadn’t spoken of it, but I knew they felt it, too—the gnawing hunger where our powers had been. The tendrils of madness trying to fill the nothingness.
We’d been gods, and which one of us wouldn’t give anything and everything to have that again?
Suck out the bones
“This goes forwhicheverone of you brings her to me,” Mordren continued. “But my offer is good for one brother and one brother only. Bring me your sweet little plaything, and I will restore that which has been taken from you.” Again, I felt that smile in the dark.
It was a trick. Of course it was a trick. And yet…I didn’t believe him to be lying.
And then we will feast
I could be whole again. But at an unspeakable cost.
Because Marigold was an innocent. In too many ways. Even if Mordren didn’t plan to kill her, he would…destroy her. In every cruel, twisted way a powerful madman could break a naïve, delicate woman.
And he made no attempt to hide it, either, as he said, “I promise I’ll take good care of our precious girl—assuming you’re willing to share her with one more.”
