“Great! Now, if we’re all done complaining, we can get down to the actual work.”
I shot Atlas a look, but she ignored me once again. She obviously knew Aurelia was coming but chose to keep it from Cedar and me.
“He’s getting stronger,” Aurelia said, addressing the room. “I don’t know how, but I’m working on it. I have people in the castle reporting his moves, but he rarely leaves. Even so, it’s a notable difference from when he first took over, and even thenhe was able to kill my father without blinking an eye. If we want to act, it needs to be soon.”
“What can we even do?” one of them asked.
“Right. We’re outnumbered. He has more guards at his disposal now that yourhusbandgave him some,” someone spat. “Even if we gathered everyone we have, it still wouldn’t work.”
She let out a low growl. A zap of excitement went up my spine.
I had always loved the feisty version of her, but now that I was a vampire, it was even stronger. Like my feral side was reacting to hers.
“Even half of the original Castle guards would demolish all your clans combined,” she hissed. “We need people, but that’s only one aspect. We are missing power. A power thattheydon’t have. We need…”
Her eyes shot to Cedar.Oh no.I couldn’t help the growl that came from my chest.
“We need witches at our side.”
My eyes shot to our witch. She met Aurelia’s gaze head-on, not flinching. The tension skyrocketed, the two of them locked in an intense battle, neither wanting to be the first to give in.
I tried not to shift as heat curled in my belly. Seeing the two of them go against each other did something to me that I never expected. This was really not the time and place to get turned on, but here we were.
I missed them. I missed us. I wanted to push them both inside a room and f?—
“So you’re here to order us aroundnow?”
Aurelia’s lips quirked.
“Is that how this is reading to you,witch?”
The last word was spoken in a low, deadly tone.
My brat is coming out to play.
Judging from the electricity bouncing between them, I could tell they were both thinking of our time together at Atlas’s castle.
“She’s here to help,” Atlas hissed at Cedar.
I straightened up to my full height and turned to Atlas, giving her a warning glare. One she returned with even more venom.
“I think she’s asking for it instead,” Cedar said and crossed her arms over her chest, a cruel smirk spreading across her face. “Say it again,Princess.”
That smirk looked so unnatural. The witch I’d grown to love had never been cruel.
Is she mad?
My hand found hers, and she faltered just slightly.
“I am,” Aurelia said, not breaking character. “In order to bring him down. We all need to pitch in to do that. The prophecy warned us of this, or did you forget?”
At the mention of the prophecy, Cedar stiffened.
“I remember,” she spat. “But this won’t be easy, and I won’t be putting my—our—lives on the line without something in return. And I have a condition.”
Aurelia smiled. “Name it.”
“Out. Everyone.”
