We don’t waste any time, not when there isn’t time to be wasted. He grabs one of the vault doors and pulls. I grab the other, launching it open, and dust floods out, making me cough. The staircase down is a long winding one, but fire lanterns are hidden in alcoves in the walls, making it bright. We head down holding hands, going slowly until we come out to a dungeon room with another vault door right in the center, but we’re not alone. The doors we just opened slam shut behind us, clicking with a lock, and it’s not my magic doing that.
We just walked straight into a trap. Kane moves slightly in front of me. “Now, now, now. I’m pretty sure Juniper can stand up for herself with all the memories she’s got back. This is a family affair, and we can end this as quickly as it began. How did you break the lock? How did you break through all of the magic? I told my son you wouldn’t have been able to break it, but I am surprised now.”
“You are wrong about many things, Fasrah,” I answer. Lock and Wini stand at her side. Wini is shaking from head to toe, but she keeps her chin held high. I go to whisper a spell and pause, panic flooding me as I realize my powers aren’t working.
Lock laughs. “Oh, my dear fiancée, you didn’t think that ring was just a tracker, did you? It was far more than that. I’ve been listening in through it for the last week. That was clever, when you were surrounded by loud music, but I heard enough. Your secret meetings with your bonded were very interesting.” He looks me up and down, assessing. “I can make you powerless. You won’t be using your powers for a while, unless your dragonintends to burn you to a crisp along with all of us. It looks like you’re powerless down here.”
He steps forward and holds out his hand. “I asked my mother not to tell anyone and to come here with me. We can fix this and still have our wedding. You are soon to be family, and this embarrassing stunt can be forgotten. Our lives don’t have to be stolen from us because you made a bad choice, Juniper.” In other words, she can’t let the rest of the Umbral Authority know that her plan didn’t work and she doesn’t have control over me. Her pride is her downfall.
Forgotten. Stolen. I laugh, and his hand drops. Kane shares a look with me before I face them. “No more time is going to be stolen. I hate you, Lock. In fact, it’s worse than hate; you disgust me. I hexed you to be in pain every time you went near me. I’ve never been interested in you, and I never will be. Whatever happens here, I will never be your bride.”
“She is ours.” Kane growls low. “And you are dead, Lock. I have planned out your very painful and drawn out death with my brothers. We will enjoy it far more than our mate has ever enjoyed any of her…timewith you.”
Lock takes another step back, and he pales. I roll my eyes at him and turn to the real problem—his mother. “Looks like you don’t have as much control over me as you thought. I’ve remembered this year. Your stolen tarot cards didn’t work, and you made a mistake. You love your son; everyone can see it, and your family pride is more important to you than anything else. I knew Lock would ask you to come alone so no one would know how the Venus family failed.”
“We did not fail!” she shouts. “It was already decided that the cards will not be used this time to erase your memories and restart the year. The Umbral Authority has come to the conclusion that your love for your bonded is a force that not even the goddess’s magic could alter. I think we’ve gone past the pointof caring about the prophecy. Your power is too much not to use, so you will be Lock’s wife, locked up until you produce enough heirs and then die. You’re of no use to us outside of that. As for the dragons, it’s about time they went extinct, don’t you think? Maybe if I kill enough of them, your mind will break so you don’t care what your body is used for.”
Lock stills, and he looks at his mother in shock. Clearly, he wasn’t in on the plan. I turn to Kane and nod once. I share a look with Wini, and she jumps out of the way just as Kane explodes with fire. The fire bursts around the room in angry red and blue flames, the heat making it hard to breathe. Lock screams in pain, and his mother quickly casts a spell to try to protect them, but they’re not fast enough. The two of them slam into the wall, flames taking hold of their cloaks and bodies. Their screams are earsplitting, mostly Lock’s. The spell protects them from death, but Lock’s hair is completely burned off as is the side of his face as he screams. His mother is burned all down the side of her arm, leg and chest. Her hair is on fire as she pats it out and reaches for her son.
Kane pulls the fire away as Wini gets to me, taking my hand. Fasrah looks up, her eyes flickering between Wini and me. We are untouched; our protection spell has been in place for hours. “I figured out what the ring was doing days ago and how to get it off. I didn’t wear it at all times. Your daughter did.” I wore it only to weave a plan they would listen in on, ensuring they came here. At any other time, I made sure loud music was playing. I suspected he could take my magic, but it doesn’t matter. The ring is spelled to a bloodline, and it will be easy to take off in a second.
“Winifred! How dare you betray your family for her? You know who she is? She’s the daughter of the enchantress, and she will ruin our world. I fought for this world and did everything togive my family a good life!” Fasrah screeches. Lock has passed out from the burns or from the pain—who cares?
Wini doesn’t miss a beat, turning on her mother. “Unlike you, Juniper told me everything weeks ago. You kidnapped her as a baby and made her life a misery with Melody. You know exactly what your sister is like. You did the same when you beat me for disagreeing with you. What did you think was going to come of it? Family loyalty? No, that was never going to happen. Juniper is my friend. She is loyal and kind, and she never forces me to be someone I’m not. I want the shifters free. I don’t want them used like slaves, and Juniper is fighting for them. I am fighting for them too. This war with the enchantress does need to end, but I don’t think your plan to end it is working, Mother. Maybe the enchantress just wants her child back!”
Fasrah rises to her feet. She is shaky, but she keeps herself upright. “Fine, join the betrayer of her own race. She will fall, and you will go down right alongside her. Just like Rue did.”
“What did you say?” My voice breaks. “Where is Rue?”
Her response makes my knees weak. Lock is waking up—not so handsome now with his burnt face and lack of hair—and he is glaring at Wini. She doesn’t see him, or she doesn’t care. I focus on Fasrah and her words crush me. “Rue has never had her memories changed, and she rebelled because she learned the truth about you and wanted the shifter beasts to be treated better. She ended up the same way all rebels do—dead.”
Kane holds me to him as a cry rips out of my throat. Rue never stood a chance. They killed her! Wini steps in front of me with tears in her eyes and pulls the ring off my finger. It drops to the floor between us. “My family needs to be stopped, and only you can do this. Do it for Rue, for every witch like me who loves their bonded and wants them to have a better life. Juni—” Her eyes widen and we both look down. There is a dagger pressed straight through her stomach, and she coughs blood beforefalling to her knees. I catch her with Kane, both of us laying her down on the stone.
Lock is leaning on the wall, a smirk on his face. “That’s the last time you betray a Mercury, little sister.”
No, no. This can’t be happening. Wini has already passed out, and blood is pouring between us as Kane rises to his feet. She can’t die. Kane punches Lock hard, sending him slamming across the floor and falling unconscious before turning on Fasrah. “Any last words?”
“Look what you’ve done to my family,” Fasrah screams, backing away from Kane. “I should have brought the whole army with me. They will come now, and you have no idea what you have done! I thought we could handle this as a family. But no, I will drag you back myself and we will?—”
“You won’t be dragging me back anywhere,” I cut her off, my voice shaking. “And as for the tarot cards, where are they?”
She pats her cloak, looking for them. I laugh.Wini, wake up. See this. Please don’t die.I clear my throat as Kane follows Fasrah, who limps away and towards the doors. “They aren’t there,” I tell her. “Wini helped me break into your office, which is spelled to your blood too. A cocky mistake on your part, assuming your family is on your side. The tarot cards are firmly in my pocket right now.”
I pull out the gold box, and Fasrah pales. I haven’t dared to open the box and use the cards. Vale has had no luck fixing the pocket watch, and every time he puts the two together, it shatters and remakes itself. “You should really be careful where you keep these. I didn’t think you were arrogant enough to leave them in your office. But then, I know your son, and he had to get his arrogance from somewhere. I should have completely stripped you of all your memories.”
She backs away a step. Shakily, I stand up, knowing Wini would want me to end this. She is still alive, and I can get her ahealer. “But instead, I’m going to leave you to my mate while I go and take care of Bloodstone Academy. Either way, you’re dying tonight.”
We all turn and hear it, the patter of steps and the screech of the Mindless. They broke out of the spell. We are out of time. Kane looks at me, his eyes full of desperation. I don’t want to leave him to fight the Mindless and protect Wini on his own. “GO!” he shouts.
I lean down, touching Wini’s cheek for a second and willing her to live before I rush to the vault door and yank it open. I climb inside, tears pouring down my cheeks as the door slams shut behind me.
The minute I’m in the darkness under the academy, once the smell of damp and rock hits me, I fall to my knees and scream.
A voice speaks to me. It’s ancient and feminine, and it radiates in the air. “For a long time I have sat, unrested and unfed. Come to me, one of the blood of gold and wildness. I wish to taste you.”
Chapter 19
MAZIKEEN
