Groaning, I ran my hand down my face. “Can’t you ask someone else? I’m sure Umbros will do as you ask.”
“It must be you. I only trustyouwith this.”
I let out a sharp breath, my fingers drumming against my leg. For Morg to be begging like this, there had to be something more to this female—my unfortunate mate.
“Please,” Morg let out, her voice softer.
Fuck.
“Fine,” I growled, my lips curling into a snarl. “But this is the last time I’ll go to Nemos for you, understood?”
A soft smile rose on Morg’s lips as she left her throne to walk toward me, only stopping when we stood inches apart. Her head tilted up to look at me, her eyes glistening with gratitude. With a gentle hand, she grazed the side of my face, brushing a strand of hair away. “Thank you, Soren,” she murmured.
Grabbing her hand, I pulled it away from me, scowling. “The. Last. Time.” I swore, stepping back into the shadows, her soft laugh following me all the way to Nemos.
Standing in front of those iron bars, my lips dipped in a frown. The sharp, metallic smell of blood-filled air caused my hackles to rise. Stepping closer to the bars, I found Cassia sitting in her chaise, leaning back with her hands pressed against her stomach. Crimson soaked through her dress, running down the length of her skirt, pooling onto the floor. The amount of blood on the floor was alarming, and the fact that more was running between her fingers was unnerving. Panting, Cassia met my gaze, her skin a sickly pale.
“Back so soon?” Cassia croaked, a poor attempt at making a joke.
My eyes hardened, dipping back down to the wound she was still covering. “Seems like I missed out on a lot since I last saw you.” Stepping into the bars, my magic pulled them away,allowing me to step through until I stood above her, looking down. “Anything you want to tell me?”
Cassia let out a weak laugh. “I kept something from him,” she breathed out.
“The advisor?” I asked, my voice darkening. The last time I was here, he threatened her life if he found out she was hiding information from him. Something told me I should have killed him after he spoke those words, even if it was just to save me from another trip to this godsforsaken place.
“You can’t kill him,” Cassia sighed, wincing when she moved to sit up. “You’re not the one who has to do it, and it’s not time yet.”
Crouching down, I stared up at her with narrowed eyes, my head tilting to the side. If she didn’t want me to kill him, it must mean that his fate lies in another’s hands. “The girl. Who is she?”
“Someone the realms will need.” Cassia groaned, shifting to make herself more comfortable.
“Cut your fate obscurity bullshit, Cassia. That’s not a fucking answer. I will only ask this one more time. Who is she?”
Cassia sighed, her lips pursing. “She’s one of the three.”
“One of the three? Three of what?” I demanded, my patience steadily growing thin.
“That’s all I can say,” she trembled, though it wasn’t from fear of me or her injury.
I looked down at the wound again, the blood quickly spreading. She was losing too much, too fast. I reached toward her, readying to use my magic to stitch up the skin. I couldn’t heal the wound, but I could put a stop to the bleeding. However, before I could touch her, Cassia’s hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me.
“It can’t be you,” she whispered with a sad look in her eyes. “It can only get worse for change to happen.”
“I don’t know what that means,” I growled. “But if you don’t want my help, then I won’t force it. Just tell me this, willthiskill you?” Anguish rippled across her face, giving me a pained stare, though she refused to answer. “Godsdamnit.”
Jerking my hand from her wrist, I placed an arm under her knees and the other one behind her back, picking her up off the chaise. She whimpered, the movement jostling her wound. Ignoring her soft, pained cries, I moved her to the bed, laying her down gently. Pulling the charm out of my pocket, I let it hang in front of her.
“This crystal came from this realm. It won’t be enough to fuel your magic completely, but it will be enough to slow down your death.”
Cassia’s eyes widened, her hand slowly reaching for the golden charm. Just before her fingers touched the ornament, I pulled it out of her reach. “This is the last fucking time I am giving you something of mine, understood?”
Cassia let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob, and I lowered the charm back down, placing it into the palm of her hand. Closing her eyes, she let her hand fall against her chest, soaking in what little power she could from the stone.
Steps sounded from the hallway, and I took a step back, readying to return to Dubnos, when Cassia’s hand grabbed hold of my arm. I eyed where her skin touched mine, forcing my body to remain still.
“Cassia,” a deep voice rasped from the entrance of the cell.
Twisting, I took in the soul-meander, watching him closely as he took out a key, opening the door to the cell. I looked back at Cassia, a growl rumbling in my chest. “You’ve had a way out this entire time? Why the fuck are you still here?”
