Sin quirks an eyebrow at me. “I can’t enter Council territory without starting a war between our realms. A war we can’t win.”
There’s no malice in his words, just a directness reminding me that once I’m within the Council’s wards, I’m on my own. I nod, ignoring the way my palms are sweating over the anxiety of what I’m about to do.
No one is coming to save me. I’m the rescue party now.
At my understanding, Sin reaches around his neck and pulls off a necklace I hadn’t noticed before. The black string holds a silver pendant of swirling knotwork, similar to the tattoos on his skin, only there’s a snake tangled within the threads. He holds it out to me, and I hesitate. If I’ve learned anything from going through magical items with Magnus, it’s not to trust jewellery.
“It’s safe,” Sin notes after seeing my reluctance. “It’s been mine for a very long time. Arianna may not believe you’re who you say you are. This should help to convince her.”
“Smart,” I answer, taking it from him.
We join the others once I’ve slipped the necklace over my head. Sin stands at attention, his legs braced and arms crossed behind his back. He looks tense. I mimic him while we wait for Morgana to join the group.
After a moment, Sin glances down at me, notices I’m copying him, and rolls his eyes before turning away.
I bite back a grin. Sure, Sin probably thinks I’m an imbecile, but his shoulders relaxed a bit.
I’m a fantastic partner.
Morgana apparates in front of us, and her words pull me out of my self-satisfaction. “We don’t have much time to figure this out. Damien knows the movements of the guards. They’re going to be preoccupied over the next twenty minutes. It’s the shift rotation, and guards will be giving their reports to their superiors. Vivian, do you need to get to a particular part of the maze to get in? Or is that flexible?”
“I can get in at any point. I’ll just need a few minutes at the edge,” I answer.
Morgana nods, handing me a jar of peanut butter. “I don’t even want to know why you need that. Rosie, where can Vivian get the most cover from the surrounding forest while entering the maze?”
Rosie kneels and starts drawing a rough map into the sand. She points at an area in the far back corner of the maze, where the forest reaches the hedges. “This is a good spot. The forest is right on the edge of the Council’s wards. You can apparate almost directly there.”
Morgana looks back at me. “You know this is a trap, and Leon will be waiting for you. Undoubtedly, he’ll be able to track you using your bond. Your best chance is getting in and out of the maze as quickly as possible. Sinmuststay on the outside of the Council’s wards. If you’re captured, it would be a declaration of war for us to free you from Council territory.”
Her warning only cements what Sin already told me. Once I’m in the Council wards, I’m on my own.
“I’ll be fine. I can do this,” I answer, hoping the confidence I’m pretending to exude is coming through.
Morgana nods.
Damien and Magnus squeeze my non-injured shoulder, wishing me luck, and Rosie hugs me.
I turn to Sin, only to find him already watching me.
He offers his hand. “Ready?”
I nod, placing my hand in his. “Ready.”
With that, we apparate from Morgana’s realm.
The moment my feet touch the ground, it feels as though I’ve been hit by a train. My body pitches forward, and Sin grabs me around the waist, steadying me. Only this time, it isn’t the jolt of apparating into a new realm that’s thrown me off balance.
Leon is here, and the bond knows it.
A searing heat scorches through my brain, and a ringing sounds in my ears, so loud I can hardly see straight. I hunch over, hands on my knees, trying to breathe through the pain while Sin holds me.
I didn’t miss this feeling. Not one bit.
The forest around us is silent as I take deep breaths, trying to get myself under control. The pain isn’t lessening, and more frighteningly, I recognize the familiar fog that is starting to form at the edges of my mind. The same fog that robbed me of my thoughts. Abruptly, I stand, ignoring the way my head swims at the movement.
Sin is watching me warily, and I remember the night I drove away from the forsaken with Leon. Back then, I managed to fight the bond for a while by focusing on my rage. “Don’t be nice to me. Anger is the only thing that helps keep the fog away,” I spit through the pain.
Sin nods, immediately understanding. He releases me and backs up a foot, glaring at me. “Hurry your ass up, and get the job done. Otherwise, you’ll be right back to being their whore. Do you want that? Do you want to be a pretty hole with no free will?”
