I’m stunned, even though I already know Lilanthara is a cold-hearted bitch. “You want to kill your own mother?”
“Matricide is perfectly natural within the monarchy,” she notes, and I swear I hear twinkling bells when she says it. “Why else did you think my mother would bind herself to me as my Keeper? It was to ensureI wouldn’t be able to do it.” Her tone turns patronizing as she continues, “Honestly, Vivian, don’t be so naïve, it’s a bad look for you.”
“What about Rosie?” I challenge, easily spotting the hole in her explanation.
Lilanthara’s expression darkens into a look I’ve never seen from her before. It isn’t cruel or cold – it’s murderous. “My twin is weak, and she’s always lacked ambition. Mother knew that if Rosenthal was focusedon that disease of a Destroyer, she’d stay out of her hair. Now,” she snaps, “stop wasting my time.”
I’m not sold on her rationale, but I figure there’s no point in lying. “You can only remove the Keeper bond in death,” I answer simply.
Again, she rolls her eyes. “Stop being a dimwit. I heard Leon and Need discussing how much weaker you’ve been since your mate bond was broken. Mate bonds are even stronger than Keeper bonds. So how did you do it?”
“And if I tell you? We’ll have a truce?” I ask cautiously, even though I don’t think Lilanthara should be anywhere near a throne. She might even be even worse than her mother, and that’s saying something.
“We have a truce when I have a crown,” she clarifies, not quite masking her anticipation.
“Fine. If I tell you, you’ll let us go. Me, Sin, and the girl who came here with us.” I might not know the other girl, but I can’t just leave her.
“Of course,” she agrees easily. “I’ll even strike a fae bargain with you. They’re unbreakable. You tell me the truth, and I’ll let you go.”
“Kitten–” Sin starts, but his voice becomes muffled as masses of roses appear in his mouth, gagging him.
I scream, falling to my knees to help him, but for every flower I pull, more appear.
Lilanthara sighs, clearly annoyed. “He’s fine, but his voice is annoying. Do we have a bargain?” She demands.
My gaze travels from Sin, who is still choking on petals, to the redhead, who I belatedlyrealize is also gagging on flowers. Finally, I turn back to Lilanthara and quickly nod.
“You need to agree out loud,” she snaps.
“Yes. Fine! I agree,” I bite back, just wanting Sin to be okay.
“Wonderful! Now, tell me,” Lilanthara eagerly demands.
Quickly, I explain how Leon used his Destroyer powers to burn away every trace of Sin’s soul from mine. I even warn her about how it shattered my soul and how it will eventually kill me.
“Good. Have your Destroyer remove my bond. Now,” she orders, evidently not worried about my warning.
Shaking my head, I try to pull on Magnus’ diplomacy skills. “No. Release us. We’ll discuss a truce on neutral ground, and then we’ll let you know ifand when we want to help you.”
Lilanthara laughs, the twinkling sound echoing around us. “No, I don’t think I will.”
“But you said… the bargain–” I sputter.
“How stupid can you be? Even the Mortal Realm has stories about striking bargains with the fae. I’ll let you go. It could be tomorrow. It could be in a century. It could be in one piece or thousands. Really, next time, do try and think of the fine print,” she chides before there’s the slightest flash of pink light.
There’s a wet retching sound, and I whirl around, only to find thorny vines climbing out of Sin’s throat, choking him. They’re glowing with the same pink light, and blood streams from his lips, as the vines slice him open from the inside out.
Screaming, I instinctively draw on my Creator power to try and heal him. But the golden energy only gets sucked into the floor. More vines erupt, this time from the floor. I have just enough time to face her again before thorns dig into my legs.
“Look at you trying to use your big girl power and play warrior. Is this how you took Need’s castle? How disappointing. You really should have stayed in the Mortal Realm. You aren’t built for my world. But you’re here now, so I guess we’ll just wait and see how quickly you break.” Her tone is dismissive, and she holds up a hand to examine her cuticles.
I don’t hesitate.
I whip my dagger across the room.
Amused, Lilanthara easily throws up a shield.
It does nothing to break my focus. Strengthened by our location, I pull on my Reaper power. Only it doesn’t manifest around my arms. Instead, the silvery threads wind around my blade. It pierces the shield with ease before finding its mark deep within her gut.
