The metal becomes visible, but as more silver threads twist into it, it unclasps, glowing brightly and elongating. I gape when, only a moment later, a massive scythe settles in my hand. The blade glows a faint silvery blue, and the edge looks deathly sharp.
Awestruck, I run the tip of my finger over it, wincing when the blade easily slices my skin.
The moment I pull back my power, the blade shrinks back into a bracelet, clasping beneath my skin.
I grin. The scythe might not belong to me, but until I find the other Reaper, I’m absolutely taking the Grim Reaper upgrade.
Consider it my delivery fee.
Deciding I’m probably going to be stuck here for the long haul, I try to get comfortable on the stone floor.
I’m not sure how Leon found me as fast as he did, but I have no plans of letting him win our little bet.
Leaning back against the cold wall, I smirk at the spot where my ring finger used to be.
Worth it.
Chapter 21
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule twenty-one:Sleep with your mouth closed.
There’s a note in my dress.
My initial excitement at finding it has faded because I have no idea how it got there.
Yesterday, after waiting what felt like hours in the cave, I swam back to the surface. When Leon didn’t immediately pounce, I figured I might as well look for Irena. I ended up searching the entirety of the old prison and some of the main floor. The sun was starting to come up by the time Leon finally found me.
He’s been in a sour mood ever since.
Apparently, sleep isn’t part of my ‘health and well-being plan,’ since he spent the day parading me around the castle, hyping everyone up for our upcomingnuptials. Even as he smiled at the crowds, there was no mistaking his occasional eye twitch.
He is not okay with losing.
I made sure the wardrobe wasverysecurely pressed against our connecting door when he finally left me in my room for the night. I was just stripping off my dress when the note slipped out of my bodice.
I read the words again, beyond frustrated.
Meet me at the East Wing entrance after midnight.
There’s no signature, and from the number of people I interacted with today, I have no idea who might have slipped it to me.
So, I might have an ally, but I don’t know who they are. More importantly, I have no way to meet them.
My ally may as well be on the freaking moon, because I’mstilllocked in. I even tried awkwardly picking the lock with the tip of my scythe. When that didn’t work, I swung the blade at the door a few times, but all I achieved was making more noise than I usually dared.
Groaning, I fall back onto the bed. I only have two nights until the wedding, and I’ve made exactly zero progress on finding a way out of this. I don’t know where Irena is, and Leon will expect me to form a mate bond with him either tomorrow or the morning of the wedding.
No matter how many smaller problems I try to break this into, I keep meeting wall after wall.
Panic tightens around my neck like a noose, and I desperately try to latch onto something I can control.
I find nothing.
This has always been about removing my control, whether through manipulation, destiny, corrupted bonds, or leashes. There are forces so much stronger and older than me who are behind this. They’ve had millennia to become proficient at controlling others. How deluded was I to think I had a chance?
I keep trying to force the impossibility of the situation out of my mind, to focus on my next step, but I can’t find a way out of this.
