A sense of calm washes over me, even as they talk about devouring my soul, like it’s some kind of delicacy. They can have it.
“We acce–” Atropos starts, but is interrupted when Clotho bursts from her seat and shoves over the cauldron.
Blue light explodes from the spill as hundreds of souls stream out. Desperate to escape, they burst through the windows, walls, and doors. Atropos and Lachesis wail, their screams filling the air as they claw at the fleeing spirits.
The doors behind me open, but Ragna and Damien’s voices are drowned out by the chaos.
In the same moment, small fingers wrap around my shirt. With inhuman strength, Clotho yanks me down, bringing my face level to hers.
“Are you completely mad? Leave this place at once!” She hisses in an urgent whisper.
“No. Not without gaining her freedom,” I grit out, even as my soul screams to escape.
Clotho’s onyx eyes bore into me. The ancient creature, capable of ending my life with a single wordto her sisters, looks at me as if I were nothing but a speck of dust in her path.
I don’t move.
“You are going to ruin everything. Your mate doesnotneed your help,” she spits.
I narrow my eyes. “They’re controlling her will, there’s a–”
“She is a Reaper.Nothingcan hold her,” Clotho snaps, before shoving me out of the room. “Do not return. When my sisters find their freedom, they will hunt you down. You have tempted Fate, and they will not be slighted. They will not stop until they have consumed your soul, whether they’ve helped you or not,” she warns, before slamming the doors shut.
Chapter 27
Vivian’s Point of View
Rule twenty-seven:While public displays of affection may not save you from your impending doom, it’s certainly worth a shot.
“Fellow members of the Council and leaders of the realms, it is my pleasure to announce the arrival of our precious Creator,” Need announces from the top of the grand staircase.
The ceremony is being held in the same hall where Leon announced our betrothal. The wide steps make for the perfect grand entrance, and all eyes turn to where I stand on the top step. A hushed silence falls over the crowd.
“Vivian will be removing her cloak and joining her fated mate for their first dance,” Need says with a forced smile, and the order comes through the leash.
A servant appears behind me to take my cloak. My pulse races, terrified she’ll notice that the cloak isn’t poofy like the dress they chose for me.
Not wanting to give her the chance, I untie a silk ribbon, letting the covering slip off my shoulders as I start down the steps. By the time Need realizes what I’ve done, I’m already halfway down the stairs.
Scandalized whispers and indrawn breaths fill the room, but I don’t stop.
Leon is waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, his face contorted in rage. I barely spare him a glance.
I’m not here for him.
The room is filled with guests, but my eyes find him instantly. Even without the mate bond, I could find him anywhere. Sin is standing at the back of the room, dressed all in black. He stares at me with a look of utter wonder as I make my way over to him.
People part, creating a wide path between us, but our gazes don’t waver from each other for a second. The lingering agony in my chest dulls, and not even the mental leash gets in my way. Need ordered me to go to my fated mate, and that’s precisely what I’m doing.
It doesn’t matter how many times Leon repeats that I belong to him. It doesn’t matter if the Fates tampered with my destiny to force me into a corrupted bond, because my fate is my own.
And I have chosen.
I only stop when I’m a hair’s breadth from Sin, tilting my head to look up at him. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I do it, because I know this is an act of war. And yet, even with that knowledge, the entireworld seems to fade away when he smiles down at me with a mixture of pride and awe.
“A wondrous display of peace from our Creator. She has decided to forgo her own happiness, to mend the relationships between our realm and her kidnappers. Creators are such peace-loving, self-sacrificing creatures.” Need’s voice is a bare echo, as she tries to do damage control. “Let us celebrate this incredible display.”
Haunting cello music fills the space, but Sin doesn’t move. He barely breathes as he watches me, and the longing between us is an almost tangible force.
