“Exactly!”
“What if it shortens the process? What if it heals her?”
“We know it will heal her,” Skar protests. “That’s not the point. It’s the unknown—”
“Lukain Mortis turned Palacia.”
My words stop him cold. I watch as Skar’s face twists with disgust. The muscles of his jaw bunch together, and I can tell it’s taking everything in him not to lash out.
He says nothing, so I continue. “We know my Loreblood can shift her allegiances. It can break her bloodbond to Lukain. Isn’t that something you’d want?”
“Not if it ruins your mind,” he answers sternly. “With a bloodbond to Lukain, we can use her to pinpoint the bastard’s location at all times. It’s useful.”
My deadly look tells him I’m not convinced about using her that way, so he tries another strategy. “You’ve already taken Cyprilis under your wing, with adverse effects. It’s why we tookyour mother to the old man in the cave, to see if we can change this. It’s the kind of reckless thing—”
“Skar,” I cut in, putting a hand on his wrist. His blubbering stops when my skin touches his. I give him a small smile. “I’ll be okay. I want to help my friend, and I’ll do anything to ease her pain.”
“Even lock her soul and mind to you for eternity, Sephania? You remember what happened to Dimmon Plank, don’t you?”
I gulp. How could I forget? Giving Skartovius a nod, I brush my fingers over his arm and move toward the bed.
He wraps a hand around my forearm and spins me into his chest, and I gasp sharply. “One last thing,” he murmurs in my ear, and then slams his lips over mine. His taste his warm, smoky, inviting. It’s everything I’ve missed—everything I haven’t had enough of after the craziness of the past few weeks here. “Nuhav. The Silverknight.”
I blink up at him, breathless when he pulls away. I have a feeling I’m about to learn the truth about his sullen attitude and anger he showed on the way back from the Firehold. “Yes? What about them, love?”
“Don’t ever make me stand by and watch you put yourself in harm’s way again, Sephania Lock. I’ll listen to you, because I’ll always listen to you. But I won’t make that mistake again.”
Chapter 39
Sephania
“You didwhatwith her?!”
Iron Sister Keffa is understandably furious. I wince at her outburst, seeing an unshakable wrath on the kind, nurturing old woman’s face for the first time.
I now see why she is called the Iron Sister.
Feeling small and meek, I eke out, “She . . . made us leave her behind.”
“And you let that stubborn old cow do it? Lock herself away in a dark, smelly dungeon while she works on True-knows-what?” She throws her skinny arms up.
Stubborn old cow? A hell of a thing to call your lover, angry or not.The same stubbornness my mother harbors flares inside me, defiant. “We had no choice, Keffa! Palacia could not get through a shadow portal unconscious—”
“I don’t give a shit about your ill-begotten friend!”
I recoil, flaring my nostrils. “You don’t mean that. You care about every girl—human, vampire, dhampir, interfolk. Besides, Jinnethcorrectlysaid she would slow us down. We almost died, even without her.”
“We did not,” Skartovius replies behind me in a bored tone. “Not even close.”
I shoot him a glower. “Not helping!”
Keffa paces in the main room, ironically standing beneath the oversized naked picture of my mother hanging on the wall. I can’t bear to look at it right now—or ever, if I’m being honest.What did Skar say about turning vampires plucking out their own eyes?
There’s an audience in here, to make things worse. At least ten of the destitute Sisters watch our back-and-forth, eyes wide, voices silent. No one is willing to try and calm the Iron Sister. Only Mother Jinneth can do that.
Twirling her wrist above her head, Keffa yells, “Arm up, Sisters. We’re going to get Jinneth back.”
I pump my palms at her as she tries to pass, blocking her path. “Keffa, please, think this through!”
