The blood works its magic, and my body and mind immediately come alive. Siah carries me up the stairs, and we trail about ten feet behind the goons carrying Lachlan.
“He likes to talk. The more you can keep him talking, the longer everything will drag out. Trust me, that’s a good thing. And no matter what happens, Vinna, don’t let him feed from you. Adriel can pull memories and magic from blood. Do you understand what would happen to all of us if he knew what was planned?”
Siah’s words are spoken quietly and vehemently in my ear. I pull away to stare at his face and try to get an idea of what the fuck is going on. Why is he acting like we’re still working together, like we still have the same goal? He betrayed me…didn’t he? I think back to everything he’s said and done since the moment we stopped at the ruins. He more or less said this was a setup, all part of some contrived plan with Adriel, but he keeps trying to heal me. He just warned me about Adriel and what he can do. And when I first woke up, didn’t he tell me it’s not what I think?
I take in his hard features and his cold demeanor. I look for the answers in Siah’s eyes, in the tic of his jaw, and the way he holds me tightly to his chest, but I just don’t fucking know. It’s impossible to gauge where his loyalties lie in all of this. And as much as I wish I could find the answer in his glacial eyes, I can’t tell if I’m the one getting played or if Adriel is?
Tall black doors slam open, and I follow Lachlan into a long room that’s polished, black stone from floor to ceiling. The room feels ominous and uninviting, and a shiver runs through me as I’m carried deeper into the room. I notice other tall black doors spread throughout the room, but my attention is pulled away from them when Lachlan is dropped at Adriel’s feet. He’s perched haughtily in what can only be described as a fucking throne, and Lachlan lets out a painedoomphas a thud echoes around the cavernous space.
I push to get out of Siah’s arms, and he hastily drops me to my feet, where I take up position in front of Lachlan. Adriel runs his gaze over me quickly, and I get the distinct impression he’s not happy with the fact that I can even stand. He watched the beating his little minions gave me, and he clearly expected me to be crumpled on the floor like my uncle currently is. I mentally add another tally to Adriel’s side of who’s getting played and know that Siah’s blood offerings are, without a doubt, on the down low.
Adriel drums his fingers on the arm of his throne and leans back in contemplation. A hint of amusement flashes in his face as he stares at me and then at Lachlan on the floor.
“I wonder, if the roles were reversed, if he would stand guard over you. Hmmm, pet? Do you think he would face off against me on your behalf?”
“I’d guess, based on his current starved and battered state, he’s already been doing that,” I tell Adriel casually, not playing into whatever divisive bullshit he’s trying to pull.
A sly smile takes over his face. “You know he would trade you for his brother if he could,” he announces, and even though his cadence is cavalier, his eyes shrewdly watch for my reaction.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I shrug and do my best to adopt anI’m fucking boredvisage.
The banging of doors bounces around the shiny, black stone of the room, but I don’t look to see if that means someone just came in or if someone just left. I took my focus off Adriel before when I was chasing my anger and Siah around the ruins, and look where that got me. No, my eyes, while in the presence of this monster, are only for him. Lachlan moves from where he’s lying on his side on the ground, and he sits up. It looks like it takes every ounce of his energy to do it, and it breaks my fucking heart.
I stand where I am, but I drop my hand to my side and offer it to Lachlan so he can help lift himself up. I’m proud as fuck that I’m able to support his weight and mine as Lachlan has to practically crawl up my body in order to stand.
“Is there something you wanted, or can we go back to the dungeons?”
“Careful, Sentinel,” he warns. “I rule here. Not you.”
“Take this collar off, and we’ll see how long it stays that way,” I challenge, and Adriel narrows his eyes at me.
“Bring the other one,” he commands, and it’s followed by hurried footsteps, shutting doors, and Lachlan tensing behind me.
“I’ve waited a very long time for you, Vinna. I’ve patiently removed the obstacles in my way one by one, and finally here you are. We both know that I won’t kill you, but what you may not know is there are things that I can do to you that are worse than death. So be careful, little one, this can be as sweet or as bitter as you make it.”
I fucking hate that this arrogant piece of shit has stripped me of my magic. I hate that I can’t walk right up to him in that gaudy, ugly ass chair and rip his power-hungry head off. But what I love right now in this moment is that I know I’m more than just my magic. I’m capable and smart, and I will find a way to kill this asshole regardless of this collar. I just have to figure out how. “He likes to talk,” Siah’s voice echoes in my mind, and I decide to start there.
“Why am I here?” I ask, as if no one has ever explained anything to me.
Adriel smiles at me and leans forward. “You’re here to learn that you and I were meant to rule the world,” he tells me with a singsong voice, and I try very fucking hard not to scoff.
“Oookayyy then, and why would I want to rule the world? Better yet, why do you want to? In my experience, there’s really no way to makeeveryonehappy, and as ruler of the world, you’d be constantly dealing with people and their expectations. That seems like a lot of fucking work,” I babble like a young dumb kid, and I can practically see frustration-tinged steam seeping out of his ears.
“It’s our rightful place,” Adriel growls out at me.
I tilt my head and let my gaze go vacant. “But who decided that?”
“I did,” he challenges.
“Why?” I ask doing my best impersonation of a curious three-year-old with never-ending questions.
“Because he shouldn’t have been Chosen; it should have been me!” Adriel’s features go from frustrated to manic, and I press to keep him talking.
“Who shouldn’t have been Chosen?” I ask and try to keep the interest in my tone hidden under confusion.
“Sauriel, my brother,” he supplies, and he leans back in the chair, his features turning hard.
Doors open somewhere behind me, and Adriel’s focus moves from me to whoever is entering the room. I take a minute to file away what I just learned. His brother was Chosen by a Sentinel, and this fucker is jealous. Is that really the foundation of every fucked up thing Adriel has done? All of this shit traces back to jealousy and some bullshit sibling rivalry?
