“What the fuck, Moonling?” Skull demands as he instantly drops to his knees to inspect the wound.
Bones already has his bleeding wrist held in front of my face, and Scorpius angles himself in front of me, his swords still drawn as though he’ll more than happily deal with any threats that may come our way.
“What’s wrong with your…twin?” he asks hesitantly as he eyes Neith like he can’t decide if she’s a bug that needs squashing or someone who might matter to me. “What did we miss?”
A ridiculous, slightly frantic, but mostly hysterical giggle works its way out of my mouth. I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to rein in my frenetic emotions.
“I want blood on my blades first. Then we can get this arrow out of me, find some moonlight, and I’ll fill you in on everything.”
“Fine, at least drink; it will help with the pain,” Bones insists, and I latch onto his wrist immediately, not needing to be told twice.
“You’re Sanguinna?” Neith asks as she watches, astonished.
“Who are you again?” Curio counters as he tries to block me and Bones from her view.
Relief washes over her face at the same time it warms through me. Our pain dulls to a more manageable degree, and I take one more pull from Bones’s wrist before I kiss it gently and step away.
“Are you Sanguinna?” I ask Neith, watching warily as Lutyn moves to stand sentinel at her back.
“No. There are others in the village who are, but I’m not. It just made me wonder about the tether—maybe it’s possible because of that part of you.”
“Tether?” Bones demands with a snarl.
He tries to step around me as though he’s decided that Neithisa bug that needs to be squished, and I press a hand to his chest to stop him. Lutyn tenses and reaches toward the sword at his hip. I roll my eyes at both of them. Neith still has this entire room of fae mashed against the walls, and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it.WhyLutyn thinks she needs defending, and what Bones thinks he’s going to do against that kind of thura, is laughable.
“Can you separate the leaders from the others?” I ask Neith. I’m pretty sure they’re all the fae dressed in the fancy robes, but just in case one of them has a preference for more casual togs, I don’t want to miss including them.
Five robed Igeeyin come flying from the group ofguiltyfae, and Neith arranges them in a circle so that they’re standing shoulder to shoulder near us. I consider the other collection of condemned fae who are still clustered by the far wall and then focus on the Scorpions.
“You can kill them.”
“Any preferences on how, my love?” Scorpius queries, his black eyes luring me in until I feel like I’m drowning in all kinds of dark and delicious things.
“Would you mind if I did it?” Neith asks.
“Seriously, who are you?” Curio questions again.
“You want to kill them?” I question her, surprised.
“I need to, but if you want them to suffer…”
I look over at them, some of them crying and pleading now that the leaders have been separated from them and they know there’s no one to protect them from the Moon’s wrath. Others continue to scream and threaten. Whatever Neith is doing to them though steals the sounds they should be making. I shrug and turn back to her.
“By all means,” I offer.
I flinch at the sudden sound of necks breaking at once. The shocking crack reverberates around the room, and a shiver climbs up my spine as dozens of bodies fall into one large heap.
Neith looks resigned and resolute as she turns and gives the condemned her back. Silently she makes it clear to everyone else in the room who’s watching, that the guilty are unworthy of any more attention or regard.
I bark out another shocked laugh, stunned by the powerful display.
And she calledmethe monster.
“Well done,” I offer, impressed and suddenly thankful that she can’t do that to me without fucking herself up too.
The Scorpions watch our exchange, questions scorching in their gazes, and I silently beg them to wait a little longer for the answers they’ve hunted just as hard as I have to find. With the group of guilty fae now dead, all that’s left are the innocents that Neith fought to protect, and the condemned leaders of the Igeeyin, the Crescents, that she so kindly separated from all of the others. I walk around the circle of power-hungry Igeeyin. They’re still stuck shoulder to shoulder and silently shouting things at me as I pass. I have no doubt that the Scorpions will have fun questioning them. I stop when I find Faline in the circle.
I study her face, take in the ire and condemnation blazing in her dark gray eyes. I think about everything Neith told me, about the greed and cruelty, about the Crescents’ ruthlessness. I think of all the questions that still float in my mind about who my parents are, if they’re alive, do I have a clan? I could ask Faline. I could demand every one of her secrets, cut them out of her if I was so inclined, but fuck her and fuck them. Ifmy peopleare still alive, they can rot right alongside this cunt. I’ve found my family. I have my clan, and they wouldn’t sell me out or hand me over for anything in this forsaken fucking world.
