“It's not retreat,” Kirill said. “You are protecting your children. Zat is honorable.”
Arach looked from Kirill to me. “I love you, A Thaisce. Come back to me.”
“I will.” I hugged him, then kissed his cheek. “I love you too, Dragon. Protect our children.”
“That is a certainty.” Then Arach used his Ring of Remembrance and vanished before our eyes.
Chapter Thirty-Six
I wasn't pleased to send Arach back to Faerie, but it was the best option, and it might be what saved us if things were currently on a bad course.
The rest of us waited an anxious five minutes before we left the Golden Citadel, just to be sure that Arach didn't return. His not returning was a relief. It meant I was back in Faerie and everything had gone well. Either that or something had gone very, very wrong. I considered mirroring Arach when we got back to Pride Palace. Just a quick, “Hey, are we good?” to put my mind at ease. But then I thought it might be a good idea to check on my children first. Those in the God Realm. Then I could make sure all was well with my Fey family.
In addition to Arach, we were down Odin, Re, and Azrael. They had gone to their territories to check on whatever magical items they had locked away. The plan was to bring anything dangerous back to Pride Palace. I grimaced at the thought. Normally, I wouldn't want dangerous god items around my kids. But in this instance, it was necessary.
I sent Trevor, Kirill, and Viper ahead to Pride Palace while I said goodbye to Odin, Re, and Azrael. Then I went into the citadel's tracing room and went home. It was late evening inthe Pride lands, but I was so mentally exhausted that it felt closer to midnight. I reformed, saw my husbands standing just outside the open door of Pride Palace's tracing room, and headed for them.
That's when someone grabbed me from behind and stuck a knife in my heart.
As I gasped and crumpled, an overwhelming cold shot through my body. I recognized the feeling instantly and knew exactly what I'd been stabbed with. Anubis's dagger. The very one he'd been worried about. This was my second run-in with the blade, but this time, the cold spread in an instant. Because this time, Death was injected straight into my heart.
I never hit the floor. The trickster had a firm grip on my waist as well as one on the hilt of Anubis's blade. I was dragged backward as my husbands turned around, alerted by my gasp. I saw their mouths move, probably shouting as they ran toward me. But I was already being pulled into the Aether, the magic of that realm taking the trickster and me wherever they wanted to go.
Seconds later, we reformed. I shuddered, my heart trying to repair itself around the steel invader while my body turned into ice. The Fire in me went out. The Moon vanished. My Lioness whimpered into silence. With them gone, my star sputtered and went dark. Not dark as in evil. Just dark. No light. There but not on.
Then I was being carried. My head lolled. I couldn't focus on my surroundings. Floor—wood. Ceiling—white. Walls—blurry. I was laid on something soft. A bed? Why stab me and put me in a bed?
A shadow moved above me. The shape of a person. “Hello, my Queen,” a familiar voice said. Then the trickster pulled the knife from my chest. “Sleep now.”
And then I winked out too.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I woke in terror, like coming out of a heart-pounding nightmare. Except this nightmare was in the waking world. I remembered instantly. The dagger. The cold. I was powerless. Numb. But I still had my emotions. So, Katila had enough control over Anubis's blade to fine-tune its magic and allow me to feel.
Yes, Katila. Alive. The insane bastard was back. And stretched out beside me. This explained a lot and yet raised more questions. The Pasha hung around his neck, a golden cord full of magic. And Anubis's dagger hung on his hip, the hilt darker than Katila's eyes.
He was a handsome enough man. Kinda looked like a Bollywood actor, with bronzed skin, dark glossy hair, and those crazy brown eyes. And there was that non-scent. Even looking at him, I couldn't smell him. It was as if he didn't exist. Of course, my super-senses were currently buried under the cold of Death.
I tried to sit up but couldn't.
“Would you like to move, Vervain?” Katila asked casually.
I tried to speak but couldn't. But I could nod.
“Go ahead then. You may move, but do not run from me or strike me.”
I gasped as my body was freed from Death's ghostly hold.
“And you may speak freely.”
Bad decision, buddy.
“What the fuck?!” I screeched as I sat up and scooted as far away from Katila as his stolen magic would allow. “You're dead! I ate your fucking heart!”
“Did you?” He laid back and sighed. “How did it taste?”
“I don't remember. Why don't you give me another bite?” I snarled and tried to leap for him but couldn't.
