“Lies.” The word fires out of me before I can stop it. “You’re a slave. Just like everyone else he touches.” A low, guttural growl vibrates from somewhere deep inside its withered ribs, and the sound crawls under my skin.
“Foolish girl,” it rasps, its claw dragging down the curve of my spine with deliberate slowness, a predator savoring the anticipation of a wound before making it. “Always playing a dangerous game.”
“I can unbind you from him.” My voice shakes, but not enough to betray how much this gamble terrifies me.
The Fetch stills. Its head tilts with inhuman sharpness. “Is that so?”
“I can,” I push, letting conviction coat the lie. “My blood… and my brother’s. Shadeborne blood weakens him. If you had enough of it, my father’s magic would falter.”
The creature searches my face, hunting for deceit or weakness. “And what would you want in exchange for this blood?” it asks, its gaze drifting hungrily toward Liam, who is still pinned to the tree, thrashing uselessly.
“I want the truth.” The words come out like a vow. “Everything you know.”
The Fetch taps its claw rhythmically across the dirt, circling me like a vulture waiting for a heartbeat to fail. Then, with a cold, clipped finality, it says, “Deal.” It leans in, fingers skimming my arm as it looks for the strongest vein.
“The truth first,” I remind sharply, even as my stomach twists at the thought of losing more blood. “Then you get what you came for.”
“Hm. Fine.” It prowls around me, ignoring Liam’s hoarse pleas for it to take him instead. “What would you like to know?”
My breath trembles out. “How do Ares and Althea know my brother and me? And Theo. I’ve seen the photo.”
The Fetch settles into a predatory crouch, tapping one claw against the ground as though marking time. “Two of your father’s most skilled followers,” it begins, almost pleasantly. “Althea Collins, a master of potions, and exceptional with a blade. Ares…” Its tone turns reverent, even hungry. “Well-versed in Shadeborne magic. Blood magic. Chaos magic. Old magic. He took a blood oath to your family when you were children, an oath to protect you and your brother. Especially you. You all served your father. Carried out his errands. Eliminated his enemies. Delivered messages no one else could deliver. You worked as one, bonded by blood and trauma and purpose. Some bonds… tighter than others.”
My heart begins to hammer, painful, disjointed beats echoing in my ribs.
“And the unity tie?” My voice cracks.
“That,” the Fetch purrs, “was crafted by your father after the night of the fire. A punishment. A leash. A vow.” It leans closer, empty sockets inches from mine. “Two souls tied as one. When one bleeds, the other weakens. When one dies…” A smile pulls across its torn mouth. “The other does too.”
The world tilts under me, a slow, sickening roll.
The Fetch continues, savoring the moment. “Ares’s mother’s murder was the catalyst. Such a shame, watching her burn like that. Your father saw the raw force Ares unleashed that night, and he decided to harness it. Turn the boy into a weapon for your mistakes. His first true servant.”
“That wasn’t Ares’s mother,” I whisper, heart pounding. “It was Sebastian and Anne’s parents. It’s always been-”
The Fetch erupts into laughter, sharp and delighted. “Oh, you stupid, stupid child.” The sound scrapes across my nerves. “Think. For once in your cursed life, think. How does someone have years of memories with another person unless they lived them? Why do you believe the Parker boy claws at your memory like a dying man reaching for air? Why do things in your life fall into place with such unnatural ease? Why Vireldan? Why him? Whyanyof it?”
My breath falters. The photo flashes in my mind, five teenagers locked together in joy, Ares’s arm around me like it belonged there.
“What about Theo?” I try, my voice barely sound.
“The brother’s lover?” The Fetch scoffs. “Your father regrets never binding those two. A unity tie between them would have simplified things.” Its head twitches. “But he cannot rewrite every mistake. Only the ones that matter.”
“Ares and me-” The words scrape up my throat, fragile and trembling, but the Fetch slices through them with grotesque enthusiasm.
“Were together? Yes. For years,” it says, its satisfaction almost intimate. “Some would argue you still are, since you never actually chose to part. He was your other half long before your father decided to carve your lives into pieces. The night of the fire… ah, such chaos. His mother spoke out of turn. Your father ended her. Snapped her life in front of him like a twig. Ares lost control, attacked your father, the first and only to ever draw Shadeborne blood. And Andrew, in all his brilliance, saw exactly what he could exploit. The boy’s love for you.” The Fetch leans closer, gloating. “A leash, made from devotion so deep even death couldn’t sever it. And you-” its smile stretches, cruel and delighted “-you walk around believing the memories he left you with belong to someone else.”
My pulse slams against my skull. “What are you saying?” My mind throbs, the block screaming, begging me to stop before I pull out something forbidden.
“There is only one person in that cabin who isnewto you,” it whispers. “You just don’t know it yet.”
Sebastian’s image flashes across my mind. My breath fractures on instinct. I look up sharply, panic forming a noose.
“Someone in there is working with my father?” My voice is a cracked whisper, but the Fetch’s grin widens like splitting skin.
“How do you think I found you?” it hisses. “You still believe all this is your father’s orchestration alone?”
My stomach drops. The blood in my veins feels cold.
