Vyvyan snaps her fingers—a sound like the crack of a whip.
Her guards burst into the room and surround me. The remnants of my heart plummet with the knowledge that I’m going to die here, in this very room.
Part of me wants to beg for mercy. But a spark of defiance ignites within me. I won’t go down without a fight. If I do, I might as well roll over and plunge a stake into my own chest.
I sprint toward Vyvyan. She hisses and plants her feet, but I have no intention of engaging her in combat. I launch myself at the lever that controls the trapdoor to the Eurynomos’s pit. I pull with all my might, and the stone floor splits open, revealing a yawning abyss.
With a silent prayer on my lips, I leap into the inky darkness and the slim chance of survival it offers.
I hit the ground hard on my right hip. The jarring impact sends shockwaves through my body. The pit is a grim tapestry of stone, sand, and the remnants of those who came before me, their bones splintered and scattered.
Above, Vyvyan peers over the edge of the pit.
“Give it up, Desiree,” she calls out. “I’ll make your death quick.”
Trembling from head to toe, I raise my hand, and flip her off. Then, I set my sights on the depths of the pit where Eurynomos resides. There must be another way out. Failure is not an option. I will claw out of this hellhole if necessary.
Engulfed in darkness, I limp forward, to search for an exit.
Every rustle sets my nerves on edge, the fear of the Eurynomos constantly lurking in my mind. Time crawls until, after what feels like an eternity, I find a trapdoor—a glimmer of hope. I knock, praying that someone is on the other side.
“Let me out!” I shout, pounding my fists against the barrier. The Eurynomos might hear, spurring me to bang even harder, desperate to escape before it arrives. Maybe it’s been watching me all along, waiting for this moment of vulnerability, this breaking point, before it attacks.
“Desiree?” a familiar voice asks.
“Zev?” I gasp. He’s Misty’s sire, and Misty is not my biggest fan right now. “What are you doing here?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” he replies.
“I need you to let me out,” I plead. A long pause follows, and my breaths turn ragged.
“How’d you get in there?”
“I jumped.”
“What happened?” Zev asks, almost sounding concerned.
“Please, Zev, let me out before the Eurynomos come,” I plead. I whimper from a distant sound.
“It is resting,” he reassures me.
“How do you know that?” His stare doesn’t waver. I gasp. “Are you its handler?”
“Yes. Vyvyan’s poetic justice after disobeying her.”
Tears prick my eyes again. Zev betrayed Vyvyan by aiding my brother’s Blade investigations and communicating with his wife through Wilder. Vyvyan, in her insatiable need for control, punished him for it. Her rules are meant to keep us safe, but they also bind us, ensuring our obedience.
“Please, let me?—”
The door opens, and Zev appears, bathed in faint light that accentuates his inky hair and kohl-lined eyes. I squint, adjusting to the brightness, revealing a part of the Nest I’ve never seen.
“Thank you,” I gasp out.
Zev nods. “You’re lucky I was down here.”
“Which way to the surface?” Vyvan’s guards are likely searching for me.
Zev points left. “That way, but Vyvyan has the entire coven hunting for you.”
