For a moment, I think I see a flicker of indecision in his eyes. But then Cooper bares his teeth at me. “I told you, Rune. Don’t talk about things you don’t understand.”
Damn it.“Oh, I understand, all right. You’re a liar and a soulless worm, just like Ethan.” I glare up at my former boss, his lower lip protruding in an honest-to-God pout.
“You’re hurting my feelings, Rune. But no matter. Time waits for no witch.” He takes the blade from Cooper, lifting Donovan’s chin with the tip. Donovan’s muscles go rigid, his gaze stony. But he doesn’t move, and thank God. If he did, he’d probably cut his own throat and spare the Blood Witches the trouble.
“It’s true, Cooper and Frost’s mother is a well-regarded member of the Coven. But Frost’s father was a Blood Witch,” Ethan says, his tone conversational. “He is…shall we say…the fruit of a forbidden union.”
Behind his gag, Donovan makes a muffled sound of protest, but he stays stock-still. His gaze slides to me, though, and I clear my throat. “That’s why he had both codes next to his name in the database.”I knew it.“But what do you mean, forbidden?”
“Coven Witches and Blood Witches are prohibited from marrying each other, since our gifts cancel each other out. They produce nulls, like Frost here. Such a waste of magical blood.” Ethan purses his lips, regarding Donovan like he’s a streak of mud on a newly washed floor. “When Cooper here learned of his mother’s betrayal, he was so disgusted with her, he decided to join forces with us. He’s been a valuable man to have on theinside. After the Coven sent him here to investigate the spike in the ley lines, we knew our time had come.”
My eyes flick to Cooper, whose gaze is expressionless, then back to Ethan. I should be grateful that, for whatever reason, he’s toying with Donovan rather than slitting his throat. This is Ethan’s moment, and he wants to savor it. But God, the pleasure he’s taking in this is repulsive.
He twitches the blade again, then bends, speaking directly to Donovan for the first time. “Null or not, your blood has more latent power than anyone I’ve ever seen. That’s what will make you such a formidable sacrifice, when harnessed to Rune’s gifts. The combination of her blood and yours will set us free.”
“Mmmmph!” Donovan says from behind the gag. But he doesn’t move. He can’t.
It’s hard to keep my voice from shaking, but I manage it. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Ethan frowns. “We’re going to use you, Rune, thanks to Cooper’s ability to sense the extent of your power—hobbled though it is. After Frost here kicks the bucket, you’ll be an inexhaustible source of blood, if we just take a little at a time.”
He digs the tip of the blade in a little harder, grinning when it pierces the flesh beneath Donovan’s chin. Blood wells up, but Donovan doesn’t make a sound.
“Here’s a little secret for you, Frost.” Ethan bends closer still, until his face and Donovan’s are only inches apart. “Your father didn’t do himself in. After he betrayed us with your pathetic witch of a mother, we had him killed.” Drawing back the knife, he runs his fingers over the blood that slicks it, then straightens and licks them clean. A sinister smile lifts his lips. “Just like we’re about to kill you.”
Chapter
Fifty-Five
Oh my God.
Donovan’s tattoo,cavea ad tenebras continendas… All along, he thought he was caging the darkness that led his father to kill himself. He believed it so deeply, he inked it on his skin. But no. Donovan’s father was murdered, just like mine. And that darkness? It’s what comes from living a lie. From having two kinds of magical blood inside him, warring with each other for dominance until they canceled each other out.
I didn’t think it was possible for me to hate Ethan more. But he just keeps on proving me wrong.
Donovan chokes and coughs behind the gag as he fights to escape his bonds, nearly toppling his chair. He has to know it’s pointless, but he struggles anyway, the blood flowing more freely from the wound beneath his chin. When Cooper grips his shoulders, grimly holding him in place, Donovan glares, fury sparking in his eyes…and beneath it, a deep, abiding hurt. His mute accusation is clear:Did you know about my father? Have you been keeping it from me, all this time?
Cooper stares back at him, silent and impassive, and I decide it’s a tossup between who I despise more: him or Ethan. When I get loose—and I will—I will put an end to both of them.
And then an agonized shriek shatters the air of the meadow. It’s the cry of a wounded animal, soul-deep and raw.
Mina.
The elderly Blood Witch falls to her knees in the grass, wailing. The tears slipping down her face have become a torrent, falling hard and fast. “You...you…” she sobs, pointing at Ethan.
“Don’t be dramatic, Mina.” Ethan’s lip curls in contempt. “It doesn’t become you.”
She takes a huge gulp of air. “You’re a murderer,” she howls. “And you’ve made me into one, too. You…you killed my…”
Herwhat?What the hell is going on here?
“Watch your mouth,” Ethan warns, gripping the hilt of the blade.
Mina gives a bitter chuckle. “What are you going to do to me? You’ve already taken everything I love. It was bad enough when Jonathan was shunned. I thought that was why he took his own life…because we’d turned our backs on him. But he didn’t. He didn’t!” She pounds the ground with her fists. “He wanted to live. To have a chance to raise his child. And you killed him and lied to me about it! All these years, you let me believe I failed him. And the whole time, it wasyou.”She’s shaking all over, sobs ripping from her throat.
I don’t understand. Why does she care so much? Who was Jonathan Frost to her?
“He betrayed us, Mina.” Ethan’s tone is condescending, like he’s explaining the facts of life to a small child. “What kind of example would it set if we let him live? It’s not my fault you were naïve enough to believe I would tolerate such disrespect. Consorting with a Coven Witch…siring a null…” He spits in the grass again. “He was a blood traitor.”
